Travel and Tourism success at West Midlands Skills Competition
February 2026
South Staffordshire College is celebrating the success of our Travel and Tourism students following an impressive performance at the West Midlands Skills Competition, hosted by Dudley College.
Competing against learners from across the region, South Staffordshire College Travel and Tourism students secured second and third place, with a third team also achieving a strong fourth‑place finish. The college is extremely proud of all learners who represented Team SSC, demonstrating creativity, professionalism, and strong industry understanding throughout the competition.
The WorldSkills UK‑endorsed event, held at Dudley College’s Evolve Campus, challenged Level 2 Travel and Tourism learners to design and market a dream destination aimed at families with young children. Working in teams, students were required to create a visual mood board and deliver a 60‑second digital advertising campaign, promoting a unique destination and its key attractions, culture, accessibility and appeal.
Students were assessed against industry‑standard criteria, including accuracy of information, suitability for the target audience, creativity, quality of digital resources, and audience engagement. Judges also looked for evidence of teamwork, problem‑solving and innovative thinking within the campaign concepts.
Following a highly competitive event, Brooke Davies and Erica Bramble impressed the judging panel with their Kotor destination campaign, scooping second place. The judges praised the team’s strong concept, creativity and thoughtful approach to destination marketing.
Izzie Horton and Jamie Westmancoat secured a third‑place finish with their “Swap Screens for Streams” Matlock campaign, which stood out for its originality, engaging digital reel and clear understanding of the target family market.
Mia Richards and Carly Bartram also delivered a confident and creative performance with their fabulous Luxor pitch, finishing fourth overall and contributing to an outstanding day for the college.
Judges commented particularly on the creativity of the digital reels, strength of concepts and quality of mood boards, as well as the learners’ interactive elements and depth of consideration. They were especially impressed by how teams thoughtfully addressed lower budgets and additional needs, demonstrating strong awareness of inclusivity and real‑world industry constraints.
Competitions such as this mirror real‑world travel and tourism marketing environments, giving learners the opportunity to pitch ideas, work under pressure and apply their knowledge in a professional, industry‑focused setting. They play a vital role in building confidence, employability skills and readiness for progression into the travel and tourism sector.
South Staffordshire College would like to thank Dudley College for hosting the event and creating such a welcoming and professional competition environment.
A huge congratulations to all learners who took part and represented South Staffordshire College so positively. Special thanks also go to the staff who supported and prepared students for the competition, helping them to succeed and shine on a regional stage.
