Pembrokeshire College’s Life Skills Academy has been highly commended in the national Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Heroes Awards for the work they do in supporting young people with physical and learning needs to take part in WorldSkills competitions.
A finalist in the Inclusive Skills Excellence category sponsored by FE Week, the awards (delivered in partnership with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners and leading awards body NCFE) are now in their third year and celebrate the individuals and organisations championing diversity and inclusion within the business and technical education sectors.
Over the last year the College has supported 18 Life Skills Academy learners to take part in competitions at regional and national level resulting in three gold medals, a silver and a bronze. As part of their programme of study all learners are shown the benefits of competing in skills competitions and are invited to join WorldSkills UK/Inspiring Skills Excellence in Wales forums and events.
Tutors are encouraged to use competitions and coaching to develop a growth mindset and former competitors are invited to share their experiences with other learners. Their successes are celebrated College-wide to build future aspirations, with competitors also being encouraged to further engage with WorldSkills UK as ambassadors and ‘coaches’ for ongoing competitions.
David Jones, Learner Transition Co-ordinator at the College commented; “We have created resources which are embedded within the curriculum to encourage spiralised learning and skill development so learners are confident in their skills. We have also recently created a new competition to widen access to our most complex learners – this is a national first.
“We are so proud of our learners and everything that they have achieved to date in competitions.”
The benefits of competing go beyond the classroom with former learners having gone into employment due to the skills and work ethic developed as part of preparing and taking part in competitions. As part of the competition process learners often experience opportunities to visit other colleges and stay away in accommodation/hotels that they may have never experienced before.
Find out more about our Life Skills Academy courses.
