Scotland’s New College Lanarkshire has topped the medal table at this year’s WorldSkills UK national finals.
The final medal tally at the end of a week of gruelling skills competitions saw Southern Regional College relegated to second place on the league table with 22 medal points after New College Lanarkshire’s 32.
Over 400 apprentices and students competed in more than 40 skills competitions across nine education institutions in Greater Manchester.
Gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded to top technical students and apprentices at this evening’s medal ceremony at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall, officially bringing this year’s national finals to a close.
Only two English colleges made the top 10.
North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College, which topped the foundation skills medal table earlier today, placed joint fifth and Cheshire College South and West was placed joint eighth by medal points.
The national finals were split into four categories: construction and infrastructure, digital business & creative, engineering & technology, and health, hospitality and lifestyle.
Earlier today, a foundation skills medal ceremony was held to celebrate SEND student competitors in eight skills areas.
See the full list of winners here
Gold medal winners included Lennon Bulloch from New College Lanarkshire for digital construction, David Bateman-Smith from South West College for plumbing and Chloe Clearly, Sam Collins-Chamberlain, Jacob Lawrence and William LeGrice all from North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College for the digital media production skill.
This year marks the last time the national final will be held in Greater Manchester. Next year, competitors, training managers and family will descend on south Wales as the national competitions will take place in Cardiff.
Welsh champions will be bringing home plenty of medals. In welding, Zachariah Winn from Coleg Cambria won gold, while Cardiff and Vale College’s Mihaly Zeke in heavy vehicle technology, Marnie Gaskell in restaurant services and Samuel Turato in refrigeration and air conditioning all won gold in their skills.
The 190 winners were announced following six months of local and regional qualifiers, culminating in a week of intense competition at the national finals.
Thousands of young people registered to take part in the WorldSkills UK competitions, with over 400 making it to the finals.
Finalists from this year’s national finals may be selected to join WorldSkills UK’s international training and development programme and then have the opportunity to join Squad UK and, subsequently, Team UK at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026.
Skills minister Jacqui Smith said: “Congratulations to everyone who participated in this year’s magnificent competition. Each of you has showcased the exceptional talent and promise of our future workforce.
“Competitions like WorldSkills UK are so important in nurturing talent, providing a vital platform for young people to develop the skills they need to seize opportunities and achieve growth.
Ben Blackledge, chief executive of WorldSkills UK said: “Congratulations to this year’s medal winners. Being named the best in your skill is a tremendous achievement and reflects the dedication of teachers in our colleges, universities and training providers, who are the bedrock of our skills systems across the UK.
“Our competition-based training programme, underpinned by global insights, plays a vital role in raising standards in teaching and assessment in apprenticeships and technical education. Working with our partners across industry and education, we are championing the emerging skills that are critical to drive investment and business growth in the UK.”
[Pictured: Mechatronics gold medallists Emily Bettridge and Liz Hopkinson from Toyota Manufacturing]
WorldSkills UK national finals 2024 medal table (excluding foundation skills)
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