Wales are once again the most successful region, with 59 Welsh competitors awarded medals for their triumphs during this month’s WorldSkills UK National Finals.
More than five thousand young people registered to take part in this year’s WorldSkills UK competitions, with only 500 selected to compete in the UK finals. Out of the 130 strong Welsh competitors, 15 gold, 22 silver and 15 bronze medals, as well as 7 Highly Commended awards were won.
The official results were announced during a live medal ceremony on Steph McGovern’s Packed Lunch this afternoon and came after a series of national competitions that took place across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
WorldSkills UK supports young people to take part in skills competition, assessment, and benchmarking, with competitors from all four nations competing against one another to achieve national recognition in their chosen category.
The competitions challenge competitors in four different sectors to be named the best in their skill including Construction & Infrastructure, Engineering & Technology, Health, Hospitality and Lifestyle, and Digital, Business & Creative.
Cardiff & Vale College hosted a number of finals and was this year’s host venue for all of the Foundation Skills Competitions, a group of competitions that are designed for students who have a statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) and/or disabilities.
Welsh competitors won a total of 18 medals in the Foundation Skills competitions,the most of any UK region and a testament to Wales’ diversity and inclusivity.
“It’s fantastic to celebrate another outstanding year for Team Wales at the WorldSkills UK National Finals. Each year the bar is raised higher, standards increase and the competitors go above and beyond to proudly represent our country.
WorldSkills UK and the Inspiring Skills in Wales project are critical to sustaining vocational training and talent development in Wales. There’s no doubt these talented and gifted competitors will go on to fill vital skills gaps in our economy.” Vaughan Gething, Minister of Economy
Partly funded by the Welsh Government and run by a dedicated network of colleges, work-based learning providers and employer-led organisations, WorldSkills UK aims to inspire and upskill future generations by developing young people’s vocational skills while celebrating their achievements.
Competitions begin at a regional level with Skills Competition Wales led by the Inspiring Skills Excellence in Wales project, and progress through to national and international competitions.
For the full results list please click here.