WorldSkills UK Wales

Dean and Cliff – Well Done Guys!

Safely back on Welsh soil, it wasn’t long before we asked Dean Jones and Cliff Williams to come to Cardiff so we could celebrate their achievement at WorldSkills Calgary 2009.

Recently, we held a select gathering in the city so we could meet the lads and give our formal congratulations. (They are pictured here with John Griffiths, Deputy Minister for Skills).

Dean brought home a medallion for excellence in automobile technology – awarded to competitors who achieve 500 points or more, (the threshold for world class standards). A mere 3 points separated Cliff from a medallion, but importantly his high score contributed to the overall Team UK position of 7th in world. So, Cliff too, proved that he could hold his own against his WorldSkills carpentry competitors on an international level.

We are very proud of their accomplishment as are they! We talked to them about their amazing experience and asked our guests what they thought about their success. Here's what they had to say:

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

Some Serious Talent Spotting

Jet lagged and back but still euphoric over Team UK’s incredible performance at WorldSkills Calgary 2009!

Over the past few days we’ve seen an amazing level of craftsmanship, creativity and awe inspiring talent.

Reviewing our footage, we’ve pulled together this montage to show you some of the world class skills on display:

 

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

It’s Official - Team UK Raises it’s Game!

The results are in and Team UK learns that it pulled 7th in the WorldSkills Calgary 2009 rankings (based on team average point score) and joint 6th in terms of medal count. 

In 2007 at the WorldSkills Shizuoka Competition in Japan, the team ranked as 11th in the World.

What an incredible achievement!

Bask in their glory by viewing the team’s celebrations at the WorldSkills Calgary 2009 Medals Ceremony below:

(Acknowledgements: UK Skills)

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

Cliff Happy to Have Finished

cliff happy to have finished
Originally uploaded by WorldSkills UK - Wales

Cliff manages to finish the final task at the end of the final day of competition and assemble the pagoda - much to his relief!

The final day was the toughest for Cliff but he managed to complete a highly technical piece of the roof against a tight deadline.

Now the long nail-biting wait to see how Cliff, Dean and the rest of Team UK have done over the intense four days competition.

Fingers are crossed for everyone and a very well done to all in Team UK for their great effort and enthusiasm!

Watch to see the emotional finish for Team UK competitors as they complete their tasks at the end of Day 4:

(Acknowledgements: UK Skills)

Experiencing the Thrill of the Skill!

Some say you can read all you want about skilled professions, but there’s nothing like actually getting in there and trying it for yourself!

At WorldSkills Calgary 2009 this is exactly what visitors have been doing at Skill City. From landscape gardening to beauty therapy and carpentry to computer animation… students have been thinking about their future career choices in a hands-on way.

See for yourself – here’s a great update on Day 2 at Skill City Try-a-Trade:

P>

(Acknowledgements: Skills Canada Alberta)