Battle of the Padawans for National Apprenticeship Week at NLTG

In celebration of National Apprenticeship week, NLTG’s annual Interschool competition returned for the 4th time with the theme of Star Wars. Students from local high schools battled for the title of winners of the competition which was held 4th – 6th February 2020.

The competition required each team to split into three pairs, each of which took part in a different creative challenge. One pair created a themed feast including a ‘Lightsaber’ cake, another pair created an innovative cake stand using pre-cut materials and the third pair were challenged with writing and marketing a new Star Wars short story.

The Winners of the competition were Mount Carmel RC High School who showcased their creative talents and teamworking skills. They received a school trophy and framed photo collage for the school, with each student receiving a JBL Flip 5 portable speaker.

Students from Mount Carmel RC High School after receiving their prizes and framed collage from NLTG Senior Manager, Lesley Hudson.

Xavier Bowers, Headteacher at Mount Carmel, said, “This is a great annual Design Technology based competition, organised by NLTG for local secondary schools in the area. I was delighted to find out that Mount Carmel were the winners in 2020. It was also lovely to find out how pupils worked in pairs and collectively together on this year’s ‘Star Wars’ theme. They showed great creativity, initiative and teamwork, and were excellent representatives for our school. I would also like to thank all the staff at North Lancs Training Group for once again organising and hosting such a fantastic competition. It was particularly nice to see that Alisha Clarkson (a former pupil of Mount Carmel) was one of the members of staff involved. We look forward to sending a team to take part next year to try and retain our trophy!”

Second prize went to Coal Clough who were awarded with Love2Shop vouchers along with a framed collage for the school. Mrs Holly Clarke, Headteacher, said ‘Our students made all staff and peers at Coal Clough Academy so proud throughout the NLTG experience. The students put lots of preparation hours in order for the competition day to run as smoothly as possible! We were amazed to come 2nd place this year and we already can’t wait to participate next year!’

Third place went to Accrington Academy who also won Love2Shop vouchers and a framed collage for the school.

Lesley Hudson, Senior Manager at NLTG, commented, “Our annual competition allows local high school students to demonstrate their creative abilities, while further developing a range of employability skills including problem solving, team working, time management and communication. This year’s student creations were once again outstanding and our congratulations go to winners Mount Carmel RC High School, who created a truly inspired Star Wars ‘light vs dark side’ themed display and original short story.”