The finals are at the heart of WorldSkills UK LIVE, the UK’s largest skills, apprenticeship and careers event which takes place from 21 – 23 November at the NEC, Birmingham. Over the three days, there will be competitions in 70 different skills across the Digital, Technology, Engineering, Construction and Hospitality industries with finalists having to complete a set task or series of tasks in their respective skill area within a limited time and in front of the 70,000 plus visitors attending the event. The original entry of over 3,000 has been whittled down to just 500 for the national finals and Ashton is one of a total of nine Northern Regional College competitors to make the cut.
The other finalists, who qualified in eight different skills areas from across the College’s six campuses, are: Abigail Reilly, Ballymena (Plumbing); Patrick McCloskey, Coleraine (Carpentry); Tadas Dobrovlskis, Newtownabbey (Welding); Jack Marshall, Newtownabbey (Web Design); Philip Park, Ballymoney (Graphic Design); and Maciej Twardowski, Magherafelt (IT Software Solutions for Business). Two former students, Andy Blair and Haydn Roebuck, who both completed a Foundation Degree at the College last year, qualified for the Mechatronics finals but are unable to attend due to work and university commitments.
Despite this being his first experience of competing at a national level, Ashton is looking forward to the challenge and optimistic about the opportunity to compete at such a high level:
“I am really excited to compete at WorldSkills UK LIVE. Although this is my first three-day competition, I believe my experience will stand to me.
“I initially set out to do a degree in Business Management at university but I soon realised it wasn’t for me and instead studied bricklaying at Northern Regional College for four years. Now, I lecture there on a part-time basis, as well as working for myself.”
Commenting on his decision to return to the College as a lecturer after completing his studies, Ashton said:
“It’s a very different experience but I’m still learning. When I was a student, I was always developing new skills but that learning hasn’t stopped now that I’m lecturing. I’m continually learning and looking for new ways to impart the knowledge that I have picked up to my own students.”
Congratulating Ashton on reaching the national finals, Professor Terri Scott, Principal and Chief Executive of Northern Regional College said all the finalists deserved great credit as qualifying for WorldSkills UK LIVE was a significant achievement.
“I can’t impress the scale and scope of the finals enough – they really are the equivalent of the Olympics for experiential learning and apprenticeships. It is a true delight to see so many from the College compete at such a high level.
“Ashton is a great example of someone who when recognising that the traditional academic route was not for him, chose an alternative route to a successful career. The College offers different training opportunities, like apprenticeships and Higher Level Apprenticeships, which can be more suited for people interested in a trade or vocational subject. Ashton has shown how success can be achieved when hard work is fostered in a caring, encouraging and supportive environment,” Professor Scott said.
Dr Neil Bentley-Gockmann OBE, Chief Executive, WorldSkills UK said: “I wish all Northern Regional College students the best of luck as they compete at WorldSkills UK LIVE.
“At WorldSkills UK we work to accelerate the development of young people’s skills from national to world-class standards. We’re creating a new generation of high flyers that give UK employers a competitive edge.”
Northern Regional College students have a proven track record at WorldSkills UK LIVE. At last year’s competition, Aghadowey student Samuel Gilmore was named UK Champion for Carpentry. He has since gone on to be crowned Europe’s Best Apprentice at the European Alliance for Apprenticeship Awards, held in Helsinki in October. In 2017, Rory McCloskey, a Foundation Degree student at the College, was a gold medal winner in Computer Numerical Control (CNC) category.