With more than 90,000 visitors descending on Birmingham’s NEC over the course of three hectic days, it is fair to say the fifth annual Skills Show was the biggest yet. FE Week the only newspaper dedicated to further education and skills published a special supplement about this year’s Skills Show. Of particular interest from us was the Inclusive Skills feature on pages 6 & 7.
Inclusive skills competitions were brought into the mainstream at the Skills Show for the first time this year with the aim of changing the perceptions that some employers have of people with a learning difficulty or disability. The competitions were launched in five different skill areas as an integral part of WorldSkills UK. Regional heats were held across the country over the course of 2016, with the top-scoring competitors earning their place at the show. The five skill areas were – carpentry, catering, ICT, health and social care, and media – in which 33 students with physical or learning difficulties competed on the Saturday.
The winners of the Health and Social Care Competition were:
Gold Medal – Jadie Harrison of North Warwickshire & South Leicestershire College
Silver Medal – Ebony Evans from Coleg Sir Gar
Bronze Medal – Jackson Ofori-Larbi from South Thames College
Our congratulations to everyone who took part in the Heats and the Finals and especially the medal winners.
A link to the supplement is here: http://feweek.co.uk/2016/11/25/the-skills-show-supplement-2016/
