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Two students from the SRC Newry campus have been named as UK squad members in the WorldSkills competition which will be held in France in 2024. Only three people are in their UK Chemical Laboratory Technician team but only one of them will go on to compete at WorldSkills.
Anastasiya Kovtun and Wiktoria Kurkowska from Portadown are studying the Higher Level Apprenticeship (HLA) Foundation Degree in Applied Industrial Science at Newry. A two year programme where students study one day a week alongside undertaking paid employment in a related industry the remaining four days.
Over the next year and a half, Anastasiya and Wiktoria will attend four to five weekend bootcamps honing their skills with a UK WorldSkills chemical specialist training manager from the University of Manchester. Additionally, online learning labs to practice the different skills required will need to be completed.
Southern Regional College has been successful in the WorldSkills series having been recognised as the top performing further education college in the UK in 2022. With 1,500 competitors competing in 60 categories, WorldSkills is the pinnacle event in apprenticeship training and standards and will take place in Lyon in September 2024. WorldSkills has often been dubbed the ‘Skills Olympics’ as competitors in employment and vocational training come together across the globe seeking gold.
Brian Doran, Principal & CEO of Southern Regional College congratulated both students and added "I want to recognise the commitment of our staff who put great effort into supporting and mentoring competitors through the local, regional and national competitions. I wish both students every success on their journey towards the WorldSkills competition to be held in Lyon next year”.
Both Anastasiya and Wiktoria were initially encouraged to enter the WorldSkills series of competitions by the College’s Specialist Lecturer in Science, Deirdre Murray. Having undertaken intercampus, regional and national competitions, the girls are delighted to have been named as members of the UK Squad. The road to Lyon may be 18 months away but there is still plenty of preparation to be done in advance.
To get to this stage both Anastasiya and Wiktoria have been supported by College staff and their employer Almac. Both organisations have taken the girls through numerous training simulations and been at their sides at competitions.
Anastasiya and Wiktoria are focused on the end goal. They know with perseverance and a lot of hard work they will achieve success. Speaking on the HLA route, both girls maintain the work/study route requires a lot of dedication, but there are plenty of people in Almac and the College to lean back on for support, including those who have previously taken the course.
Highlighting a benefit of the HLA foundation degree, Anastasiya and Wiktoria recognise they are already ahead of the game, compared to university counterparts. Both girls will complete their course with several years of industry experience added to C.V.s and no student debt, as course fees are fully funded by the Department of the Economy.
Speaking on the route so far, Anastasiya commented: “It has been an amazing journey so far and I am excited to gain more knowledge and explore available opportunities.”
