WorldSkills UK Wales

A window of opportunity for Hannah

Today is the first day of competitions at EuroSkills Lisbon 2010 and Hannah Cook from the University of Glamorgan will be flying the flag for Team UK. Hannah will compete in the Window Display competition, having previously secured a bronze medal in the WorldSkills UK Visual Merchandising competition earlier this year.

It’s an opportunity for Hannah to gain further experience in a pressurised competition environment and to prove her metal, as she hopes that performing well at EuroSkills will secure her a place on Squad UK with an ultimate goal of competing at WorldSkills London 2011.

Hannah says that her family and friends have been really positive about her participation and are really supportive… “I hope to make them proud in Lisbon”.  When asked about her ambitions, she says “Short term – to win at EuroSkills. Long term – I aspire to be successful in the fashion industry, in a job that challenges me everyday and that I thoroughly enjoy”. Here’s wishing you good luck in Lisbon, Hannah!

Take a look at this video to find out more about EuroSkills 2010: 

 

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

House of Commons reception celebrates Squad UK

Rhydian Williams and David Bowen attended a prestigious reception event at the House of Commons Terrace last week to celebrate the announcement of Squad UK for WorldSkills London 2011. Our joinery and web design competitors were greeted with 180 guests who attended the celebration! We've uploaded a couple of photos to flickr - take a look!

 

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

David and Rhydian secure their place on Squad UK

Congratulations to David Bowen and Rhydian Williams who have been selected from hundreds of individuals to win places on Squad UK! Having made it this far, they will be hoping that in a couple of months time they will be ready to take on the best from across the globe at WorldSkills London 2011 – the largest skills competition in the world.

David, a web design student from Llandysul, and Rhydian, a joiner from Haverfordwest, were chosen by UK Skills after successfully competing at tough selection events last month. They will now undertake an intensive training programme supported by a dedicated Training Manager to prepare for the Team UK selection next June 2011.

David is currently studying for a BTEC National Diploma in ICT at Coleg Sir Gâr. Earlier this year, he won the gold medal in our 2010 web design skillscompetition Wales, progressing to win the silver medal at the WorldSkills UK Web Design 2010 competition. David says that he competed for a place in Squad UK to gain more confidence and experience, also saying “I became involved in the competition because I believe it will make me more employable and show I have the skills to do the job”.

Meanwhile, Rhydian is also no stranger to competitions. He won a silver medal in joinery at the WorldSkills UK (Skillbuild) 2010. He says “I would love the opportunity to show my skills at an international level and the opportunities international competitions present are endless. I would tell anyone considering a vocational career that ‘once a skilled person, always a skilled person’”. Rhydian completed an apprenticeship last year in NVQ 2/3 joinery at Coleg Sir Gâr and Pembrokeshire College. His is currently employed as a lecturer at Pembrokeshire College.

Good luck to both with their Squad UK training – watch this space for updates on their progress.

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

Sweet smell of success for Danielle and fellow medal winners

Danielle Greep, from Pembrokeshire College, was honored at the annual WorldSkills UK Competition Awards last week in recognition of her success at winning a gold medal in the WorldSkills UK 2010 Aromatherapy competition earlier this year. Celebrity chef, Brian Turner, hosted the event which celebrates the accomplishments of all gold medal winners of WorldSkills UK national competitions.

Pembrokeshire College students were well represented in this year’s awards, with a suite of 5 gold medals in total! In addition to Danielle, Steve Kokolin was crowned the WorldSkills UK Welding champion, with Ashley Bolton, Jessica Holmes and Craig Robertson scooping first place in the Environmental Sciences competition this year.

Other Welsh gold medals included Channon Morris, Coleg Llandrillo, for Restaurant Services, Laura Vasey, Muscial Theatre, and Aaron Jackson, Microsoft IT Technician, (both from Yale College).

It was a fantastic ceremony with highlights including a nail art show, a musical theatre performance and an opportunity to admire displays of work created by other gold medal award winners, (see photos on flickr).

Congratulations to all of our medal winners and also to Skillsmart Retail and Prospect who were recognised with a special WorldSkills UK Partner of the Year Award 2010. Skillsmart Retail run the visual merchandising competition and Prospect run the Environmental Sciences competition – which ran for the first time in Wales this year. 

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

Gareth to compete in SkillBuild 2010 UK Final

The scene is set and 94 competitors will battle it out today at the national SkillBuild 2010 final, held in Coleg Menai; amongst them is Gareth Jones, aged 17, who has just completed his first year of study on the Carpentry Pathway to Apprenticeship at Coleg Sir Gâr.

Gareth has only recently been actively involved in skills competitions, winning second place in our skillscompetition Wales 2010 regional final, then going on to win the gold medal in his category at the Wales-wide final.

Today, he squares up against 10 other competitors from across the UK who are out to prove they are the best in the UK in carpentry! Good luck Gareth!

The SkillBuild competitions are managed by ConstructionSkills in partnership with UK Skills. The competitions are the primary feeder route into the UK team that will compete at the next international WorldSkills competition due to take place in London in October 2011. The competitions cover a broad range of skills including bricklaying, carpentry, plastering, painting and decorating and joinery.

In addition to Gareth, Wales has a group of 10 other individuals who will compete in their trades against apprentices from the rest of the UK. Wishing you all the best!

Are you just starting out or thinking about changing career direction? Interested in the trades? Come along to skillscymru next week! You can have a go at a number of skills, including plastering and painting and decorating; you can also visit the ConstructionSkills stand to gain the careers advice you need.

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