PATRON FOCUS Cheshire College students build their skills in construction competition

Cheshire College – South and West hosted the dynamic Cross College Skills Competition for Construction at its Ellesmere Port Campus in April.

The competition is an annual tradition and a collaborative effort between Cheshire College and three other local Further Education providers; Reaseheath, Warrington & Vale Royal, and Macclesfield. A rotational approach to the competition’s venue means that a different College will host the highly skilled event each year, with 2024 being Cheshire College’s turn, and an opportunity to showcase Ellesmere Port Campus’s pioneering facilities.

Among these was the College’s new £680K Sustainable House; a fully functioning facility fitted with the latest in sustainable technologies. Construction competitors met in the Sustainable House for an introductory briefing, as well as generous hot drinks and pastries provided by Hospitality & Catering students at Ellesmere Port Campus’s prestigious onsite restaurant, Academy West.

Bricklaying, Electrical, Joinery, and Plumbing competitors then moved to the College’s bespoke Construction workshops, where the competitions began in earnest.

After several hours of hard work, concentration and displays of skill, teaching staff from each of the four Colleges worked together to judge the winning entries; a task which they admitted was extremely difficult across all categories due to the consistently high standards set by the students.

Among Cheshire College’s notable victories were Level 3 Plumbing student Jack Whitehead, who won first place in the Plumbing (Senior) division, and Level 3 student Jack Willson who secured second place in Brickwork (Senior). All competitors won Constructionthemed prizes specific to their area of study, which they can use during their College course or in their future careers. Throughout their studies, Cheshire College’s Construction & the Built Environment students have access to state-of-the-art facilities consisting of industry standard equipment and specialist workshops for training. Find out more at www.ccsw.ac.uk

After several hours of hard work, concentration and displays of skill, teaching staff from each of the four Colleges worked together to judge the winning entries; a task which they admitted was extremely difficult across all categories due to the consistently high standards set by the students.