A total of 9 competitors from colleges in West Wales have been awarded gold medals for their achievements following Thursday’s Skills Competition Wales awards.
The announcement follows a series of regional competitions that took place across Wales, hosting a string of talented young people.
The competitors from West Wales challenged others in a number of different sectors to be named the best in their chosen skill including Health and Social Care, Industrial Economics, Carpentry and Laboratory Technician.
More than 800 young people competed across Wales over the past three months, with 89 gold, 87 silver and 91 bronze medals awarded in total.
This year, the awards ceremony was held virtually, with six satellite events taking place at Welsh providers across the country, so that friends and families from all over Wales could watch. In West Wales, students gathered at Coleg Sir Gar and Neath College.
Funded by the Welsh Government and run by a dedicated network of colleges, work-based learning providers and employer-led organisations, through the Inspiring Skills Excellence in Wales project, Skills Competition Wales aims to inspire and upskill future generations by developing young people’s vocational skills while celebrating their achievements.
Gold medallist Bethanie Boniol competed in the Graphic Design category. She said: said “I’m so happy and proud of myself for coming first. I found the competition interesting and fun and although I felt a lot of pressure at first, I enjoyed how relaxed it was and how we had the entire day to complete the project which helped.”
“I felt supported when communicating my ideas to the judges as they were very encouraging and working under a time constraint during the day helped me develop my time management skills.”
Subject to another round of applications, the finalists could go on to compete in the national and international competitions at WorldSkills UK, EuroSkills and WorldSkills international. Applications for this year’s WorldSkills UK competitions close later this month.
This October, Shanghai, China hosts the 46th WorldSkills Competition. In April fifteen competitors from across Wales fight for their place to represent Team UK a global stage at the biennial WorldSkills International competition in Shanghai, China.
Minister of Economy, Vaughan Gething stated: “Young people in Wales hold the key to this country’s future success so it is great to see initiatives such as Skills Competition Wales and the Inspiring Skills project celebrate and showcase young talent.
“Skills Competition Wales helps to equip young people with the experience and skills they need for personal and professional development. It offers individuals the opportunity to build up their confidence and employability skills while allowing employers to teach job-specific skills.
“It’s vital we invest in our future generations and continue to provide opportunities such as Skills Competition Wales so that there is a platform for young people to showcase their abilities. Skills competitions provide a platform for people to progress and develop into highly skilled workers, therefore feedbacking back into the economy.”
Presenter, Ameer-Davies Rana, added: “It’s been an amazing opportunity being able to present the awards alongside Mari Lovgreen. We’ve awarded some tremendous talent across Wales and watching everyone’s families celebrate live at the watch parties added to the evening’s positive atmosphere.
“The competition was fierce this year, so congratulations to everyone who took part. It has been a real privilege to celebrate so many competitors’ achievements across a range of sectors and I wish them the best of luck in their future endeavours.”
For more information on Skills Competition Wales and to be in with a chance to represent your country in 2023, visit https://inspiringskills.gov.wales/
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