Skills Competitions Wales 2023 – Coleg y Cymoedd Awards Night

10 March 2023

On the evening of Thursday, 9^th March, Coleg y Cymoedd celebrated the success of 72 of their learners who had taken part in the 2022/23 Inspiring Skills Excellence in Wales (ISE) competitions.

In a special invite-only event that took place at their Nantgarw campus, nearly 200 learners, staff, their family members and friends enjoyed a hot-buffet and music before gathering to watch a live-stream of the results being announced.

The evening opened with a dedication from Principal, Jonathan Morgan, before Cymoedd winners were presented their certificates as they were named in real time from the ISE base.

Also in attendance were 10 learners who had been successful in the 2021/22 WorldSkills UK championship. They were welcomed with a round-of-applause and gift vouchers to congratulate them on their achievements, as were eight Catering students who recently swept the board at the Welsh International Culinary Championship, 2023.

Funded by the Welsh Government, Inspiring Skills Excellence in Wales deliver a programme of activities that raise awareness of vocational career pathways that will contribute towards the country’s future economic growth.

In partnership with colleges and worked-based learning providers, the ISE’s annual competitions challenge students aged 16-plus to raise their skills as they compete across a range of sectors, from Popular Music to Cyber Security.

Coleg y Cymoedd were chosen to host the Inclusive Catering, Aerospace, and the Manufacturing Team Challenge in January this year, and welcomed entrants from Further Education and training institutions across Wales to take part.

The days were met with an impressive turnout and showcased some of the college’s excellent facilities.

Commenting on the opportunities presented by ISE, Futures Lead for Recruitment and Progression, Libby Morgan, said: “We’re so proud of our learners who took part in Skills competitions this year. We always encourage their participation as competitors experience a huge boost to their confidence and majorly enhance their CVs.

It’s a joy to watch them grow and to see them go onto great things when they leave college, whether that’s straight into employment in their chosen sector, or by starting their own business.”

Speaking of the learners’ achievements, Enterprise, Skills & Employability Coordinator for Coleg y Cymoedd, Matthew Watts, commented: “I’d like to thank our staff members who helped make this year’s competitions happen, some of whom coordinated trips across Wales to support participating learners.

Not only this, but we were blown away by the organisational skills of our Campus Services, Health and Safety and Estates departments, who worked to the wire to ensure that we could host events on site. We even had three staff members who were judges in this cycle.

We’re so grateful for the time and effort they put in. The amazing number of certificates received by Cymoedd tonight is a testament to their dedication.”

Coleg y Cymoedd would like to extend congratulations to all of their winners and students who took part in this year’s Inspiring Skills Excellence in Wales competition

Culinary Arts

Abbie Williams – Gold

Popular Music

Evan Davies – Bronze

Toby King – Bronze

Faith Williams – Bronze

Alice Wilson – Bronze

Coding

Luke Mears Boswell – Bronze

Photography

Tyler Whitney – Silver

Morag Moore – Bronze