London puts on its largest skills competition in a decade

Colleges across the capital joined forces to put on London’s biggest skills competition. The Inter-College Skills Show took place on 26th March across five locations in London and Essex, making it the largest skills competition that London and the Southeast has seen for over a decade.

Hundreds of students competed in ten industry-based competitions in five colleges across the capital. The competitions were endorsed by WorldSkills UK. Howard Dawber, Deputy Mayor of London for Business and Growth, was a special guest and opened the competition at the College of North West London.

This groundbreaking initiative brought together learners, educators, employers and industry leaders to showcase vocational excellence and highlight the crucial role of skills competitions in preparing the workforce of tomorrow.

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

A 2024 survey* from the British Chambers of Commerce and the Open University revealed that 63 per cent of businesses in London and the South East experience a lack of qualified workers. This is largely attributed to a lack of employer-provided training opportunities for upskilling employees and a mismatch between the skills needed by businesses and those possessed by the workforce.

Colleges play a key role in the Greater London Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), an employer-led initiative funded by the Department for Education and led by BusinessLDN, which aims to help London employers find the skills they need.

Employers and further education providers will be crucial to deliver the Mayor’s ambitions set out in his new London Growth Plan and forthcoming Inclusive Talent Strategy. Which will grow London’ skilled workforce, creating diverse pipelines of talent, to ensure all Londoners can access good work and businesses and key sectors have the skills they need to grow.

Eight colleges took part in the event, who between them train over 100,000 students per year. Barking & Dagenham College was joined by Waltham Forest College, United Colleges Group, South Essex College, Capital City College, Newham College, Barnet and Southgate College and Newham Sixth Form College.

Howard Dawber, Deputy Mayor of London for Business and Growth visited the College of North West London in Willesden. During his visit, Mr Dawber gave the opening address to students and staff; he then had the opportunity to observe two competitions in action at the college in the electrical and plumbing departments. He met with participants and heard how vocational education is equipping them with industry-relevant expertise. Mr Dawber commented: “London’s further education providers play a vital role in equipping Londoners with the skills they need to unlock their potential, and in turn supply businesses with a diverse pipeline of talent. Events like this help to deliver on ambitious targets in our new London Growth Plan to build the capital’s skilled workforce and ensure all Londoners can access not just good jobs but exciting career paths. I was proud to support this initiative, which brought together employers, educators, and students to help build a better, fairer and more prosperous London for everyone.”

Parisa Shirazi, Director of Standards, WorldSkills UK said: “It has been fantastic to partner with colleges across London and Essex to deliver the Inter-College Skills Show.  Our competition-based learning programme, based on international standards, is recognised as one of the most powerful tools for supporting young people in developing the technical skills that employers are crying out for.  By bringing industry and education together at events like this, we can equip all young people with the skills that will help fuel business growth in London and the South East.” 

Mark Hilton, Policy Delivery Director, Membership at BusinessLDN said: “Bringing employers, policymakers and training providers together to ensure our skills system is delivering for young people and businesses is an absolute must. Through the inter-college skills show, our members Barking & Dagenham College have done exactly that. It was great to be a part of an event which really set the standard for giving the next generation of talent an opportunity to shine.”

Organizer of the event, Jason Turton, Deputy Principal of Curriculum & Quality, Barking & Dagenham College said: “The Inter-College Skills Show demonstrates what’s possible when education and industry work together to build a truly skills-driven economy. This week’s announcements from the Chancellor about the £600m investment in construction skills training and the launch of Skills England reinforce the urgent need to address critical skills shortages and productivity gaps through high-quality, technical education.

“Our competition-based learning model endorsed by WorldSkills UK provides a pathway to excellence that’s inclusive, industry-aligned, and directly supports the ambitions of the Mayor’s London Growth Plan and the Local Skills Improvement Plan. Events like this are about more than medals; they’re about creating opportunity, levelling the playing field, and preparing London’s workforce for the future.”