New City College hosts Brickwork and Maths & English challenges for Greater London Skills Competition

Students from across the capital put their skills to the test this week as New City College hosted two exciting competitions as part of the Greater London Skills Competition – the largest inter-college skills event in London.

The competition brought together 15 further education colleges, with events hosted at eight of them. Endorsed by WorldSkills UK, the initiative showcased the exceptional talent of London’s learners and highlighted the vital role colleges play in developing the industry-ready skills needed to tackle workforce shortages across sectors such as construction, engineering, healthcare, science and digital industries.

The week-long programme of skills challenges – which coincided with Colleges Week, a national celebration of the vital role colleges play in transforming lives and driving local and national growth – included a wide range of subject areas, from Beauty and Cyber Security to Hospitality and Engineering.

New City College was proud to host the Brickwork Skills Competition on Monday at its Rainham Construction and Engineering Campus and the Maths and English Competition on Tuesday at Redbridge Campus, both organised and delivered by NCC staff.

Brickwork students showcase precision and craftsmanship

The Brickwork Skills Competition challenged competing students to complete a complex brickwork task within a four-hour time limit.

Designed to test precision, technique and time management, the task required competitors to carefully plan and construct a detailed brick structure while being assessed by a panel of external professionals.

They had to follow drawings, measure accurately, demonstrate competence with tools, keep their work stations clean and tidy, and adhere to health and safety rules at all times.

After an intense day of building and judging, Aidan Hennem-Morrissey, from New City College, was crowned the winner of the Level 1 competition, while Oliver Thorne-Ford from London South East Colleges took first place in the Level 2 category.

Steve Brayshaw, Group Curriculum Director for Construction and Engineering at New City College said: “This was a fantastic competition with some extremely skilled students who showed off their talents brilliantly. Bricklaying is incredibly skilful – if you have a chance to try it anytime, it’s really not that easy! But it sets you up for a fantastic career, as it is one of the most highly paid jobs in construction.”

Maths and English competition puts problem-solving to the test

On Tuesday, NCC’s Redbridge Campus hosted a brand new Maths and English competition, the first WorldSkills-style event for these essential subjects.

Developed and organised by NCC staff, the innovative challenge brought together teams of four students who are currently studying GCSE English and maths, giving them the chance to apply their skills in creative, fun and practical ways.

Students from several London colleges took part in a series of activities throughout the day designed to test mathematical accuracy, communication, vocabulary, inference and problem-solving skills.

The morning included a Countdown-style numbers challenge, vocabulary tasks and mathematical puzzle-solving exercises, while the afternoon saw teams take part in an immersive ‘Vault Zero’ escape-room style challenge, set during a fictional zombie outbreak.

Working in teams, students had to unlock clues hidden around the campus library, analyse limited supplies in a survival vault and use mathematical modelling to decide how long their resources could last. They were also required to make ethical decisions about who could enter the vault and justify their reasoning to judges in a final pitch explaining their strategy and calculations.

The competition was won by a team from Newham College.

Nancy Hodgson-Khan, Interim Deputy Principal at Redbridge Campus, said: “This event was absolutely outstanding. The visiting students and staff were full of praise for the content and organisation of the competition. The English and maths activities were fun, creative and thought-provoking and the students really threw themselves into the escape-room challenge.”

The Greater London Skills Competition has demonstrated how collaboration between colleges can help raise standards in technical education while inspiring learners to excel in their chosen fields.

Winners from all subject areas were recognised at a special awards ceremony at City Hall, celebrating the outstanding talent and achievements of students from across London.