WorldSkills UK Wales

Web Design Whiz

Websites have come a long way since the first text-based designs in the early 1990’s; and they continue to change rapidly with the advancement of supporting technologies.

Flash animations, HTML5, CSS3, Web 2.0 and now web 3.0 – for the non-expert, it’s difficult to keep up!

Luckily, Wales is working to ensure that we nurture these important skills and develop our own future web design experts.

On 24 March, we saw some of this work first-hand at the final of the skillscompetition Wales IT Web Design competition. This was the first time that Wales has held a challenge of this kind, which was organised and hosted by Swansea College. 

Participating colleges included Coleg Sir Gâr, Swansea, Gorseinon, Pembrokeshire, and Bridgend. Competitors were tasked with animation and website construction activities which took place over a gruelling 6½ hours.

It was an exciting and closely fought competition making it difficult for the judges to make the winning decisions.

Ultimately, David Bowen from Coleg Sir Gâr, took the gold medal, (pictured here with Nick Couling, Director of Faculty, Engineering and IT, Swansea College). The silver medal went to Kerryanne Tolhurst, Swansea College, and Daniel Jones, Gorseinon College won the bronze medal.

Congratulations to all competitors, to Swansea College and to all other participants for making this a highly successful event.

We are currently working on editing some video footage of the competition which we will upload to YouTube soon. Subscribe to our blog or YouTube channel to make sure you keep up-to-date.

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

Can You Dress To Impress?

A window that is… SkillVM is the WorldSkills UK competition for students and those working in the retail industry. It’s an opportunity for you to demonstrate your visual merchandising creative and technical skills in a live competition environment.

Teams are invited to design a window display based on a given theme through submission of mood boards and a written proposal. Designs are judged by a panel of experts with the top scoring designs shortlisted to create their displays at a live heat. Winners from the heats go on to compete at the UK final which takes place this year at the In-Store Show, the UK’s leading retail exhibition, at Olympia in June 2010.

The SkillVM competition is organised by Skillsmart Retail who successfully launched this competition last year, (take a look at the video below for a round-up of this event). Now in its second year, the competition is going from strength-to-strength. Enter online by 16 April 2010 for your chance to benchmark your skills against the best visual merchandisers in the country.

(Acknowledgements: Thanks to UK Skills for image and DNA for use of video)

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

60 Students, 15 Medals and 1 Construction Skills Final…

The best of Wales’ up and coming construction talent went head-to-head at Bridgend College on 18 March for the SkillsCompetition Wales Junior Construction Final.

We went along to support the competitors, all 60 of whom had already achieved success at one of the four regional heats across Wales. What a great day it was too – well done to ConstructionSkills for another well organised competition!

All competitors were given five hours to complete a brief based on real life tasks in their field. From skimming and polishing to painting and joinery, we were really impressed with the planning and precision skills shown by all students. We took a number of photos which we’ve uploaded to our flickr gallery. We’re also editing some footage of the event which will be added to our YouTube channel very soon.

Congratulations to all participants. Here’s a list of the winners:

Plastering:
* Gold - Bobby Blythin, Yale College
* Silver - Thomas Cooksey, Coleg Llandrillo Cymru
* Bronze - Aaron Boyle, Coleg Llandrillo Cymru

Painting and Decorating:
* Gold - Lucas Anthony Gorvett, Bridgend College
* Silver - Jess Brown, Coleg Gwent (Pontypool)
* Bronze - Daniel Yandle, Coleg Gwent (Pontypool)

Brickwork:
* Gold - Sean Davies, Coleg Llandrillo
* Silver - Adam Graham, Coleg Gwent (Nash)
* Bronze - Jake Lynch, Neath Port Talbot College 
 
Carpentry:
* Gold - Gareth Jones, Coleg Sir Gâr
* Silver - Cenydd Howell, Coleg Sir Gâr
* Bronze - James Bannister, Coleg Gwent (Pontypool)

Foundation Certificate in Building Craft Occupations:
* Gold - Iestyn Owen, Coleg Sir Gâr
* Silver - Ben Owen, Coleg Meirion Dwyfor
* Bronze -  Rhys Richards, Coleg Sir Gâr

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

Channon Proves She’s the Best in the UK!

We’re still celebrating! Channon Morris from Coleg Llandrillo Cymru won the top prize at the recent WorldSkills UK Wessex Salon Culinaire competition. Aged 18, Channon proved she’s the best restaurant service professional in the UK.

How’s that for talent!

Not only that, but Wales also scooped the silver medal in the same competition category thanks to the skills of Mark Irvine, another student at Coleg Llandrillo Cymru.

The competition was split into three categories with finalists having to set up a table for an awards-themed dinner, produce cocktails and a speciality coffee as well as displaying their flambé skills. Channon said that she thoroughly enjoyed the experience and is thrilled to have won.

Both students reached their route to top via competing in our SkillsCompetition Wales heats – see our photos of this competition final on flickr.

Well done both. A fantastic achievement!

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

Three Welsh Chefs Seeking Glory in WorldSkills UK Final

Three young chefs will display their culinary skills when they represent Wales in the WorldSkills UK Final in Bournemouth next week.

 
Pictured left to right are: Lewis Keane, aged 18 and Dylan Timperley, aged 19, both from Coleg Llandrillo Cymru, along with Kristian Fuchs, aged 19, from Pembrokeshire College.

All three will be up against chefs from England, Scotland and Northern Ireland in the final on Tuesday.

Staged at the Wessex Salon Culinaire at Bournemouth International Centre, this national competition provides an opportunity for trainee chefs to show off their cooking skills to a panel of judges.

Competitors are expected to prepare a range of dishes using specific ingredients, demonstrating their skills and creative flair. They will prepare two cold plated fish dishes for display before competing in live classes to cut a chicken for sauté and to produce two main course covers in 20 minutes using pork fillet, a carbohydrate and a vegetable garnish.

The winner of next week's competition may be invited to join the UK Squad for WorldSkills London 2011, where he or she will be up against the best in the world in their vocation.

The three Welsh chefs qualified for the final after competing in skillscompetition Wales at the Welsh Chefs Conference in Cross Hands last September. They are being mentored by award-winning chef Nick Davies, a director of Cambrian Training Company and WelshMeatOnline based in Welshpool.

Good luck to all. We will keep our fingers crossed!

(Acknowledgements: thanks to Cambrian Training Company for use of photographs)

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