CITY of Glasgow College is the top winning college from the 2015 Skills Show after winning nine medals - the most for any provider in the competition.

City of Glasgow College received five gold medals in beauty therapy, confectionery, culinary arts, health and social care and plastering.

Students also won two silver medals, in network systems administrator and confectionery, and two bronzes, in culinary arts and network infrastructure technician, as well as a highly commended in confectionery.

Around 700 people attended the awards event, held at the Birmingham NEC.

Principal Paul Little said: “This was a world-class achievement and I’m delighted that the tremendous hard work of our students and lecturers has paid off with such a significant show of medals.

“It really is fantastic for our world-class college to be recognised in this way.

"At City of Glasgow College our top priority is to equip each and every one of our students with the hard and soft skills that they will need from day one, as they enter the world of work.

“This unique competition plays a vital role in raising industry standards.

"To be at the top of that league table shows just how brilliantly our college is doing in preparing our students to be the best in their chosen career and making sure their talent and skills are recognised by employers as amongst the best in the world.”

The competitions, held over three days, involved competitors demonstrating their skills and knowledge in front of an audience of 75,000 people.

The Saturday closing ceremony, which marked the culmination of national skills competitions finals, also saw the announcement of most of the UK squad ahead of the next WorldSkills competition in Abu Dhabi in 2017.

Six competitors from City of Glasgow College will now join members of Squad UK to participate in a training and development programme which will include the selection of Team UK ahead of WorldSkills.

The WorldSkills international competition sees around 1000 young people aged 18 to 25, from all over the world, compete for medals in more than 40 different skills including Electrical Installation, Welding, Web Design and Cooking and Bricklaying.

Dr Neil Bentley, CEO of Find a Future, which manages the UK’s entry into the WorldSkills Competition, said: “I offer my huge congratulations to every young person who has secured a place in Squad UK at The Skills Show 2015.

“By competing in the WorldSkills Competition, the UK is able to share best practise in apprenticeships, further education and skills with countries around the world, raising standards on a global scale."