A student from Granton is set to travel to Birmingham to show off her talent as a gym instructor to more than 70,000 spectators at the nation’s largest skills and careers event. Sam Laird has been selected to represent City of Glasgow College in the Gym Instructor category at The Skills Show 2016 and is hoping to bring home a medal and advance to the finals of WorldSkills, a competition dubbed ‘the skills Olympics’.
Twenty-five-year-old Sam, who is currently in her second year of studying HND Fitness, Health and Exercise at the college, has spent several months undertaking intensive training with City of Glasgow College’s Skills Academy in preparation for the high-profile event at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre, which is part of the renowned WorldSkills competition.
Sam, who was selected to take part after impressing at two rounds of regional heats, said: “I am excited and nervous about taking part in The Skills Show. At the heats, I didn’t have a clue what to expect and came out absolutely buzzing. I’m chuffed with the feedback I’ve had so far and, as I’ve progressed in the competition, I’ve realised it’s a big deal.”
Last year, City of Glasgow College graduate Mikaela Wright returned home from the finals of WorldSkills 2015 in Sao Paolo with a Medallion of Excellence. The most successful students at this year’s Skills Show will be in with a chance of competition at WorldSkills 2018, which is set to take place in Russia.
Sam, whose ambition is to carve out a career based on strength and conditioning with a focus on developing young athletes and Olympians of the future, will be tasked with devising a gym induction programme in order to impress judges at The Skills Show.
“In the heats, the judging was based a lot on interpersonal skills – how you deal with people and how you make them feel,” explained Sam. “One of the briefs involved devising an induction programme and identifying exercises for an 18-year-old new gym user who wants to improve their fitness.
“A lot of the skills you have to display are things you are practising at college anyway. The competition is great for your CV and I’ve mentioned my progress in the competition at job interviews where employers have been impressed.”
Margaret Darroch, Curriculum Head of Skills Academy and Development at City of Glasgow College, added: “The Skills Show provides young people from across the UK the chance to unlock their potential and get inspired about the world of work. At City of Glasgow College we also want to encourage our students to shine and be the very best they can. This is a challenging event but I’m sure Sam and her fellow students will do brilliantly.”
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