THREE East Lancashire college students are celebrating after receiving medals at a national awards ceremony.

This comes after this years' WorldSkillsUK awards saw more than 400 young students and apprentices take part in the national finals in over 60 competitions.

Burnley College saw two students pick up medals, with Jack Talbot and Tom Slevin picking up gold and silver medals respectively in the furniture and cabinet making categories, while Accrington and Rossendale College celebrated as student Sophie Logan picked up silver in the nail technician category.

Head of Burnley College's Centre for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering Excellence Hannah Cutler said: "We are delighted to see our outstanding Themis Apprentices receive the recognition they deserve in this prestigious national contest.

"These honours are a true reflection of the hard work, ambition and motivation shown by each and every one of them.

"Here at Themis at Burnley College we have a proud record of success and engineering excellence.

"We work closely with the region’s top employers to ensure our learners are industry ready; recruit experienced, industry-leading tutors and trainers and provide the ultimate training environment in industry-standard workshops – the perfect recipe for success.

"The Themis Apprentices honoured today are the industry leaders of tomorrow and can look forward to successful, rewarding careers in their chosen sector."

The awards took place last Friday evening in an online ceremony hosted by Channel 4’s Steph McGovern at her programme' Packed Lunch Studio in Leeds.

The ceremony was held as part of WorldSkills UK's aim to train young people from across the UK to take part in international competitions.

Deputy chief executive Ben Blackledge said: "These young people are showing the way; they are a true inspiration for their generation.

"I praise all those that have battled through the most arduous elements of the last couple of years and are still striving to reach new heights in their skills and development."