WorldSkills UK Wales

Growing World Class Talent

A UK Skills Gardening Team has won the silver medal at this week’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The garden, called ‘Growing World Class Talent’, was created from scratch by a team of talented people all under the age of 25. Skills included landscape gardening, bricklaying, electrical installation, cabinet making, plumbing, floristry and stonemasonry – all skills which are also present at an international WorldSkills Competition.

Former WorldSkills competitors and Squad UK members made up the team competing at the Chelsea Flower Show. Keith Chapman, who competed at WorldSkills Shizuoka (Japan), said how pleased the team was to have been honoured with this award, adding “we hope that visitors take the time to really look around the garden and start to learn just how much hard work actually goes into landscape gardening and the skills that are required”.

Take a look at the photos of the team’s garden on our flickr gallery and help us increase UK Skills’ chances of winning the BBC’s People’s Choice Award.

Vote for the UK Skills’ garden ‘Growing World Class Talent’. This garden falls within the ‘small gardens’ category. The deadline for voting is 5pm on Friday 28 May. Make yours count!

Are you interested in watching a live land-based competition? Groundwork Wales is organising an environmental regeneration competition that will take place at skillscymru in September 2010. Make sure you come along to watch our competitors bloom!

(Acknowledgements: with thanks to UK Skills for allowing the use of their images)

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

Win an Apple iPod or Samsung Digital Camera!

UK Skills are evaluating the 2009/10 WorldSkills UK competition round. If you have been involved in this round of competitions either directly or indirectly, (having entered someone on their behalf), we need your views.

Complete this short survey by 31 May 2010 and be in with the chance of winning either an iPod or a Samsung Digital Camera. Terms and conditions apply.

Thanks!   

Please note images are for illustration purposes only. Actual prize may differ from that shown.

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

The Big Leap – Entrepreneurship Challenge!

If you are aged 18-30 and have a business idea with high growth potential, this WorldSkills UK competition is just for you. Enter by 30 April 2010.

Managed by Striding Out, the challenge is for entrepreneurs who are embarking on a business planning journey. Ten finalists will have the opportunity to harness their skills and participate in an intensive three-day entrepreneurship bootcamp. With expert trainers and apprentice-style activities, the bootcamp will provide participants with a wide range of new business skills and knowledge to achieve business success.

This competition is called ‘The Big Leap 2010’. The winner will receive a cheque for £500 and a year long mentorship package from an experienced entrepreneur. Take the leap and enter now!

Find out what Tom Latchford, founder of Raising IT, had to say about his bootcamp experience. In 2009, Tom won the WorldSkills UK Gold Award for UK Entrepreneur of the Year.

What does it take to be a successful entrepreneur? Well, Peter Jones, the Dragon’s Den entrepreneur, is certainly equipped to offer advice. We found his ‘10 rules for entrepreneurial success’ interesting. Why not take his interactive quiz to discover if you have a tycoon mindset!

(Acknowledgements: thanks to UK Skills for use of image)  

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