WorldSkills UK Wales

Winning web designers scoop top three places

A great skillscompetition Wales IT event at Gower College Swansea last week! Fifteen students from colleges across Wales went head-to-head in the closely fought web design competition.

After four intensive hours of testing their skills, Daniel Thomas from Gower College Swansea was declared the overall winner. He took home a cheque for £250 and a valuable work placement opportunity with a top firm. Richard Jones, Coleg Llandrillo Cymru, scooped the second prize worth £150, whilst Merryck Reynolds-Ibell, Gower College Swansea, won £50 as runner-up in third position.

 
Congratulations to all competitors who proved their metal in this tough competition that saw them tasked with designing a website on a given theme and constructing a number of pages and functions, including animation.

Competitors will be seeking to follow in the footsteps of David Bowen who entered this competition last year and has won a place on Squad UK with a possible chance to compete for Team UK at WorldSkills London 2011 in October.

The competition was managed by Gower College Swansea with support from e-skills (sector skills council for business and technology), who also formed part of the judging panel.

Whilst the web design competition formed the focus of the event, other activities provided a showcase for the sector. IT faculty heads from across Wales held a meeting at the college and later, joined the number of visiting students to sample the latest technology on offer and listen to student presentations that formed a backdrop for the main event. A big well done to everyone involved for organising a fantastic day for all. Take a look at our photos in our flickr gallery.

Help raise the profile of vocational skills, WorldSkills and skills competitions in Wales

Double celebration for Coleg Sir Gâr!

Coleg Sir Gâr had much to celebrate recently when it was congratulated on its record of producing WorldSkills stars and rewarded for its exemplary teaching practices.

Lesley Griffiths, Deputy Minister for Science, Innovation and Skills, visited the college to mark the success of David Bowen and Rhydian Williams on securing a place on the WorldSkills Squad UK and to present the college with the Beacon Award for 14-19 Collaboration.

David and Rhydian follow in the footsteps of former Coleg Sir Gâr students Cliff Williams and Gareth Evans who were selected for Squad UK for the WorldSkills Calgary event in 2009. David and Rhydian took the opportunity to gain some tips on what it takes to compete at this level as Cliff and Gareth spoke about their experience to the audience that had gathered for the celebration!

Coleg Sir Gâr was praised for its proactive and positive approach towards WorldSkills as was Principal, Barry Liles, for his work as Skills Champion for Wales. Barry promotes skills competitions extensively within the college and also works with other organisations to raise the profile of vocational skills and competitions.

Clearly wishing to make the most of the occasion, the college put on a number of demonstrations during the celebratory event to showcase a variety of vocational skills and raise awareness of competitions. Take a look at our flickr gallery to view photos of the day.

Help raise the profile of vocational skills, WorldSkills and skills competitions in Wales

Oh là là – David heads to French National Finals

Last week, David Bowen headed off to France – though it was far from a relaxing mini break! He and four other members of Squad UK went to take part in WorldSkills France. Their mission - to compete in the French National Finals as part of their rigorous training programme in preparation for WorldSkills London 2011.

 
Attending this event enabled the squad to gain valuable experience of competing against individuals from other countries.

David, who is currently studying for a BTEC National Diploma in ICT at Coleg Sir Gâr, is honing his skills in web design and hopes to be selected later this year for Team UK, WorldSkills London 2011. 

Help raise the profile of vocational skills, WorldSkills and skills competitions in Wales

With thanks to UK Skills for allowing the reproduction of this image.

Hannah wins gold at EuroSkills Lisbon!

After a gruelling three days of competition, Hannah Cook won the gold medal in the window display competition at EuroSkills Lisbon! Hannah, who partnered with Kirsty Hoadley from Berkshire, created three stunning displays to promote fashions from around the world; including Ralph Lauren Polowear, Christmas jewellery and Japanese footwear. Congratulations to you both on your success!

 
After collecting gold, Hannah, who was clearly delighted said “It has been such an amazing experience. It is very hard to describe it. There was a really great spirit in the UK team and we got to know each other really well. The competition itself was very difficult, particularly because the organisers changed the brief at the last minute to see how versatile and adaptable we were”.

Hannah has now set her sights on selection for Squad UK for WorldSkills London 2011. The selection process takes place early in the New Year – so not much time to rest before the next competition battle commences… 

Help raise the profile of vocational skills, WorldSkills and skills competitions in Wales

Tomos gives his rivals the chop!

Tomos Hopkin is celebrating a double after retaining the coveted Welsh Young Butcher of the Year title. The 17 year old talented apprentice from Ponty Butchers, Pontardawe, fought off his rivals for the second time at the final, held at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair.

Tomos said, “It was a much tougher competition this year and I felt the extra pressure of defending my title. I tried to do added value cuts showing innovative ideas and I think that this is the way forward. Eventually, I would like to have my own shop”.

The competition is devised Cambrian Training Company, based in Welshpool, and aims to showcase the very best traditional butchery skills in Wales. Hybu Cig Cymru/ Meat Promotion Wales also support the competition.

The standard this year was exceptionally high with only 15 points between first and third places. Runner up was Andrew Perry from Morgans Family Butchers, with Nathan Evans from Narberth taking third place and in fourth place, Ben Roberts from M.E. Evans Ltd, Wrexham.

Arwyn Watkins, Managing Director of Cambrian Training Company, explains… "We have run this competition for five years and this was the best one yet for all-round skills. The important point is that these young butchers have taken vocational jobs in their local communities and are contributing to the economy. It was also great to see their supportive employers at the final." He also revealed that he hopes to take Tomos and Andrew to London next year to showcase their butchery skills in a demonstration area at the WorldSkills London 2011 event.

With kind thanks to Cambrian Training Company for use of image

Help raise the profile of vocational skills, WorldSkills and skills competitions in Wales