Highlands students showcase skills

Four students from Highlands College will travel to the Isle of Man this week to take part in the Skills Test Competition and showcase the skills they have learned during their apprenticeships.

The Skills Test Competition, organised by University College Isle of Man, will take place on Friday 6 March 2020. The contest – which is now in its fifth year – will bring together 70 competitors from across the islands to determine which apprentices have the best skills.

Construction students will be given a brief to create an item related to their trade and will have six hours to fulfil the brief. Their work will be judged by specialists from the relevant industry and auctioned off to raise funds for Reach Isle of Man, a mental health charity. 

Four students from Highlands College will be flying to the Isle of Man to take part:

The trip is sponsored by the Garenne Construction Group as part of their ongoing work with Highlands College.

Tony Tyrer, Director of Construction and Engineering at Highlands College said: “This is an exciting opportunity for our apprentices to show case their skills on a wider stage and match themselves against apprentices from off-island. They are all looking forward to the challenge and are keen to see how their individual trades operate elsewhere.” 

Andrew Davies, a 38 year-old fourth-year painting and decorating apprentice said: “Highlands College is a fantastic place to learn a trade. I hope that by taking part in this competition, I can show children who are leaving school that college can help set them up for work, and that it’s never too late to learn a trade!”