WorldSkills UK Wales

Win a VIP tour of the Bentley factory!

WorldSkills London 2011 has partnered up with Bentley Motors, the UK’s leading luxury car manufacturer, and the Design Council. Two lucky winners will have the chance to see their idea turned into actual medals used at WorldSkills London 2011 this October.

Anyone who is aged between 9 and 16 can enter. The closing date for entries is Friday 20 May 2011.

 

As well as having their designs turned into real medals, the two winners, along with two family members or friends, will get a VIP tour of the Bentley factory to see their creations going through the final engineering design stage. They will then be taken around the Crewe factory to see the new Bentley Continental GT and Mulsanne being built and meet the team that will ensure that the medals reach the same exacting standards as the cars.

The visit will also include lunch at the factory and a chauffeur-driven experience in a Bentley. But that’s not all…the two winners will also be given:

• A copy of the official medial in a unique leather pouch made by the Bentley craftsman;
• 4 tickets to the WorldSkills London 2011 Closing Ceremony on 9 October 2011;
• The opportunity to be part of a medal presentation on stage at the O2 during the Closing Ceremony;
• A travel allowance for their trip to the Closing Ceremony.

Ten runners-up from across the UK will also be showcased at WorldSkills London 2011 and online, and will receive scale models of the new Bentley Muslanne.

For more information, visit the WorldSkills London 2011 website.

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

Pink plumbing proves top!

Gemma Prosser proved her metal in the recent skillscompetition Wales final held at Coleg Sir Gar. The 20 year-old who’s studying at the Ammanford campus fought off competition from fourteen other candidates to win first place in the foundation plumbing skills competition!

Gemma decided to seek a career in plumbing after helping her partner who is already a qualified plumber. Thrilled with her win, she’s looking forward to developing her skills and entering higher level competitions like SkillPLUMB in the coming years.

Second place in this year’s plumbing competition went to Jonathan Hopkins from Neath Port Talbot College; whilst Jonathan Madley from Ystrad Mynach College took third position.

In the electrical competition, Coleg Sir Gâr students scooped all top three positions with Ryan Newman, first, Reece Sales, second, and Andrew Kirkbridge, third.

It was a great skillscompetition Wales final – check out our photo gallery on flickr. You might spot previous WorldSkills Squad UK member, Gareth Evans, who spoke to the competitors (as they nervously awaited their results) about his experience and how far a skills competition journey can take you.

Congratulations to all competitors and everyone involved in this competition!

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

The journey to the final

A number of plumbing and electrical engineering students will be preparing for next week’s test at the grand final of this year’s skillscompetition Wales. The event sees the winners from previous heats at Bridgend and Llandrillo colleges and Coleg Sir Gâr compete for the title of overall Welsh winner.

Take a look at their journey to the top…

 Good luck everyone!

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

It all adds up to success!

36 competitors, 12 teams, 7 colleges, 2 judges plus a good number of guests = a successful WorldSkills UK accountancy heat!

On 29 March, Gower College Swansea hosted the first of a number of WorldSkills UK accountancy heats that are taking place across the UK for this 2010/11 round. The venue? The impressive Sketty Hall in Swansea.

The first part of the day saw the competitors undertake a tough three-hour test in their teams as part of the WorldSkills UK competition. Each team was required to prove their technical knowledge and abilities in a variety of accounting skills such as processing sales and purchase invoices and petty cash transactions; whilst also being tested on their teamwork, communication and planning skills and their professional and ethical conduct. Whew! It was a tough three hours, but all teams survived and completed their tasks within the time allocation.

Catering students from Gower College Swansea prepared and hosted the lunch, providing much needed tempting treats for weary competitors and a number of not-so-weary guests. Refreshed teams and watching guests then spent the afternoon on a more light-hearted note with a ‘mastermind’ accountancy competition. Stephen Harrison, former Regional Chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers, did a splendid job as ‘Question Master’ and kept all teams, (who had not lost their competitive spirit), in check with their buzzers, bells and whistles!

Well done to all involved in creating this event! The results of the WorldSkills UK accountancy heat are currently being verified so we will announce the winners shortly. In the meantime, take a look at the photos of the day on our flickr gallery.

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

David’s ready for the WorldSkills challenge

 
Current WorldSkills Squad UK member, David Bowen, is deep in training at the moment - hoping to secure a sought after place on Team UK to represent his country in the web design competition at WorldSkills London 2011. He's hoping a new fitness regime will give him the edge... read the full story in today's guardian! 

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