Student attempts to become world IT skills champion

Rotherham College’s business and computing department is funding the student’s entry into the prestigious World Skills UK Competition at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre (NEC) on November 19.

Representing his former college means a flight from his native Lithuania, however, after he moved back to the country with his parents.

The trip follows a fine showing for the 17-year-old in the Advanced Computing section of the UK Skills competition, held at Rotherham College, in which he secured first place and a place in the national competition.

If he goes on to win in Birmingham — against other students from across the UK — Mantas will secure a place in the World Skills competition, in Sao Paulo, in 2017.

A spokesman for the college said: “Mantas successfully completed the first year of his Computing Level 3 course at the college but when to his parents relocating back to Lithuania, he decided to accompany them.

“Not wanting Mantas to miss out on the opportunity to compete at the competition, staff from the business and computing department have secured the funding from the college to fly Mantas back to England to take part without worrying about the costs involved.”  

World Skills’ national competitions are designed to test competitors in a range of critical elements that demonstrate excellence in their chosen trade.

Various activities, designed by industry experts, aim to demonstrate qualities valued by employers such as team work, time management and working to deadlines.

Darren Bristow, Rotherham College’s programme co-ordinator for computing, will be at the NEC to cheer Mantas on from the sidelines.