Colleges Week 2025, organised by the Association of Colleges (AoC), will take place from Monday 3 to Friday 7 March. This year, the focus will be on celebrating the vital role that colleges play in shaping brighter futures for learners, giving them the skills and confidence to succeed in the work place.
WorldSkills UK is proud to support colleges in empowering students by using benchmarking resources to upskill learners and enhance their career prospects. To highlight these achievements, WorldSkills UK has created a series of mini-challenges, providing colleges with the opportunity to raise standards and better prepare learners for both higher grades and industry.
How to Get Involved
The WorldSkills UK benchmarking resources are accessible to all colleges and learners. Designed to improve both technical and personal skills, these resources align with the UK government’s key missions. Here’s a breakdown of the activities colleges can engage with during Colleges Week:
| Day | Resource | Type | About the Resource |
| Monday 3 March | Productivity Skills | Student-led Activity | Introduce the principles of lean management and how they can be applied across sectors. |
| Tuesday 4 March | Renewable Energy | Pressure Tests | Explore key green energy skills, from renewable energy onwards. |
| Wednesday 5 March | Digital Media Production/Graphic Design | Pressure Tests | Help students develop technical skills in digital media and design through real-world pressure tests. |
| Thursday 6 March | Mindset Masterclasses | Student-led Activity | Develop champion mindsets with 10 bite-sized masterclasses that apply elite sports practices to boost performance and confidence. |
| Friday 7 March | Health and Social Care | Pressure Tests | Enable learners to gain hands-on experience and practice technical skills needed for the future of healthcare. |
Getting Started
- Register for free: Colleges can access the resources by registering on the WorldSkills UK Learning Lab.
- Find it out how to run the activities through the brief here Course: AoC Colleges Week 2025 | WorldSkills UK Learning Lab
- Pressure Tests: Use the pressure tests relevant to your learner’s industry to help them practice and assess technical skills in a timed environment. At the end of each activity, complete the score sheet and upload results to the benchmarking tracker. This tracker helps monitor performance across college, regional, and national benchmarks.
Celebrate Success
At the end of Colleges Week, WorldSkills UK will announce:
- The top 5 most engaged colleges for student-led activities.
- The top 5 performing colleges for skill-specific pressure tests.
The results will be showcased on the WorldSkills UK website and social media platforms, celebrating the incredible work colleges are doing to shape the future of talent. Additionally, the activities and benchmarking undertaken can support entries into the AoC Colleges Week competition, highlighting how your college is building brighter futures
Get involved here and be part of this exciting week that celebrates the invaluable contribution of colleges to shaping the future workforce.
