Carmarthenshire Students take Gold for Team Wales at top UK skills show

Two Coleg Sir Gâr students beat off challengers from across the UK to take gold medals at the prestigious WorldSkills UK championship in Birmingham at the weekend.

Construction metal works student Rhodri Jones, 21 from Llangadog, and trainee plasterer, Ross Richardson-Davies, 21 from Llandovery, each won gold in their respective skills during the competition which took place at the inaugural Skills Show in the National Exhibition Centre.

Three others took Bronze medals at the event. They were Mechanical Engineering student Richard Harvard Griffiths, 20 from Llanelli, Microsoft Applications trainee, Tee Jay Dack, 17, from Kidwelly and Construction Metal Trainee, Jonathan Price, 21, from Cwmduad

In addition 17-year old Daniel Koehler from Pumpsaint, who has already been chosen for the UK Squad, training for the international WorldSkills event in Germany next year, added further to the Coleg Sir Gâr medal tally by taking home Silver in a special web design contest held at the Skills Show.

Overall Coleg Sir Gâr were the top performing Welsh college at the competition, taking home the most medals at the event and are now joint first with City of Bristol College in the WorldSkills UK rankings.

Their success followed three days of competition during which the youngsters were set a series of challenging tasks in order to demonstrate their skill against their peers from all across the UK.

Rhodri and Ross must now wait to see whether their wins in this high-profile contest will be enough to earn them a place in a future UK Squad to compete in a WorldSkills international competition.

The five students from Coleg Sir Gâr were demonstrating the quality of Welsh vocational learning to tens of thousands of people from across the UK at the new flagship three-day ‘Skills Show’ which ended on Saturday night (17th November).

This was the first time the WorldSkills UK finals, in most of the 40 qualifying disciplines, were held in one location in order to provide a single showcase for the UK’s most talented trainees. The Skills Show has been created as an annual flagship event to act as a legacy to the WorldSkills 2011 event held in London last year.

The contingent from Coleg Sir Gâr won their way through to the finals at The Skills Show based on their outstanding performance in the Skills Competition Wales programme earlier this year, which is backed by the Welsh Government through the European Social Fund.

Welsh representation at the Show also included students and apprentices in fields as diverse as web design, carpentry, automotive engineering, stained glass making, plumbing, and industrial electronics.

Between them Welsh competitors took a total of 15 medals at the Skills Show, including five Golds, 3 Silvers and 7 Bronzes.

Other Welsh students and apprentices showcased their exceptional talents in a wide array of skills through a highly visual and entertainment-led programme, designed to inspire visitors. Cardiff & Vale College, Coleg Harlech WEA (North), Grŵp Llandrillo Menai and ISA Training students took their place amongst the 50 ‘Showcase’ organisations chosen.

Welsh skills were also showcased on a major exhibition stand where visitors had the opportunity to try out a whole range of skills. This was led by the Welsh Government working in partnership with ColegauCymru, the National Training Federation for Wales and Higher Education Wales.

Deputy Minister for Skills Jeff Cuthbert congratulated Welsh medal winners. “This is testimony to the exceptional quality of vocational skills development in Wales and the growing confidence among our young people that they are more than a match for anyone in the country.

To be named the best in your skill in the UK is a tremendous achievement not only for the individual competitor but also for their family, employer or provider who have supported them in their journey.

Competitions like WorldSkills UK help deliver economic growth and improved levels of skills. The Welsh Government aims to strengthen our skill base still further over the coming three years by investing £45 million in apprenticeships.”

Barry Liles, Skills Champion and Chair of the Wales Skills Network said: “Welsh competitors really stood out at this big event and showed they were well prepared, determined and full of belief that they can be the best in their chosen fields. They have done us proud”