Last week, three of our wonderful Digital learners competed in the National WorldSkills Finals in computing, hosted in Middlesborough.

We were able to sit down with two of the competitors, Fin and Skylar, who told us all about their journey, training and success in WorldSkills; Skylar achieved Silver in the competition!

Both learners expressed an interest in WorldSkills after seeing the success of the previous cohort of Weston College learners who competed, including Jack Kimmins who won gold! They also each explained that it was a great way to work on their own skills to apply to their degree courses.

The whole competition spanned over a long period of time, with the qualifiers being in July. The qualifying round was a day with an issued web development task, with a time limit to complete it. Once the learners had confirmation they had passed this round, they began to revise until the finals, which took place this month (November).

Skylar explained the competition days: “The competition was very challenging. It was a set of five modules spread over three days, based up at Middlesbrough College in their new MC Digital building. The five modules included everything website development, from design work to client side scripting to server side scripting. As well as a speed round where time was of the essence. I felt very prepared due to the wealth of knowledge of previous competitors as well as the practise resource is we were given to help train us for the real briefs.”

While Skylar said that the JavaScript and PHP aspects were the best part of her day, Finley highlighted the speed module on the final day as his best part: “The smaller tasks within the short timeframe was quite fun and was a challenge to think of solutions without spending too much time on a single section given the time restraints.”

However, the competition days were not without their difficulties. Both learners touched on the aspect they found the most challenging; for Finley it was PHP module where he felt he could have benefit from more revision in that area, and Skylar found the design round the trickiest.

Despite the difficulties, all the participants did incredibly well, with Skylar achieving Silver overall! This is such a wonderful achievement, and she was absolutely thrilled, saying “It felt absolutely amazing to achieve silver in the website development competition. Knowing that I am the second-best student website developer in the UK feels absolutely amazing.

I found out the results through a virtual medal ceremony, live streamed by Steph McGovern from her studio where they announced all the winners of the competitions. I just couldn’t believe it when my name was called out!”

Both Skylar and Finley were very enthusiastic about the prospect of competing again next year, Finley commenting, “I am already looking forwards to the sign-ups. I entered this year, unsure if it was the correct choice, but after attending and reaching the finals, its been an amazing experience. I am excited to attend again!”

If you are considering following in their footsteps and entering WorldSkills, here is the first-hand advice from those who just competed: “Just go for it – you won’t know how far you can go or the extent of your knowledge unless you try, and it’s such a great learning experience. Even if you don’t get through to the finals, it’ll still look great on your CV!”

Both learners expressed huge gratitude to their teachers and tutors at University Centre Weston, Jason Hill, Jack Kimmins and Jack Cole, who have been so supportive throughout the whole process, including numerous training sessions.

Many congratulations to everyone involved!

Why choose to study Sport? 

At Weston College, we believe there is so much more to sport than just what happens on the pitch. While, yes, developing physical ability and skill in a game is essential, there are so many more areas of daily life that sport can impact. Careers in sport also go far beyond being a professional player.  

We encourage our learners to consider the social and cultural influence sport can have within the community; how it can be used to bring people together and encourage healthy and active living.  

Understanding the importance of inclusivity is also a major factor in teaching sport. 

Whilst honing these skills and learning about the role of sport and fitness within the wider community, our students have been taking part in delivering practical sessions to learners from our very own Faculty of Inclusive Practice (FIP), as well as preparing for some upcoming sessions with local primary schools. 

The first session was a festival of sport, taking place on Friday 11th November. It was a huge success, with both Sport and FIP learners enjoying the collaborative and engaging event. 

Jack, Sports Academy and Enrichment Manager, told us: 

“The festival was a really good opportunity for the learners to see how sport is inclusive for all, and it gives them a good chance to demonstrate what they’ve learnt in a real-life situation.” 

The sport learners have also recently organised and delivered a dodgeball festival in partnership with Dodgeball UK for local primary schools. 

This was another enormous success! Jack said: 

"We’re really excited to be growing and building local links with local stakeholders. This is a fantastic opportunity for us to provide sport and enrichment to the community. It’s also a great opportunity for the learners to work on the employability skills that are going to be crucial for them to develop alongside their knowledge in order to become employable.” 

This is just the very beginning of the multitude of sports festivals and events our learners will be delivering. 

Upcoming events will include: 

• A sport festival for local Extended Learning Academy Network (ELAN) primary schools  

• Festival of football - with Weston College FIP learners competing with Westhaven School 

Amazing work to the brilliant learners taking part, we can’t wait to see more of the community impact you’re making! 

To find out more about career opportunities in Sport, visit our Sports and Fitness Careers Excellence Hub.  

To learn more about our Sport courses, click here. 

Weston College’s public services students demonstrated their fitness to their parents by completing a series of challenges designed to demonstrate skills they’ve learned on their course.

Public services is a subject which prepares people for a career in the army, security services, or the emergency services. Many people who study this course go on to apply for the armed forces, and a lot of them are successful – but how do they do it? Read on to find out more.

Could you be a soldier?

Soldiers need plenty of self-discipline, loyalty and confidence, as well as physical fitness. Good teamwork skills and effective communication are crucial, as are quick reactions and the ability to use your own initiative.

Check the entry criteria

You’ll need to be between 16 and 33 to join the army as a soldier, but if you’re under 18 you’ll need your parents’ permission.

The army has nationality and residency requirements, which mean you must be a British citizen or subject, a British Protected Person or Commonwealth citizen who has lived in the UK for at least five years.

If you’re shortlisted you will be expected to present a GP’s medical report and pass the army medical examination, so a high level of personal fitness is required.

Get the relevant training

In general, you don’t need any qualifications to join the army as a soldier, but you do need be physically fit and proficient in communication, teamwork and English and maths. Our public services courses will train you in these areas and put you ahead of the competition.

If you want to join the army in a certain field, such as engineering or communications, you may need some technical skills.

Apply

You can apply to join the armed forces online. If your application is accepted you’ll have to pass a medical examination and physical fitness tests, and numeracy and literacy tests.

You’ll then sit a British Army Recruit Battery test which will match your abilities to jobs that suit them, and a technical selection test for the field you want to serve in. There are also team activities and a formal interview.

Further development…

Once you’ve applied and been accepted, you’ll go on to the Phase One of the army training programme, which lasts 14 weeks, six months or 12 months depending on your age. Once you’ve completed the Phase One course, you’ll go on to do the Phase Two course, called the Combat Infantryman’s Course, which lasts 28 weeks.

Joining the army is only the beginning. There are plenty of qualifications and courses you can take once you’ve enlisted - some soldiers complete degrees while they serve!