South Essex College Takes Part in Giant Skills Competition

South Essex Colleges Group (SECG) joined forces with colleges from across London and Essex to put on a giant skills competition. The Inter-College Skills Show took place across five locations in London and Essex, making it the largest skills competition that London and the Southeast has seen for over a decade.

SECG’s Thurrock College hosted the Hair and Beauty competitions. Hairdressing competitors were tasked with crafting an avant-garde hair up style that incorporated ornamentation, reflecting the latest trends in fashion and artistry.

Beauty competitors had to use their knowledge and skills to provide an initial client consultation, full body massage and prescription facial treatment, and to conclude with aftercare/homecare advice.

Hundreds of students  competed in ten industry-based competitions in five colleges across the area. The competitions were endorsed by WorldSkills UK.

The event, devised by Barking & Dagenham College, aimed to tackle the area’s skills gap by demonstrating how vocational education equips learners with industry-relevant expertise in key sectors such as hair and beauty,  construction, engineering, hospitality, healthcare, science, and digital industries.

Eight colleges took part in the event: South Essex Colleges Group, Barking & Dagenham College, Waltham Forest College, United Colleges Group, Capital City College, Newham College, Barnet and Southgate College and Newham Sixth Form College.

The competition at SECG was attended by Mbongeni Jere from WorldSkills UK.

He said: “Today’s event has been a huge success. It is great to witness the interaction between students and colleges. This is an invaluable to experience which gives the competitors an insight into what it feels like to work in industry.” 

Special guest, Thurrock Councillor Valerie Morris Cook presented certificates to all the attendees and handed awards to the winning students.

She commented: “This amazing event showcases the wealth of talent amongst today’s young people. It is a privilege to see students from all over Essex and London sharing their skills, each one of them are rising stars.”