South West College (SWC)has been chosen as the venue for the WorldSkills UK Regional Finals 2022 and will host two heats in Culinary Arts and Front of House and Larder on Thursday, 26 May 2022. The prestigious competition, held annually, puts the finest future chefs and hospitality staff in Northern Ireland (NI) against each other, aiming to help young people go further faster in their careers.

South West College are privileged to host the regional finals in Patisserie and Front of House and Larder, which will be held across two venues at its Omagh and Dungannon campuses, respectively, and will feature students from all six NI Further Education colleges.

South West College finalists Ronan Kerr and Dean McNally are set to benchmark their skills and culinary abilities against the best trainee chefs in Northern Ireland with a brief to create, prepare and present a mystery basket as well as cooking from Escoffier. In addition, two Front of house Dungannon students, including Olivia Genockey and Erikas Miliauskas, will compete in Restaurant Service Skills. 

Speaking about the upcoming heats and after achieving success at IFEX 2022, first-year Level 3 Professional Cookery student Ronan Kerr said:

“Competitions like this are great for developing your skillset. They prepare you to perform under pressure and help open doors as well as progress within your career.”

Ronan Kerr,
Level 3 Professional Cookery

The competitions, which are the first step of their journey in the UK World Skills competition, will see students compete and challenge themselves against a world skills standard for the opportunity to join Squad UK, as well as Team UK, on an international stage at the Skills Olympics.

Darren Pitts, Lecturer in Tourism and Hospitality at South West College, is delighted to host regional heats, which inspire and drive up standards amongst learners.

“South West College will be the location on the 26 May where Northern Ireland students will benchmark their Front of House, Patisserie and Culinary abilities for World Skills regional heats.  We are excited to be the platform for future chefs and hospitality staff to showcase their skills. So, get ready for the countdown to this fantastic event.” 

Darren Pitts

SWC offers a wide range of flexible courses from Level 2 to 5 in hospitality, patisserie and confectionery, food and beverage, professional cookery, and culinary arts. 

For more information or to apply for a course in Catering and Hospitality at South West College, see below.

Catering and Hospitality