Young people from across Scotland have been celebrated by the Scottish Government at a special reception held on Thursday 28 November to honour their achievements at this summer’s skills Olympics and the recent WorldSkills UK national competitions.
Last week, New College Lanarkshire was named the best performing institution in the UK following its performance at the WorldSkills UK national finals. Students from the college secured three gold, three silver and three bronze medals in skills ranging from Digital Construction, Network Infrastructure Technician and Mechanical Engineering CAD.
The WorldSkills UK national finals attract over 6,000 registrations and are designed to help young people develop the skills to meet the demand for a highly skilled workforce.
Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, Jenny Gilruth MSP, attended the event which also honoured the Scottish members of the team that represented the UK at WorldSkills Lyon 2024, known as the ‘skills Olympics’ last September.
Nathan Young, who attended New College Lanarkshire and is now studying at the University of West Scotland secured a Medallion of Excellence in Mechanical Engineering CAD at WorldSkills Lyon and Finley Graham, who attended City of Glasgow College and is now studying at Glasgow Caledonian University was awarded a Medallion of Excellence in IT Network Systems Administration. Their success helped the UK secure tenth position in the WorldSkills rankings.
Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said:
“I would like to offer my congratulations to the four young people from Scotland for their incredible work in achieving the chance to compete amongst the gold standard of skills excellence from across the world.
“WorldSkills is not just a competition, but it is a powerful demonstration of the skills and hard work that define the future industries across the world. The opportunity to compete at such a stage highlights their exceptional skills and their efforts showcases just how skilled young people in Scotland are.”
Carol Turnbull, WorldSkills UK Ambassador for Scotland said:
“The success of the young people celebrated here tonight is testament to how the education and skills sector is helping to develop an internationally competitive workforce here in Scotland.
“We want to use their achievements to inspire the next generation, showing what is possible through technical education and apprenticeships, so we can see even more institutions across Scotland emulating the success of New College Lanarkshire in the years to come.”
