🏆 COMPETITIONS WEEK • 14–17 DECEMBER • OPENING CEREMONY MON 14 DEC • CLOSING CEREMONY THU 17 DEC • 🏆 COMPETITIONS WEEK • 14–17 DECEMBER • OPENING CEREMONY MON 14 DEC • CLOSING CEREMONY THU 17 DEC •
Staff hub ✦
Get involved this year

Competitions Week is back.

A week to capture the progress our students have made — and to celebrate the achievements of both students and staff.

Mon 14 DecOpening Ceremony, 9:00–9:20am
14–17 DecCompetitions Week
Thu 17 DecClosing Ceremony, 4:00pm

Please note: lessons will need to start later on Monday 14 December to allow for the Opening Ceremony.

See how to get involved Book time with our Endorsed Trainer
4Days of celebration and challenges
2Ways to get involved
12+Curriculum areas last year
1:1Support with our Endorsed Trainer
Why we do this

It's not about winning.

It's about personal best — seeing that 1% incremental change, or the significant difference in a learner since September. Competitions Week exists to recognise how far our learners have come since their initial assessments — and their wider development as confident, capable and well-rounded individuals.

It's equally important that we recognise and celebrate colleagues who are curious, try new approaches, challenge themselves and create exciting learning opportunities for others.
Getting involved

Two ways to run something this year

Both are valuable. Pick whichever fits your time, your group and how much you want to invest this year.

WorldSkills UK - Excellence at Work Bigger, benchmarked

WorldSkills UK Endorsed Competition

Follows a formal endorsement process and reflects industry standards and professional practice. New to WorldSkills UK? Find out more about who they are.

  • Assesses a broader range of technical and employability skills
  • Benchmarks students against recognised occupational standards
  • Students get automatic, detailed feedback
  • Flexible timing — a lesson, a full day, or spread across the week
  • Higher stakes, more competitive in nature
✓ Only WSUK-endorsed competitions are eligible for prize funding this year
⚡
Fast, focused

Classroom Pressure Test

A shorter, focused competitive activity assessing a specific skill, knowledge area or practical competency.

  • Complete a technical task in a set timeframe, respond to an industry scenario, or produce work to a given standard
  • Runs easily within a lesson, workshop or curriculum area
  • Low stakes and accessible for all learners
  • Builds confidence, resilience and a taste of performing under pressure
✓ Pressure tests can be endorsed too, if you wish to be included for prize funding
Ready to run something?

How to get your competition off the ground

1

🧭 Decide on your pathway

Endorsed competition, classroom pressure test, or you're not sure yet — all are welcome. Not sure which fits? Take the 2-minute questionnaire or book a 1:1 below and we'll talk it through.

2

📝 Complete the submission template

If you'd like your competition considered for WorldSkills UK endorsement and prize funding, complete the Competition Activity Template and send it to Berta Rodrigues, our WorldSkills UK Endorsed Trainer, who will support you through the process. If you add a detailed scenario and make it clear what skills you want to assess, we can generate marking criteria to suit your competition — the more detail you add, the better!

3

✅ It gets reviewed, then forwarded

Submissions are reviewed before being forwarded to Chris Hyde at WorldSkills UK as part of the endorsement process.

4

💡 Got a college-wide idea?

There's also an opportunity to develop college-wide competitions, for students or for staff. Bring your ideas — Berta would love to hear them.

⏰
Deadline for competitions to be received for endorsement:
Monday 23 November, 5pm — absolute final.
The process has already begun, so if you'd like yours completed now for peace of mind, you can just start sending in your ideas.
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Outside judges?

Our Careers Team wants in too

The Careers Team is keen to get involved in Competitions Week. If you'd like to bring in outside judges — from Higher Education providers, industry, or local businesses — get in touch with Hannah Johnson to arrange it. If you need support finding people to judge, Hannah can help facilitate this, but will need enough notice to do so. Judging can also be kept in-house if you'd rather not seek outside judges.

Supporting the Brilliant Futures Pledge

Adaptable
Resilience
Self Awareness
Communication
Collaboration & Teamwork
Problem Solving
Innovative & Curious
Dependability
Don't start from scratch

Reuse and adapt last year's pressure tests

Last year's pressure tests are archived on the WorldSkills UK Learning Lab and can be reused — but they'll need adapting for the students you're teaching this year.

Last year's pressure tests

Browse the York College Local Competitions page on the Learning Lab to see what's already been built and where you might start.

History Science Sport Engineering Motor Vehicle Construction Beauty Therapy Early Years Art & Design Media Travel & Tourism Hospitality Music + much more
Open the Learning Lab course

Need it adapted?

If you want to reuse one of these, let Berta know what will need changing for this year's cohort — the task, the timeframe, the standard, or the scenario. You can email the details to Berta-Rodrigues@yorkcollege.ac.uk.

Talk it through in a 1:1

Browse further afield

There are plenty of other local competitions out there too — browse all courses on the WorldSkills UK Learning Lab for even more ideas and inspiration.

Browse all local competitions
Log-in to the Learning Lab required. If you need to sign up, use your college email address to get full access — if you don't have access, get in touch and this can be sorted.
Curious about competitive pedagogy?

Book time with our Endorsed Trainer

1:1 support, as early as possible

Whether you're endorsing a competition, running a pressure test, adapting one from last year, or just want to explore how competitive pedagogy could work in your curriculum area — book a slot and get support through the whole process.

Book a 1:1 with Berta
Last year, in 60 seconds

Competitions Week on TeachTokFE

A flavour of what it looked like on the ground last year.

One last thing

This is about you too

Competitions Week celebrates students — but it also celebrates the staff who put themselves forward to try something new. If you're on the fence, that's exactly what the 1:1 is for. Let's make this year's Competitions Week one to remember.