WorldSkills UK Wales

Hannah and Polly Win Bronze at SkillVM Final

They did it! Proving that they are the third best visual merchandisers in the UK! Here are Hannah Cook and Polly Crane receiving their bronze medal from the Queen of Shops herself, Mary Portas.

Both studying for a BA in Fashion Promotion at the University of Glamorgan, they competed against other teams from across the UK at the SkillVM Final in London. Under the full gaze of thousands of retail industry insiders, the competition saw them building their full-scale window in four hours and with a budget of just £200.

Hannah said “to be one of the top three teams of student visual merchandisers in the UK feels amazing. I am extremely proud and it is such a valuable experience and one that I will certainly remember. It is a fantastic end to our first year at university.”

Polly added “the pressure of performing in front of a big live audience was challenging – but the adrenalin rush was fantastic. All of our hard work and passion has been recognised by industry experts and that is out of this world!”

Well done both. We are really pleased for you!

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

SkillsCompetition Wales – IT Web Design Final

Missed this event? Here’s our round up video of the competition which includes an overview from the judges about what was involved. This was the first competition of its kind to be held in Wales – congrats again to David Bowen from Coleg Sir Gâr on winning the top prize! View it here or in HD via YouTube.

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

Competition: Be the presenter at skillscymru!

Do you want a career in television? To be the next Steve Jones, Claire Summers or Huw Edwards? We want to hear from you.

We are searching for two stars to be the presenters of skillscymru and spend time during the event filming, interviewing and learning about the skills needed to get ahead with a top professional television production company. Winners will also receive a prize of an ultra HD Flip Camera!

It easy to enter – you just need to upload a 60 second audition video to YouTube and e-mail your link to [email protected] with your name, address, postcode and contact telephone number.

Make a short film about the career you want or how to get a job. Make it a mix of interviews and you presenting – we want to see you talking to the camera! Ask someone you know about their work experiences and the skills they needed when they started, or catch an interview with a local celebrity about how they achieved their success and the skills they needed!

Don’t leave it too late as the deadline for entries is Friday 30 July 2010.

The winners will be judged in two categories – individuals aged up to 19 and those aged 20 and above. The best clips will be uploaded to the www.skillscymru.co.uk site over the summer and subjected to a public vote – so tell all of your friends about your entry!

Find full details of the competition via www.skillscymru.co.uk and get filming!

Please note image is for illustration purposes only. Actual prize may differ from model shown. 

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

Dream Team Secures Place in SkillVM Final

A big congrats to Hannah Cook and Polly Crane whose success at the recent Welsh SkillVM heat will see them compete at next week’s SkillVM grand final.

The duo, from the University of Glamorgan, competed in the student category of SkillVM held at the ATRiuM in Cardiff. The SkillVM competition – which seeks to find the best retail artists in the UK – is organised by Skillsmart Retail, is part of WorldSkills UK and is supported through our skillscompetition Wales.

This year’s brief asked competitors to design a window display in the year 2060 when Company Y are launching their Y-Dream pillow. Each of the 16 teams (made up of 2 competitors) was provided with a small scale window pod and Y-dream pillow. The challenge required the teams to install their window display in one hour followed by a 3 minute presentation of their design to the judges.

Geraint Vaughan and Jay Samson, also from the University of Glamorgan, competed at the Cardiff heat and performed exceptionally well. Check out their design and other photos of the competition in our flickr gallery.

The judging panel featured former Big Brother housemate and professional visual merchandiser Kris Donnelly. He said, “When I came into this competition I had no idea just how many amazing VMs there were, and to see them spread across the whole of the UK and not just in London is also testament to the great strength we have in retail. All finalists have produced eye-catching designs and I now can’t wait to see how they translate these ideas from paper into the real thing”.

Neither can we! Next week Hannah and Polly will compete in the live final held at the In-Store Show in London. Good luck!

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

Jakita Takes Home Silver in WorldSkills UK Beauty Therapy Heat

Congratulations to Jakita Roach, who won the silver medal in the intermediate category at a recent WorldSkills UK Beauty Therapy heat. Coleg Sir Gâr hosted the prestigious competition which was supported by VTCT, the specialist awarding body for the hairdressing and beauty therapy sector.

Around 20 students and trainees took part in the competition which tested skills including waxing, manicures, facials and massage. Industry experts acted as judges, observing competitors in action and grilling them with questions during each treatment!

Jakita, who is studying at Pembrokeshire College, said that she really enjoyed taking part in the competition… “my mentors taught me lots of new skills which I put into use during the event. I’m hoping that I scored enough points to go through to the final as I’ve put so much effort into preparing that I’d like to compete at the highest level”. She also gave a huge thank you to the people who had helped her in the process.

Other successful Welsh students at the competition included Katy Evans, aged 19, from Bridgend College, who won the bronze medal in the intermediate category, and Gemma Jones, aged 18, from Neath Port Talbot College, who won the bronze medal in the advanced category.

Well done to all! Here’s wishing you luck for progressing to the UK finals.

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