Newbury College and UCN embraced its higher education students and apprentices at its Skills Expo 2026 and Apprentice Awards, writes Isla Kirby.
At the Monks Lane campus, employers, parents, tutors, development coaches and support teams attended the event to recognise the hard work of all students and apprentices who are already impacting their industries.
At the Skills Expo, students were given the opportunity to present their innovative, career-focused projects, showing off their ability to apply the knowledge from programmes to the workplace.
A wide range of subjects were represented, including art and design, access to higher education, manufacturing and electrical engineering, mechanical, and sport, highlighting the technical ability, creativity and ambition of UCN students and the college and university centre’s commitment to helping students gain effective skills for success.
After the exhibition came the awards ceremony, which recognised outstanding individuals and projects from across UCN’s academic programmes.
Employers and apprenticeships were also recognised and were presented awards during National Apprentice Week earlier in the year.
Florin Loras, head of faculty for higher and adult education, said: “Our students are already driving change in the workplace and helping to shape the future for local industry.
“The Expo and awards reflect not only individual success, but our shared commitment to ‘Careers, not courses’.
“None of this would be possible without the ongoing support on employers, including those attending today.
“They continue to invest their time, knowledge, and expertise in developing local talent.”
Following the awards ceremony, a buffet prepared and served by catering students in the college’s on-site restaurant was enjoyed by the guests, giving the students another opportunity to demonstrate their professional skills and talents.
The event demonstrated the value in collaborating education and industry, bringing learners, employers and college teams together to celebrate achievements as a community.
To see the the full list of apprenticeship winners go to https://newbury-college.ac.uk/news-events/news/apprenticeship-awards-celebrate-skills-careers-and-community
