South Staffordshire College celebrates double gold award wins as creative students shine at regional skills competition
February 2026
South Staffordshire College is celebrating outstanding success at the West Midlands Inter‑College Creative Skills Showcase at Sandwell College today.
The college is proud to congratulate Ella Baskerville, who secured Gold in the Fine Art skills competition, and Chloe Anne Mooney, who achieved Gold in the Digital Art skills competition. Both students who study Level 3 art & design represented Team SSC with exceptional creativity and professionalism.
The WorldSkills UK‑endorsed event, hosted by Sandwell College, brought together talented Level 3 creative learners from Dudley College, North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College, South Staffordshire College and the host college. Students competed across a range of disciplines including Photography, Fine Art, Graphic Design, Digital Illustration, and Fashion/Textiles.
Working to the competition theme ‘Culture & Community’, learners were challenged to produce one original creative outcome in response to the brief. Working independently, students were required to demonstrate strong creative exploration, technical proficiency, and personal interpretation, supported by a reflective statement explaining their ideas, process and connection to the theme. Final submissions were assessed against industry‑standard criteria, including creativity, contextual understanding, technical skill, realisation of ideas, communication, and presentation.
Following a highly competitive judging process, Ella Baskerville impressed the panel with her strong conceptual development, confident use of materials and thoughtful interpretation of the theme, securing Gold in Fine Art. Chloe Anne Mooney was also praised for her originality, technical skill and professional presentation, earning Gold in Digital Art.
The competition was judged by an inter‑college panel of creative and industry professionals, ensuring learner work was assessed against real‑world expectations. Judges praised the overall standard of work, highlighting the professionalism, ambition and creativity demonstrated by learners across the region.
WorldSkills UK‑endorsed competitions play a vital role in developing learners’ confidence, employability skills and creative resilience, while strengthening collaboration between West Midlands colleges. Katie Small, Teaching and Learning Coach at South Staffordshire College, said: “Competitions like this give learners the opportunity to challenge themselves, respond to industry‑led briefs and showcase their talent beyond the classroom. We are incredibly proud of our students for representing South Staffordshire College so strongly on a regional stage.”
A huge congratulations to all learners who took part and represented their colleges with such professionalism. Special thanks also go to the staff who supported and prepared students throughout the competition process, helping them to thrive in a high‑level creative environment.
