FEDEC Skills Competitions
The Federation of Essex Colleges is delighted to confirm that member colleges will commence a series of inter-college skills competitions in the 2025/26 academic year as part of our "going for gold" strategy.
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This page sets out details of the evolving competitions and will include details of how to register, competition guidance, applicable rules, links to competition the individual specifications and the competition student registration portal. ​
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Check back on this page from 8th September for updates!
Background & Aims
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Competitions provide learners with a valuable opportunity to benchmark their skills at both national and international levels, while also enhancing their employability. To support this, Skills Week (week commencing 24th November 2025) will be introduced as a key stage in the student preparation journey. It will allow learners to develop their skills and mindset ahead of Competition Week (week commencing 26th January 2026).
Skills Week will serve as an intensive preparation period, delivered within at learners home colleges. It will align competition readiness with Life Skills and Progress tutorials, helping to build resilience, self-confidence, and employability. Relevant curriculum areas will work from a WorldSkills UK aligned brief and mark-scheme to prepare learners for Skills Week. These materials will have been reviewed and quality assured by FEDEC and the colleges' WorldSkills Quality & Standards Managers.
The aim is for each FEDEC college to take a the lead on at least one brief, mark scheme, and competition, acting as the lead/host institution. These resources will then be shared across all FEDEC colleges, ensuring a consistent and standardised approach to assessment during Skills Week.
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Each college will run Skills Week concurrently, with winners progressing to the inter-college Competition Week. Competition Week will be hosted by the lead/host colleges for each subject area, on a rotational basis (to be confirmed). This approach will allow lead/host colleges to showcase their facilities and collaborate with other FEDEC colleges in supporting WorldSkills UK applications for the March registration of interest and April 2026 entry.
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Guidance & Specifications
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Competition guidance, details of competition host locations and the various skills competition specification links will be added to this section of the Skills Competitions page shortly. Please check back for details in September 2025. The "going for gold" strategy timelines have been shared with each college's CEO / Principal, culminating in Skills Week in week commencing 26th January 2026.
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Competition Registration Portal
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The registration portal below will open in December 2025. It should be used to register students onto each competition. Please ensure all required information is completed. Students should check spam / junk folders for communications from the portal's automated messaging system.
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The registration portal is under testing between 18th August to 8th September. Please do not attempt to register before the official registration opening. Any non-test registrations will be deleted during this period.
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