FIVE students from a Wirral college will get to put their skills to the test in national competition final later this year.

Wirral Met students Melissa Wood, Lauren Mclear, Rhys McCann, Izzabella Hughes and Lukas Walker will be going for gold this autumn at the WorldSkills UK National Finals.

Melissa and Lauren are through in Hairdressing regional finals, while Rhys, Izzabella and Lukas secured a place in the finals and will be representing the North West for Media.

Worldskills UK is a global competition that tests students’ skills in vocational subjects from Accounting to Welding to Beauty Therapy.

The competitions are designed by industry experts and help young people by developing the skills that employers need in their workplace and to compete on a national and global level in their field of expertise.

All students at Wirral Met took part in a seven-month process including regional heats and intensive training before qualifying out of thousands of entrants for the National Finals in November.

Hairdressing were asked to develop an up-style based on an Autumnal theme while media students created a multimedia presentation reviewing a popular confectionary sweet.

The celebration of world-class skills will culminate in the announcement of the winners at a glittering awards ceremony on Friday, November 17 at The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester

If successful the students will join Squad UK to compete against students from across the world.

Ella Tsui-Lau, Assistant Principal for STEAM said: "We are immensely proud of our learners and this is a testament to the hard work and dedication they and their tutors have put into competing at the WSUK annual competition.

"As a WSUK centre of Excellence for the third year running, we consistently strive for excellence in teaching and learning and are committed in raising world class standards at Wirral Met college.

"We congratulate our finalists for getting through the intense regional heat and wish them luck for the national finals in November.”

Ben Blackridge, WorldSkills UK CEO said: "As well as boosting young people’s personal skills and developing the skills that employers and the economy needs, events like the WorldSkills UK National Finals shine a light on the vital importance of high-quality skills to the UK and the vast talent and potential we have in the next generation.

"The young people that take part in our national programme are a true inspiration and demonstrate the skills we have in the UK."