Cardiff and Vale College Group comes out on top at Skills Competition Wales

5 May 2020

The Cardiff and Vale College Group has won more medals in 2019-20 Skills Competition Wales finals than any other Further Education institution or training provider in the country.

In total, students from the CAVC Group won 35 medals – 14 gold, 13 silver and eight bronze. The competitions they took part in ranged from Accountancy, Automotive Body Repair and Refinishing, through to Childcare, Construction, Cyber Security and IT, Electrical Installation, Hair and Beauty, Heavy Vehicle Technology, Sport and Public Services and Visual Merchandising.

The Inclusive Skills competition for learners with additional learning needs also saw winners from the CAVC Group with a gold and a silver in Fitness Assistant, two silvers in Media and a bronze in Restaurant Service.

Skills Competition Wales puts the best students in the country up against each other in high pressure contests covering a wide range of disciplines. Winners can quality for the WorldSkills UK finals and can go on to become part of the UK squad for the international WorldSkills Finals.

Cardiff and Vale College Group Principal Kay Martin said: “We are absolutely thrilled to note that the CAVC Group has won the most medals in the latest Skills Competition Wales. It is an amazing achievement and I would like to congratulate the winners and the Group staff who have worked so hard to train their learners up to such an award-winning level.

“Contests such as Skills Competition Wales are an excellent experience for students as they push and inspire them to show their very best and I am extremely proud that our learners have shown such high standards. Well done everyone!”

Welsh WorldSkills UK Delegate and Cardiff and Vale College Group Chief Executive Mike James said: “Congratulations to all of our Group students on an excellent set of results. I cannot stress enough the importance of skills competitions and the role they play in developing strong skills sets and creating a pipeline of future talent who will be able to add instant value to any employer.

“It is my goal to get as many Welsh members of Team UK as possible in WorldSkills Shanghai 2021 and the wide range talent seen across Skills Competition Wales is hugely promising. Well done to everybody, staff and students, who has taken part.”

ACT Managing Director, Richard Spear said: "Skills competitions are a great way for learners to realise their potential, whilst inspiring others in the art of the possible. A huge congratulations to our learners, and our dedicated colleagues who support them, on their fantastic achievements at Skills Competition Wales."

The CAVC Group is the largest college group in Wales and, with more than 30,000 learner enrolments each year, is in the top ten of the biggest colleges in the UK. The largest provider of apprenticeships and skills training in Wales, the Group drives support for young people, communities and businesses across the Cardiff Capital Region and beyond.

The CAVC family is made up of Cardiff and Vale College, ACT Training and ALS.