A Beauty student at Walsall College is celebrating after being named the overall winner in her category in the North East heat of the 2016 World Skills UK Beauty Therapy competition. Organised by the Vocational Training Charitable Trust (VTCT), the event took place on Wednesday 15th June at Trafford College in Manchester. The heat saw intermediate and advanced beauty students from different colleges across the region, go head-to-head in a demonstration of their skills in a range of competition categories including Nail Enhancement, Advanced Nail Art, Nail Services and Face and Body Beauty Treatments.
Level 2 Walsall College student, Stephanie Blower, 34, was awarded first place in the Nail Services Open category, after impressing the judges with her skills.
Following her success, Stephanie could now be selected to represent the college at the UK final, which take places at the NEC Skills Show in November. Once all the regional heats have taken place, the 10 highest scoring contestants will go through to the final.
Run annually, World Skills UK competitions aim to encourage people across the UK to excel in their vocational skill and help to lift standards of training and performance, promoting world class skills and international competitiveness.
Stephanie said: “Taking part in the competition was quite daunting at first, but once my nerves settled I really enjoyed it. Coming top in my category has given me a massive boost and I’m very proud of my achievement. I hope I’ve done enough to get to the final, as to compete at the Skills Show would be an amazing experience.”
Curriculum Manager for Beauty at Walsall College, Jo Small, said: “We are delighted that Stephanie’s skills and expertise shone through and she won her category, as the standard in the competition was very high. It’s a great reflection of the progress she has made on her course and the additional support she has received from her tutor, Vicki Warren. We are confident that she’ll make it through to the national final and represent the college.”
