Students of carpentry, painting and decorating, joining and more, performed practical tasks in work experience environments in front of a panel of judges who are experts in their fields.

This year the competition was judged by a panel made up of experts from WorldSkills Centre of Excellence, Construction EPA, One Advanced and NOCN.

Winners and runners up from each area have the chance to go on to represent their college in the regionals, where they have a chance of qualifying for WorldSkillsUK.

2023’s event saw Newcastle College take four awards, with Kidderminster hot on their heels with three!

Steve Wallis, NCG’s executive director of quality, said of the 2023 competition: “This was our third NCG Skills event, but the first time we could bring everyone together to compete in person and it was a truly memorable day.

“The learners impressed the judges with their skills, attitudes, and work ethic. All of the finalists did amazingly well and a huge congratulations goes to all of the finalists and winners.”

Courtney Maddison from Newcastle College, who won the Painting and Decorating competition for the second time, said:  “Winning for the second year in a row has really boosted my confidence and made me realise that the time and effort I’m putting into my time at college is really paying off!

“I’m looking forward to the next competition, the pressure is definitely on!”

Newcastle College’s other winners were Harriet Hawdon for Carpentry, Marshall Parry for Bricklaying and Anna Martin for beauty.

Harriet said: “It was my first-time experiencing an NCG Skills final and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

“The day allowed me to talk to people from other colleges all over the country and exchange experiences with them. Winning felt amazing. I would absolutely love to do it again in the future! 

Click here for more information on NCG and here for WorldSkills UK.