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Welsh members of the WorldSkills UK Team were honoured at an event in Cardiff last week

The ‘Welcome Home’ event was held at the Norwegian Church in Cardiff to celebrate the triumphant return of the four Welsh competitors who represented the UK at WorldSkills; the world’s largest skills competition, hosted in Abu Dhabi.

Having excelled on a national level at Skills Competition Wales and the WorldSkills UK finals, these young competitors represented the nation as part of Team UK, competing against the most highly skilled young people from 77 different countries across the globe.

The event recognised the incredible talent of the four competitors: Joseph Massey, 23, from Coleg Cambria, who competed in the Aeronautical Engineering category, Alfie Hopkin, 18, Llanelli, who competed in the Web Design category, Elizabeth Forkuoh, 20, from Llanelli, who competed in the Restaurant Service competition, and Ethan Davies, 21, from Mynydd Isa who competed in the CNC Milling competition.

Recognition was also given to their families, colleges and employers for supporting the competitors at every stage throughout their journeys to success.

Eluned Morgan, Minister for Welsh Language and Lifelong Learning, said: “I’m proud to welcome home these talented Welsh youngsters and celebrate their achievements as representatives of the nation. Elizabeth, Alfie, Joseph and Ethan are a credit both to Wales and their industries.

“The return of these young people to Wales highlights the importance of nurturing and supporting skilled people in Wales, for the benefit of the Welsh economy. Events like these showcase the talent that Wales and Welsh industries have to offer.

"These world-class individuals serve as an inspiration to Wales and demonstrate how we are a nation of high industry standards with a highly skilled workforce. We hope these success stories will serve as inspiration to other individuals to follow their examples and become experts in their fields.”

Backed by the Welsh Government through the European Social Fund, these competitions promote the importance of developing a highly skilled workforce and world-class individuals.

For more information visit www.worldskillswales.org