Preston College students win county-wide digital skills competition

A team of students from Preston College secured first place in the Lancashire Colleges Skills Competition.

Teams of digital learners took on a series of challenges in the day-long event for The Lancashire and Cumbria Institute of Technology (IoT).

Hosted at one of the IoT’s eight partner colleges, Blackpool and the Fylde College, four colleges from across Lancashire were split into teams of three and four.

Judges were invited from businesses including Ineco, Complete Online and Lancashire Skills and Empolyment Hub as learners took on a cybersecurity challenge, digital innovation task and a data analysis challenge.

Preston College won a first place shield, impressing judges with their positivity, teamwork and enjoyment of solving the tasks at hand.

Harry Westworth, part of the winning team of three from Preston College, said: “It all came down to teamwork and communication – and we’ve been developing skills we’ll need after education.

“We were all working to solve the same challenges – and this shield is a great reward for our work.”

All the teams showed innovation, problem-solving and collaboration as Blackburn College and Blackpool and the Fylde College took second and third places.

Lee Holroyd, the Senior Tutor for Digital Innovation at the host college helped organise the event.

He said: “The sessions were really good and the students enjoyed tackling the challenges set.

“They were tough, and the judges were really impressed with the way they found solutions. There are already plans being discussed for next year’s event.”

The IoT works with employers to give learners the technical skills they need in six key sectors, including digital.

The students also received a tour of the facilities, featuring cutting-edge technology such as a 360 immersive suite, racing simulator and cyber attack and defence labs.

Linda Dean, the Managing Director of IoT, was delighted with the success of the digital competition.

She said: “ I found it inspiring to see some of the entries from young people who will be the tech experts of the future, leading and working in Lancashire’s digital businesses.

“Collaborations like this help us continue our work to strengthen the economy by raising aspirations and firing up innovation in our learners.”

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