Students aiming high at WorldSkills Competition

Students at City of Glasgow College are battling it out at this year’s WorldSkills UK National Finals competitions.

This year’s Finals are taking place in 22 different locations across the UK. They feature a total of 64 different skill disciplines, with up to 400 students and apprentices competing for gold, silver or bronze medals.

From Wednesday 17 to Friday 19 November, three City of Glasgow College students - Jessica McKechnie (Confectionery), Alex Dick (Restaurant Service) and Gabriela Kulesza (Culinary Art) - will be competing on home soil as the college hosts their disciplines at its City campus. You can see how our students get on as these competitions are being streamed live from the college.

HND Professional Cookery student, Gabriela, was keen to get going, saying: “I am really excited. This is the moment we have been training for. We have had so much support from the college, and our coaches, and I just want to put into practice all that I have learned. I am nervous, but am looking forward to it, and want to do my best on the day.”  

Margaret Darroch, Head of the College’s WorldSkills Academy, added: “It’s fantastic to have the national finals back and we’re excited to be hosting these particular skills at City of Glasgow College. Online training has sometimes been a challenge for both students and coaches, but I’ve been blown away by their hard work, commitment, and enduring enthusiasm. All our students deserve their place in these finals and our thoughts and good wishes are with them all.”

This year a virtual medal ceremony will be broadcast live on Channel 4. Hosted by Stephanie McGovern, it will come from her Packed Lunch studio at 4.00pm on Friday 26 November. Bronze and silver medallists will be announced followed by the gold medal winners, with names and photographs appearing on screen.

The college is hosting a ‘Watch Party’ from 3.30pm until 5.30pm at its City campus Lecture Theatre, and the ceremony will also be streamed on the WorldSkills UK website.

The National Finals are the culmination of almost two years intense training and bootcamps, with highly experienced coaches preparing students to meet the required WorldSkills international benchmarking standards.

Those who achieve success may be eligible for selection for Squad UK, and then Team UK, with the chance to represent their country and skill in international competition at WorldSkills Lyon, France, in 2023.