Sixteen SRC Students to Compete at WorldSkills UK Finals in Manchester
7th Nov 2024
This November, sixteen students from Southern Regional College are travelling to Manchester to take part in the WorldSkills UK National finals from 19th – 22nd November. Participating across nine competition disciplines, students will be demonstrating their many learned skills with hopes of bringing home bronze, silver or gold medals.
Southern Regional College has been hugely successful at WorldSkills UK in recent years, being named the top performing College in the UK, in both the 2023 and 2024 national finals. Hope remains high for students participating in this year’s finals.
Competition areas include automation, automotive refinishing, culinary arts, electrical installation, health & social care, restaurant services, industry 4.0, laboratory technician and mechatronics.
Each competition area consists of eight finalists, or in six teams of two persons in the areas of automation, mechatronics and industry 4.0. To make it to the finals, students have competed at college and regional qualifiers earlier this year, with scores across the UK benchmarked and quality assured.
Following this benchmarking exercise, the top scoring students were named as finalists in July. Since the July finalist announcement, all SRC students have been in training, to fine tune their skills in advance of the November national finals.
Students competing in this year’s finals are:
| Name | Competition Area | Course Studying | Hometown | Campus |
| Eve Hillen | Automation | Engineering Advanced Technical Award Level 3 Extended Diploma | Hilltown | Newry |
| Ethan Park | Automation | Engineering Advanced Technical Award Level 3 Extended Diploma | Rathfriland | Newry |
| Ben Robertson | Automotive Refinishing | Vehicle Accident Repair Paint Principles Level 3 Diploma Apprenticeship | Portadown | Portadown |
| Annabelle Hughes | Culinary Arts | Professional Cookery Level 3 FDQ Diploma | Loughgall | Newry |
| Jonathan Gough | Electrical Installation | Electrotechnical (Electrical Installation) Level 3 Diploma Apprenticeship | Waringstown | Portadown |
| Phelim McArdle | Restaurant Services | Hospital & Catering Level 1 Certificate | Cullyhanna | Newry |
| Clara Rose Cooney | Health & Social Care | Health & Social Care Advanced Technical Award Level 3 Extended Diploma | Kilkeel | Newry |
| Patrick Sheerin | Industry 4.0 | Engineering BEng (Hons) Level 6 Degree | Portadown | Newry |
| Caolan McCartan | Industry 4.0 | Engineering (Technical Design & Manufacture) Level 5 Foundation Degree | Camlough | Newry |
| Ruth Douglas | Laboratory Technician | Applied Industrial Sciences – Chemical Level 5 Foundation Degree | Banbridge | Newry |
| John Doherty | Mechatronics | Engineering BEng (Hons) Level 6 Degree | Portadown | Newry |
| Jason McVerry | Mechatronics | Engineering BEng (Hons) Level 6 Degree | Belleeks | Newry |
| Ross Graham | Mechatronics | Engineering (Technical Design & Manufacture) Level 5 Foundation Degree | Banbridge | Newry |
| Carter McKnight | Mechatronics | Mechatronic Engineering Level 5 Foundation Degree | Moira | Newry |
| Sean Treanor | Mechatronics | Engineering BEng (Hons) Level 6 Degree | Monaghan | Newry |
| Neil King | Mechatronics | Engineering BEng (Hons) Level 6 Degree | Warrenpoint | Newry |
Following the WorldSkills UK finals, students who have exceeded scoring requirements may be invited to join Squad UK and participate in the EuroSkills and WorldSkills competition series.
WorldSkills UK is a four-nation partnership between the education sector, industry and the UK government to build a ‘skills economy’ by embedding world-class training standards to drive investment, jobs and economic growth.
Lee Campbell, Principal & CEO of Southern Regional College commented:
“I am incredibly proud of our exceptional students who will be representing Southern Regional College and Northern Ireland at the upcoming WorldSkills UK finals. These remarkable individuals have showcased their unwavering dedication, remarkable talent, and relentless pursuit of excellence. I wish them every success in this prestigious competition, and I am confident that they will not only make our College proud but also inspire others with their remarkable achievements”.
Picture caption: Students representing Northern Ireland at this year’s WorldSkills UK finals alongside SRC staff and employer representatives from Norbrook Laboratories, Collins Aerospace, Almac Group and Regen Robotics.
Pictured (L-R):
Back row: Annabelle Hughes, Lindsay Bronte (SRC Organisation Development Manager), Carter McKnight, Jason McVerry, Sean Treanor, Sean MacDiarmada (SRC lecturer), Clara Rose Cooney, Caolan McCartan, Deirdre Murray (SRC lecturer), Ruth Douglas, Ethan Parke
Front row: Ronnie Gailey (Norbrook Laboratories), Claire McPhillips (Collins Aerospace), Neil King, Ross Graham, Helen Goodrich (Almac Group), John Doherty, Eve Hillen, Anna Martin (SRC lecturer), Shane Sloan (Regen Robotics)
Not pictured: Ben Robertson, Jonathan Gough, Patrick Sheerin, Phelim McArdle
