WorldSkills UK 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

A Stroke of Success for Coleg Gwent Student Jess

This is Jess Brown, a 17 year old from Griffithstown, who is studying painting and decorating at Coleg Gwent’s Pontypool campus. Recently, she battled it out against other trainees at a  skillscompetition Wales heat, and took home the gold medal!

Although she was the only female taking part, Jess didn’t let that deter her and was over the moon to place first in the competition. We asked Jess what she thought of her experience…she said, “I’ve never entered a competition like this before as I’ve never really been interested in anything, so being able to benchmark my skills against other trainees was a great experience and winning was a very welcome bonus. It was pretty nerve-wracking but lots of fun”. Jess will now go on to compete at the skillscompetition Wales final which is being held at Bridgend College on 18 March. Keep a look out for our update on this exciting event!

We think that Jess is a great role model and news of her success comes at an opportune time with the advent of International Women’s Day this week.

As various events take place across the country, students at Swansea College are also marking the occasion as they step into each other’s shoes to try their hand at subjects they have never encountered before.

On this note, don’t forget that there will be plenty of opportunities at skillscymru 2010 to get hands on experience and try a skill. Make sure the 16-18 September 2010 is in your diary!

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

skillscymru 2010 video

Missed the coverage of our launch event on the news? Well take a look at our round up video below.

Watch out for our Welsh skills stars, Dean Jones and Cliff Williams!

www.skillscymru.co.uk

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