A bunch of aspiring beauty professionals learning their trade at a Salford college were a cut above their rivals in a regional competition.
Students from Worsley College were crowned the best in Greater Manchester after scooping a string of top awards at this year’s GM Skills 2026 competition.
The talented pupils swept the board in the Hair and Beauty categories, beating rivals from colleges across the region to claim five first-place finishes and the coveted Best Overall College title.
Students on vocational courses were put through their paces in front of expert industry judges, completing professional-standard tasks under competition pressure.
Violet Jones won first place in the Entry Level Hair division, which pits new hairdressers against each other.
Meanwhile, Jess Bates-Nutsy took the top spot in Level 1 Hair, a competition category where students put their foundation knowledge, skills and professional behaviours as stylists to the test.
Ruby Matthews claimed first in Entry Level Beauty and Jess Moran won Level 1 Beauty, while Amelia Morris earned a strong second place in the highly competitive Level 3 Hairdressing category.
Amelia Morris earned a strong second place in the highly competitive Level 3 Hairdressing discipline.
Reflecting on her success at the competition, Jess Morgan said: “There was a lot of pressure on the day, but our tutors prepared us really well. To come away with first place and help Worsley College win Best Overall College is an incredible feeling.
“Winning the GMS Beauty Competition has given me so much confidence in my abilities and shown me how much I have developed during my course.
“I have loved every aspect of studying Beauty Therapy at Worsley College, and this achievement has made all of the hard work worthwhile.”
On the course at the Salford College, students develop professional salon skills, from hairdressing techniques and customer service to health and safety, hygiene and industry knowledge.
They also build employability skills such as teamwork, communication, confidence and professional behaviour, helping prepare them for further study or careers in the hair and beauty sector.
Lee Collinge, Head of Hairdressing and Beauty Therapies at Worsley College, was delighted to see the students’ triumph at the competition.
“This really is an exceptional achievement – but very well deserved,” he said. The students have worked so hard and these results reflect both their commitment and the dedication of everyone in the department.”
The college said the haul capped off another strong year for the college’s hair and beauty programmes, which are fast becoming a launch pad for some of the region’s most promising young talent. More information is available here.
