Paving the way for the National Finals of WorldSkills UK later this year, Skills Competition Wales 2025 will be a launchpad for future champions.
With Wales gearing up to host the WorldSkills UK national finals for the first time later this year, a leading skills competition has kicked off this year’s competitive calendar for 2025 with outstanding results.
Skills Competition Wales - run by the Inspiring Skills Excellence in Wales project - is a launchpad for participants to compete in national and international events such as WorldSkills UK and International, and EuroSkills.
Funded by the Welsh Government, the project looks to nurture talent and drive excellence across skill sectors by collaborating with a dedicated network of colleges, work-based learning providers and employer-led organisations.
The competitions - held from 21 January until 13 February - saw over 1,000 representatives from across Wales compete to be the best across 20 sectors.
Among the talent 253 have been recognised as the best in their field with 86 gold, 81 silver and 86 bronze medals awarded at a ceremony in Swansea last night (13 March). A further 282 competitors were recognised as Highly Commended.
Demonstrating their expertise in areas such as culinary arts, web development, aeronautical engineering and renewable energy, there were also new fields including renewable energy and additive manufacturing.
Daisy Cullen, from Aberdulais, was part of a team that took gold in the Net Zero Skills. She said:
I was really unsure about competing at first – I’ve always been passionate about green energy, but I’ve struggled with anxiety in the past so putting myself forward felt daunting. But I knew it would be great for my confidence, my CV and my general experience so I decided to go for it.
Winning gold with my team means so much. The last medal I won was for karate in primary school, and I’ve always envied the rugby and football boys with their trophies. To win something like this, in something I care about, is just incredible. I’m so proud of what we achieved together, regardless of what the outcome might have been.
At the ceremony in Swansea Arena, Welsh Government Minister for Skills, Jack Sargeant, helped hand out awards for the best in each region. He said:
Vocational training is close to my heart and Skills Competition Wales offers young people a great chance to test themselves and develop their skills.
Our government prioritises supporting youths towards promising futures and competitions such as this encourages them to push boundaries constructively.
Meeting 2024 WorldSkills medallists, I've seen how these competitions advance careers - I'm confident this new talent will be equally successful. Congratulations to all competitors and good luck to those representing Wales nationally and beyond.
It'll be an honour for Wales to host WorldSkills UK this November. I look forward to seeing the exceptional talent showcased.
For more information on skills competitions near you, search for ‘inspiring skills Wales’.