A talented student from Newton Mearns has taken a step closer to securing a place at the 'college education Olympics' in Abu Dhabi after showing off his software development skills in front of more than 80,000 spectators at a national competition.

 

Twenty-one-year-old James McKinven, who studies HNC Software Development at City of Glasgow College, received a bronze medal for his work at UK-wide competition The Skills Show - part of the global WorldSkills competition. After success at the Scottish heats earlier in the year, James took his place at the prestigious competition and showcase event at Birmingham's NEC Arena, which aims to provide hands-on experience that inspires young people to explore further education, skills and apprenticeships.

As part of the IT Software Solutions for Business competition, James, a heavy metal enthusiast, was tested on his ability to format Microsoft Word documents, format spreadsheets and manipulate data, build the back-end for Microsoft Access, and produce building floor plans on Microsoft Visio.

James said: "There were thousands of people there and it felt like every eye was on me, so it was a bit overwhelming at first. Normally, I have the distraction of wearing my earphones and listening to Rammstein, but we weren't allowed any electronic devices in the arena. All we could hear was the sound of the welding competition next to us, but, because of the nature of Rammstein, it sounded quite similar!"

James now faces an anxious wait to hear whether or not she is in the running for a place in the WorldSkills UK Squad bound for the Abu Dhabi finals in 2017. In the meantime, however, he is hoping to fine-tune his skills in order to return to Birmingham next year and improve on his bronze award.

"I can re-enter The Skills Show year and want to go back to get gold," he said. "Taking part in the competition will look great on my CV and will hopefully help me gain a place at university or employment when I leave college."

Margaret Darroch, Head of Skills Academy and Development at City of Glasgow College, will support James through his WorldSkills journey. She said: "WorldSkills is the equivalent of the educational Olympics and I am proud of all the competitors for getting this far.

"At City of Glasgow College, our curriculum is specially designed to meet the demands of prospective employers and competitions like WorldSkills, which give students the opportunity to develop their skills and network with industry professionals, reflecting our commitment to ensuring all our students are equipped with the skills, knowledge and experience needed to reach their full potential."