13 WINTER 2016
WORLD SKILLS
Student success in
skills competition
of over 1,000 competitors after
he excelled in the regional heats.
Congratulations to former
student Stuart Queen, who
proved himself to be one of
the best apprentice joiners in
the UK with a third place finish
at the prestigious 2015 Skills
Show.
The Skills Show is the UK’s
largest skills and careers event,
and attracts more than 70,000
visitors over the course of the
weekend.
Stuart secured one of the
12 spots available at the
competition from an initial field
Incredibly, Stuart also reached
the final dozen last year but was
unfortunate not to be placed first
time around.
However, in a week in which he
was named as Student of the
Year for Construction, Technology
and Trades after completing his
PDA in Carpentry and Joinery,
21-year-old Stuart performed
exceptionally well to finish third
on this occasion.
We were delighted to welcome
James Duffel, Skills Competition
Manager at the Construction
Industry Training Board (CITB), to
our Ayr campus to present Stuart
with his prize.
We would also like to
congratulate another former
student Alison McPhail, who
studied Nail Services, on
reaching the national finals in
Birmingham.
Alison’s regional heat actually
took place at our Kilmarnock
campus!
Sadly Alison did not place
in her category, but it’s a
fantastic achievement to make
it to that stage, such is the
high level of competition she
was up against.
Well done to both Stuart
and Alison for representing
themselves and Ayrshire
College so brilliantly at the
competition.
SCHOOL-COLLEGE PARTNERSHIP COURSES
You may have noticed on our
blog that we have started
following the progress of a
number of senior phase pupils
who are benefitting from our
school-college partnership
courses.
The programme allows S4,
S5 and S6 pupils from across
Ayrshire the opportunity to
enhance their employability
and progression pathways by
attending a college course
that complements their school
subjects.
Courses on offer include Skills
for Work, National Progression
Awards, National Certificates and
National Qualifications.
In total we’re following eight
pupils, who are studying a
range of courses, to show how
the College’s partnership with
Ayrshire secondary schools
works.
The pupils featured are from
Belmont Academy, Cumnock
Academy, James Hamilton
Academy, Kyle Academy,
Prestwick Academy and St.
Matthew’s Academy.
Click here
to read more
on our blog