Students from the College of West Anglia have placed themselves in the top three in the country for Video Moving Image skills and health and social care, after bringing home bronze at a national competition.
For the third year running, the skills and strengths of CWA’s media students, and the support from staff, have been tested against colleges across the UK. WorldSkills, held at the Birmingham NEC from 17 to 21 November, sees students from across the nation - who have qualified in regional skills heats - compete to be the best of the best in their careers area.
More than 500 talented young people took part in competitions covering 61 different skills, in front of thousands of visitors.
Media students James Veal, Kitti Wells and Callum Hefford secured bronze in the Video Moving Image final. Kendal College took Gold, with the North East Surrey College of Technology (Nescot) taking silver.
Independent judges assessed the work of all competitors, choosing their deserving winners, who were presented with their medals at a ceremony on Saturday evening.
The whole team from CWA who attended, including staff and supporters, are delighted! Competitor Kitti, 18, said: “Being a part of WorldSkills has definitely developed my confidence. I’m looking to go on to university next year and this will really help.”
Paul Gibson, CWA’s head of faculty for media, said: “I am really proud of the achievements of our students that have been lucky enough to be involved in this national competition. The demands of the competition are tough and they have excelled themselves. To come back with a bronze medal is amazing and the knowledge and experiences they can pass on to their peers is invaluable.”
Hayley Rudd, teaching support officer for Video Moving Image at CWA, said: “I'm just extremely proud of the team’s achievement, all their hard work and months of planning and pre-production has paid off. They have come away with so much more than just a bronze medal; confidence, work experience, industry contacts, friends for life and priceless feedback.”
Shaney Sloan, 18, from Wisbech, is now in the top three health and social care students in the country, after bringing home bronze.
Miss Sloan was given challenging scenarios where she had to demonstrate acts of care, dignity, privacy and the ability to meet patient needs and conditions.
She said: “It was definitely a pressurised situation but after the initial few scenarios, I almost forgot where I was and found myself completely in the zone. I could see the crowds of people out of the corner of my eye but I just had to get on with it! It’s boosted my confidence and was a once in a lifetime experience I won’t forget.
Miss Sloan said that she has so much admiration for her college tutors and the nurses at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn, who helped her to prepare for the event.
She added: “I learnt so much from spending time doing work experience with staff at the QEH. I spent time working with the stoma nurses and mental health department and have had great support from Julia Saunders, the Practice Development Nurse.”
The College of West Anglia’s Principal David Pomfret said: “To reach the UK finals of WorldSkills is a huge achievement and Shaney should be really proud of herself. We are all delighted at CWA.”
Ann Compton, curriculum support manager for care & early years at CWA, said: “Shaney achieved the bronze medal because of her hard work, her natural communication and interpersonal skills, her desire to care for others and her enthusiasm to learn new skills. Shaney’s natural abilities were apparent, her career choice of becoming a nurse can only be enhanced having displayed such a high calibre of knowledge, care and compassion and she deserves to be proud of her achievement. We, her teaching team and colleagues from the QEH certainly are.”
Practice Development Nurse Julia Saunders said: “Shaney did a fantastic job and we are very proud of her as it was a very high standard of competition. Shaney’s forte was stoma care and she absolutely excelled at this. She was also commended for her calmness in the collapsed patient scenario.”
Media students James Veal, Kitti Wells and Callum Hefford secured bronze in the Video Moving Image final. Kendal College took Gold, with the North East Surrey College of Technology (Nescot) taking silver.
Independent judges assessed the work of all competitors, choosing their deserving winners, who were presented with their medals at a ceremony on Saturday evening.
The whole team from CWA who attended, including staff and supporters, are delighted! Competitor Kitti, 18, said: “Being a part of WorldSkills has definitely developed my confidence. I’m looking to go on to university next year and this will really help.”
Paul Gibson, CWA’s head of faculty for media, said: “I am really proud of the achievements of our students that have been lucky enough to be involved in this national competition. The demands of the competition are tough and they have excelled themselves. To come back with a bronze medal is amazing and the knowledge and experiences they can pass on to their peers is invaluable.”
Hayley Rudd, teaching support officer for Video Moving Image at CWA, said: “I'm just extremely proud of the team’s achievement, all their hard work and months of planning and pre-production has paid off. They have come away with so much more than just a bronze medal; confidence, work experience, industry contacts, friends for life and priceless feedback.”
Shaney Sloan, 18, from Wisbech, is now in the top three health and social care students in the country, after bringing home bronze.
Miss Sloan was given challenging scenarios where she had to demonstrate acts of care, dignity, privacy and the ability to meet patient needs and conditions.
She said: “It was definitely a pressurised situation but after the initial few scenarios, I almost forgot where I was and found myself completely in the zone. I could see the crowds of people out of the corner of my eye but I just had to get on with it! It’s boosted my confidence and was a once in a lifetime experience I won’t forget.
Miss Sloan said that she has so much admiration for her college tutors and the nurses at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn, who helped her to prepare for the event.
She added: “I learnt so much from spending time doing work experience with staff at the QEH. I spent time working with the stoma nurses and mental health department and have had great support from Julia Saunders, the Practice Development Nurse.”
The College of West Anglia’s Principal David Pomfret said: “To reach the UK finals of WorldSkills is a huge achievement and Shaney should be really proud of herself. We are all delighted at CWA.”
Ann Compton, curriculum support manager for care & early years at CWA, said: “Shaney achieved the bronze medal because of her hard work, her natural communication and interpersonal skills, her desire to care for others and her enthusiasm to learn new skills. Shaney’s natural abilities were apparent, her career choice of becoming a nurse can only be enhanced having displayed such a high calibre of knowledge, care and compassion and she deserves to be proud of her achievement. We, her teaching team and colleagues from the QEH certainly are.”
Practice Development Nurse Julia Saunders said: “Shaney did a fantastic job and we are very proud of her as it was a very high standard of competition. Shaney’s forte was stoma care and she absolutely excelled at this. She was also commended for her calmness in the collapsed patient scenario.”