Welsh Government
 Printable version
|
Deputy Minister congratulates Welsh winners at UK's biggest skills competition for apprentices, employees and learners
Julie James, Deputy Minister for Skills & Technology has congratulated the record number of Welsh winners at this year’s UK finals of WorldSkills.
Some of the 26 winners will now have the opportunity to represent the UK at WorldSkills Abu Dhabi in 2017. The WorldSkills competition takes place every two years in cities around the globe and is the largest international skills competition.
Wales’ most skilled young people were honoured at an awards ceremony at the NEC Birmingham, on Saturday 15th November.
There were 26 medallists from across Wales in the WorldSkills UK Competition Finals, claiming 2 gold, 12 silver and 12 bronze awards as they competed against the best in their respective career fields from across the UK.
Gold awards were presented to Macauley Jordan from Grwp Llandrillo Menai for Games Development and Pembrokeshire College’s Samantha Adams for Beauty Therapy.
There were also Welsh winners in Reflexology, Automotive Technology and Automotive Body Repair, Web Design, Manufacturing and Electrical Installation claiming a mixture of silver and bronze awards.
Julie James, Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology, said:
“Congratulations to all of this year’s winners. Skills are vital to the future of our country and it’s great that so many young Welsh people competed in this highly regarded competition. I hope these winners inspire others to learn a new skill which could lead to a fulfilling career.
“I am committed to encouraging young people to explore job opportunities and ensuring they have the support to fulfil their aspirations.
“The Welsh Government is proud to be delivering one of the most successful apprenticeship programmes in Europe, particularly in providing opportunities for younger entrants. Over the past few years the number of people completing their apprenticeship has risen to over 80%.”
During the WorldSkills finals over 600 of the UK’s most talented apprentices, employees and learners – including 65 from Wales – battled it out in 70 competitions ranging from forensic science to floristry to be named the ‘best in the UK’ in their chosen skill.
Backed by the Welsh Government, through the European Social Fund, Skills Competitions Wales promotes the importance of developing a highly-skilled workforce, aiming to boost high level skills in Wales.
