Canterbury College - Canterbury College Students win 21 medals at KFE4Skills Competition 2023

Students put their skills to the test, taking part in various competitions across a range of 23 disciplines, from Brick to Performing Arts.

The talent was exceptionally high, with learners from Canterbury College taking home 21 medals in total, including 10 gold medals.

One winner among these was Level 2 Electrical student, Kyle Hulks, who recently came second at the national Sparks Learner of the Year competition.

Kyle won the Electrical Installation category, showcasing his brilliant skills.

He said: “What we had to do was very similar to the national competition, but with a few more bits included – still there was nothing I felt was too difficult. It was really fun to compete against my coursemates, but it was challenging because I didn’t know everyone and you don’t really know what they can do.”

Level 3 Media student, Freya Nightingale came top in the Digital Video Production contest with her short film titled Choices, despite a large number of entries from the other Colleges.

She said: “It was good that we were in a familiar environment, as we were able to just get started without having to familiarise ourselves with the computer system or building.

I only got told I was entered into the competition a couple of weeks ago; a lot of people here had entered work specifically to get to this stage of the competition, whereas I was chosen from a random assignment.

I think that really worked well for me, because it made the opportunity more exciting and I wasn’t stressing about it for a long time beforehand.

The video I created highlighted the contrast between war and the desolation it brings, to the pureness and beauty of nature. Time flew so quickly, especially as you spend so long just reviewing the available footage and collating the best parts, so it got to crunch time at the end.”

She was joined in her victory by Vinny Smith-Carpenter and Ella Carter, who assisted her in producing the winning entry.

KFE Operations Director, Mark Hill, said: “It’s great to see the talent we have across Colleges in Kent and for the students to meet peers from across the county.

It was also fantastic to have so many external partners and local employers here as judges, I’m grateful to them for giving their time and for providing entrants with useful feedback from an industry perspective.”

EKC Group Chief Executive Graham Razey OBE said: “This is always my favourite day of the year, to see all the learners and staff from across the Colleges come together. It’s always exciting to see what the students can achieve, as this is a chance to showcase what they’ve been learning all year.

It’s also important to remember that behind every single competitor is a team of staff who have got them to the point they are at, giving them the education they need to show off their skills at an event like this."