WorldSkills UK 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

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

SkillsCompetition Wales Final - Construction

Watch our great video of this 09/10 skillscompetition Wales final. View it here or through our YouTube channel:

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

Another WorldSkills UK Gold Medal for Wales

This time in welding. Steve Kokolin, from Pembrokeshire College, took the top spot at the WorldSkills UK SkillWeld 2010 competition. The gruelling final was held over four days at the Welding Institute in Cambridge.

Steve’s route to UK-wide success came after triumphing in the regional heats of our skillscompetition Wales. He has now beaten over 2,500 competitors to become the best welder in the UK!

Steve is currently completing the third year of his apprenticeship with Unit Engineering. He says that competing has boosted his confidence and he is really chuffed to have come this far. Well done Steve! We love the trophy - take a closer look!

It seems Steve is already becoming a bit of a local celebrity too. Take a look at some of the coverage we’ve found about Steve’s success:
  * BBC news  
  * Tenby Today
  * Milford & West Wales Mercury

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

Accounting Aces

On the 31 March we pulled up the driveway of the Georgian mansion, Sketty Hall, in Swansea. Set in its own grounds with ornate Italian gardens, it is an inspiring location and we were there for a very special occasion – the final of Wales’ first ever Accountancy skills competition.

Organised and hosted by Swansea College as part of our skillscompetition Wales, the unique setting added to the excitement. We could feel the tension in the air as the teams of competitors took their seats. Each group was tasked with a number of challenges that an accounting technician would face in the course of a ‘regular day at the office’; such as, processing sales and purchase invoices, petty cash and payroll transactions and handling errors and journals. As well as testing their computer skills, the competitors were also judged on their ability to work as a team, demonstrating their communication skills and ensuring professional conduct.  

Armed with a laptop housing the accounts, a notebook and a calculator, we watched along with lecturers and supporters as the teams set to work. Entrants included learners from Swansea, Gorseinon, Bridgend and Pembrokeshire Colleges, Coleg Gwent and Coleg Llandrillo Cymru.

The gold medal went to the team of David Sadler, Lucinda Murphy and Joshua Broom from Coleg Gwent (pictured here). Obviously delighted, the team commented on how pleased but surprised they were to win saying “the other teams seemed more confident than us and seemed to be of a very high standard. It has been a fun day and has helped to give us more confidence in our abilities”. They each took home a cheque for £50 along with winning a one day work placement at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Cardiff.

Congratulations to the winning team and well done to all competitors! With thanks to Swansea College for leading the way in developing this competition and for a memorable day in an environment that leaves a lasting impression.  

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