When looking at how the hospitality and catering team at South Eastern Regional College (SERC) has harnessed the power of WorldSkills to inspire students, the numbers speak for themselves.

Almost 400 students have competed in college, regional and international competitions in the past three academic years - and six of them were announced as finalists for 2019 WorldSkills UK Live. It was the first time SERC had entered the patisserie and confectionery competition, and one student, Katie Graham, won a bronze medal. In culinary skills, second year student Danny Bunphaung was highly commended. Both students were asked to train for the UK Squad.

These results haven’t come easily, and the team at SERC has gone above and beyond in supporting students. Staff invited local and top chefs to give masterclasses, and held intercampus competitions on college open days to help students gain confidence by competing in front of large crowds.

Buxton and Leek College win at the Tes FE Awards 2021

London South East Colleges wins at the FE awards 2021

Trio of Scottish colleges win at the Tes FE awards 2021

They also introduced an outside catering and food demonstration initiative to build on time management and communication skills while working in a stressful, tiring environment.

The pandemic did not slow them down: students provided 1,250 dinners from two campuses for the local community during Covid.

The team members are: Ruth Doherty, Sheena Hunt, Brian Magill, Tom McCluney, Paul Monaghan, Ian Thompson and Thomas Turley, led by deputy head Paul Mercer.

Lead judge Ben Blackledge said: “Congratulations to the team at SERC on this brilliant recognition of how they are using our competition-based training programme to drive quality, and provide all students with the opportunity to develop and be celebrated for their skills.”