Building Success at Skills Competition Wales

25 June 2021

NPTC Group of Colleges’ School of Construction and the Built Environment couldn’t be happier as their medal haul hit double figures at the recent Skills Wales Competition.

Gold medals were won in each of the four trades offered at the College including Painting and Decorating student Paul Mason, Kellan Marney from Brickwork, Plasterer Johnny Donaldson and female carpenter Sammy Young.

Then came silvers for Thomas Morgan, Carpentry, Kian Brown, Plastering and Craydon Rive from Brickwork followed by Bronzes from Mai Ball in Painting and Decorating, Thomas Johns from plastering and carpenter Dafydd Jenkins.

An incredible ten medals in total was won overall, making these results the best the school has ever achieved.

Skills Competition Wales, funded by the Welsh Government, ran a series of local competitions ran between January and April, is designed to raise the profile of skills in Wales. Focussing on growth areas and the needs of the economy, the competition helps boost the skillsets of the future workforce. Skills Competition Wales is aligned to WorldSkills, with many competitors going on to compete in World Skills UK competitions.

​Edward Jones, Skills Champion for NPTC Group of Colleges, said: “The last year has been a challenge for everyone, but the fact that an overall 26 of our students have won medals speaks volumes about not only the commitment these students show to their trades but also about the quality of the teaching and training that takes place at the College even throughout a pandemic.

As a tradesman myself specialising in brickwork, I couldn’t be happier to shine a light on the construction industry, taking home so many medals is an amazing achievement.

Skills Competitions are an excellent way of stretching and challenging students over and above their coursework. To see such a diverse range of skills coming through reflects that students in all areas are trained to a very high standard right across all our College sites. I’m very proud of all tonight’s winners, and I’m excited about the next event and to see how many of these students go on to take part in WorldSkills UK”.