Rodbaston College hosts largest regional Animal Management competition 

South Staffordshire College welcomed students from across the region to our Rodbaston College for the West Midlands Colleges’ Animal Management competition, an event proudly endorsed by WorldSkills UK.

This year was the biggest event to date with 65 students taking part and representing five colleges: Dudley College, Halesowen College, Sandwell College, Solihull College & University Centre, and South Staffordshire College’s own Rodbaston learners.

The competition took place at the colleges on site Zoo, Rodbaston Animal Zone, which is also open to the public on weekends and throughout Staffordshire school holidays.

Throughout the competition, participants were put through their paces in a series of practical challenges designed to mirror real-life industry scenarios while testing essential employability skills.

Level 1 students worked in pairs to design and build a rodent enclosure, demonstrating teamwork, problem‑solving and the ability to justify their decisions to assessors. At Level 2, competitors were tasked with cleaning and safely handling rabbits to professional welfare and husbandry standards. Meanwhile, Level 3 students took on a sustainability-focused brief, using only scrap materials to create animal enrichment items, showcasing creativity, and safe use of both tools and power equipment.

The competition highlighted far more than technical skills. Judges and staff praised the students’ communication, teamwork, confidence, and resilience, which are all fundamental attributes for building successful careers in the animal care and management sector. The atmosphere on campus was vibrant and supportive, reflecting the passion and professionalism of every learner involved.

This year’s judges were Ryan and Julie from Exotic Zoo in Telford, who praised the standard of work on display.

In the Level 1 category, South Staffordshire College’s Team 3 secured first place with an impressive performance, followed by Halesowen College’s Team 8 in second place and Dudley College’s Team 5 in third.

At Level 2, the top spot was awarded to Oliver Riley from Solihull College, with Amanda Bileskaina of Halesowen College taking second place and South Staffordshire College’s Charlotte Christian achieving third.

Solihull College Team 6 won the Level 3 competition and took second place with Team 10 also finishing close behind. Third place went to South Staffordshire College’s Team 7. South Staffordhire College would like to congratulate all competitors and thanked staff and supporting teams from every college involved.

South Staffordshire College extends its congratulations to all competitors and to the staff and support teams from every college involved. The event once again demonstrated the strength of animal management education across the region and the bright future ahead for the young people preparing to enter the industry.