Posts

Staff members motivate WorldSkills UK squad

/in /by

Three Reaseheath staff members played key roles in a WorldSkills UK national training camp over the weekend.

Jo Maher (Assistant Principal), Greg Houghton (Programme Leader for Public Services) and Kate Humphrey (Programme Leader for Sport) delivered interactive psychology sessions to the WorldSkills UK squad at the camp in Loughborough.

Jo Maher leads activities with WorldSkills UK long squad

Jo Maher leads activities with WorldSkills UK long squad

Level 3 Diploma in Floristry student Robyn Longden was one of 160 talented young people to benefit from the motivational training, aimed at preparing squad members for competition on a world stage.

She was long listed for the squad following a strong performance at the WorldSkills UK national finals in November and will be offered further training opportunities before final selection nearer the 2017 world finals, which will be held in Abu Dhabi.

WorldSkills competitor Robyn Longden

WorldSkills UK competitor Robyn Longden

 

 

We are hoping that Robyn will follow in the footsteps of Matt Beesley, a former Level 3 Diploma in Horticulture student who, with fellow team member Jonathan Gill from Northern Ireland, won Team UK’s first ever medal in landscape gardening at the WorldSkills final in Sao Paulo, Brazil this summer.

Reaseheath has been a strong supporter of the WorldSkills programme for some years, particularly in garden landscaping and floristry. Held every two years, the WorldSkills finals put the spotlight on the skills of young professionals in vocational careers working to international standards.

Jo Maher has been supporting Team UK as their Performance Psychologist since WorldSkills Leipzig in 2013 and travelled with Team UK to Brazil last summer.  The approach to the training and development of competitors is based upon the transfer of the psychological skills training of elite athletes to a WorldSkills competitor.  This pioneering approach has helped to prepare and support squad members throughout their build-up and during the competition itself with WorldSkills Sao Paolo resulting in Team UK’s best ever medal haul.

Two weeks ago, Jo delivered a guest lecture on performance psychology at a WorldSkills celebration event, held at Glasgow City College.

From horticulture student to world class landscaper

/in , /by

Talented Reaseheath College trained landscape gardener Matt Beesley has proved he is among the world’s best by taking silver at the WorldSkills finals in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Matt, from Winsford, and fellow team member Jonathan Gill, from Northern Ireland, achieved Britain’s first ever medal in landscape gardening at the global, Olympics style final. The pair had to prove their skills and stamina in hard landscaping, plant knowledge and management by building a garden from scratch in four days under the gaze of 259,000 spectators.

WorldSkills runs the competition bi-annually for students aged 23 and under to showcase the skills and value of young professionals in industries ranging from construction, engineering technology and transportation to IT, communications and social and personal services. The GB team recorded its best ever performance with 33 medals.

WorldSkills Sao Paulo closing Ceremony Team UK Matt Beesley with Rianne Chester

WorldSkills Sao Paulo closing Ceremony Team UK Matt Beesley with Rianne Chester

Matt, 21, completed his Level 3 Extended Diploma in Horticulture at Reaseheath College in Nantwich in 2012. He now runs his own successful business, Beesley’s Landscapes in Winsford, and employs two apprentices. He first competed in the British selection rounds for WorldSkills while a Reaseheath student and has continued to train intensively as a potential squad member.

The former Hartford High School pupil said: “Winning silver in the world finals has been the best experience of my life. The whole WorldSkills programme has been awesome. I have learned so much and gained such a lot of confidence. I’d particularly like to thank my hard landscape instructor at Reaseheath, Jason Hinks, and my parents for their support.”

Said Jason: “I’m really proud of Matt and how he’s developed as a professional landscaper through WorldSkills. This programme is all about benefiting the students through training and helping them to realise their potential.”

Header caption: Matt Beesley (right) and Jonathan Gill celebrate at the WorldSkills finals in Sao Paulo

Talented landscaper to represent GB in world finals

/in /by

Talented Reaseheath College trained landscape gardener Matt Beesley is to represent Britain in the WorldSkills finals in São Paulo, Brazil.

Matt, who heard of his selection last week, joins the GB squad to contest the global, Olympics style final, which runs from 11 – 16 August.

WorldSkills runs the competition bi-annually for students aged 23 and under to showcase the skills and value of young professionals in worldwide industries ranging from construction, engineering technology and transportation to IT and communications and social and personal services.

Off to Sao Paulo: Matt Beesley

Off to Sao Paulo: Matt Beesley

Matt, 21, completed his Level 3 Extended Diploma in Horticulture in 2012. He now runs his own successful business, Beesley’s Landscapes in Winsford, and employs two apprentices. He first competed in the British selection rounds for WorldSkills while a Reaseheath student and has continued to train intensively as a potential squad member, narrowly missing selection for the world finals in Germany in 2013.

In São Paulo he will be one of two British landscapers who will test their skills and stamina in hard landscaping, plant knowledge and management against the world’s best.

The former Hartford High School pupil said: “Competing and training on the WorldSkills programme has been a fantastic experience for me. I have learned so much and gained such a lot of confidence. I’d particularly like to thank my hard landscape instructor at Reaseheath, Jason Hinks, for his support. I’m now totally focused on the world finals. It would be awesome to bring back a medal.”

Said Jason: “I’m really proud of Matt and how he’s developed as a professional landscaper through WorldSkills. This programme is all about benefiting the students through training and helping them to realise their potential.”