West Suffolk College apprentices Milly Ockmore, from near Bury St Edmunds, and Fred Nyberg, from Ipswich, make it through to finals of WorldSkills
Two apprentices from West Suffolk College have made it to the final stages of a national skills competition.
Milly Ockmore, 19, from Beyton, near Bury St Edmunds, and Fred Nyberg, 22, from Ipswich, will both be taking part in WorldSkills later this month.
If successful, Milly and Fred might get the opportunity to represent Team GB in a WorldSkills final that will be held in Shanghai in 2026.
Milly, who studied hairdressing at West Suffolk College for three years, now works at the Scissor Box hair salon in Risby and is coming back to her former place of study to get ready for this contest.
Milly said: “My former tutor Jo and and two ex-students, Molly Rayner and Rachel Jennings, are helping me get ready for the WorldSkills finals that will take place in Manchester.”
Molly and Rachel both got to the finals of WorldSkills in 2022, with the support of West Suffolk College.
Milly continued: “In March I sent in a photo of my work for the first round of the competition. This impressed judges and I was asked to attend a regional heat that was held in Wisbech last May. In total, 360 competitors started in the initial rounds and now only eight remain – and I am one of them.
“Now, I’m off to Manchester this month to take part in five tests over two days. When I found out, my whole body was shaking. It’s a nice feeling to get recognised.
“I’m going to work hard. I feel confident and it will be an amazing experience – but I’m not going to put too much pressure on myself. It would be crazy to represent my country by winning this.”
Milly’s former tutor, Jo Doward, said: “The experience Milly will get from this will be priceless and it’s a real chance for her to get her name out there, network and make some industry contacts. She is really fulfilling her potential and I’m so proud of her.”
Fred Nyberg, an apprentice at the college and an employee of TMJ Interiors, recently competed in a regional heat in Colchester.
He has now advanced to the national finals of WorldSkills, which will be held over three days this month in Milton Keynes.
Fred expressed his excitement, saying: “Reaching the finals has made me very happy. I hope it goes well, and I’m going to do my best. It would be brilliant to progress and represent my country. It’s like the Olympics of tradespeople. The college and TMJ Interiors have been amazing in terms of support.”
Brian Tunbridge, a carpentry lecturer at West Suffolk College, said: “We have a track record of getting carpentry students through to the national finals and that is a credit to everyone at the college and of course our talented learners. We will be doing all we can to support Fred.”
The Worshipful Company of Joiners and Ceilers of the City of London have donated £800 to support Fred’s chances of success in the competition.
Classic Hand Tools and Axminster Power Tools sourced the tools and provided large discounts.
