Students and staff from Gower College Swansea have celebrated another fantastic year of academic and vocational excellence.
At the Annual Student Awards event at Swansea.com Stadium, hosting duties were overseen by Mal Pope, the Welsh BAFTA-winning singer-songwriter, broadcaster and producer whose career spans music, theatre, film and television.
Learners from a range of full and part time courses, apprenticeships, higher education pathways and access programmes picked up awards.
The event was a practical showcase for staff and student skills with the set, lighting and sound provided by the Level 3 Theatre and Live Events Production team.
Talented first and second year students from the UAL Level 3 Performing Artscourse performed Day by Day from their recent successful production of Godspell.
The College was also delighted to welcome back former student Katherine Foxall, who has recently completed her third year at the Royal Northern College of Music. Katherine wowed the audience with her rendition of I Could Have Danced All Night.
The College’s fantastic Floristry students, studying at the Llwyn y Bryn campus, made the beautiful table centrepieces.
Guest speaker for the evening was former Gower College Swansea student Lauren Evans who spoke about the incredible career journey that has taken her from working class South Wales to the very heart of the entertainment industry.
Lauren is a highly acclaimed, UK-based casting director who recently won a BAFTA for Best Casting for her work on the film I Swear. She established herself as a casting director in 2018 and has since built an impressive portfolio across television, film, theatre, and audio.
“Gower College Swansea has always enjoyed one of the highest quality profiles of any education institution, not just in Wales but across the UK,” says Chief Executive Officer, Kelly Fountain. “All of this has been achieved as a result of the outstanding commitment and dedication of both our students and our staff, and tonight is an occasion when we get to celebrate their success and pay tribute to the best of the best.”
“This evening is an opportunity to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our learners and to recognise everyone who has played a part in their success,” said Principal, Paul Kift. “To all those receiving awards tonight, congratulations on your achievements. You should be immensely proud – as we are of you. Thank you also for being such positive role models, inspiring other learners to believe in themselves and to pursue their ambitions.”
The 2026 award winners in full:
Adult Basic Education/ESOL Student of the Year – Oleksandr Pantiukhov
Bernie Wilkes Award - Hair, Beauty and Holistic Student of the Year – Eleanor Ball
Hospitality, Travel and Tourism Student of the Year – Cai Groom
Independent Living Skills Student of the Year – Eva Robins
Sport and Public Services Student of the Year – Abdulghani Kaytouh
Visual Arts Student of the Year – Charlie Chandler
Business Student of the Year – Evan Pedrick
Creative Arts Student of the Year – Lucca Smith
Humanities and Languages Student of the Year – Rowan Fielding
Maths, Science and Social Science Student of the Year – Jamie Fifield
Engineering Student of the Year – Matilda Topliss
Health, Social Care and Childcare Student of the Year – Kacey Felton
Built Environment Student of the Year – Ashton Williams
Apprentice of the Year – Michelle James
Outstanding Sports Achievement of the Year – Sam Morgan
Employer Partner of the Year – Microsoft
Elaine McCallion Award - GCS Training Student of the Year – Natalie Phillips
International Student of the Year – Nisha Wattananavin
Access Student of the Year – Jennifer Jones
Holly Donohoe Award - HE Student of the Year – David Southam
Welsh Language Student of the Year – Elis Fowler-Brew
Progression and Commitment Student of the Year – Ella Davies
Skills Student of the Year – Ruhan Ahmed
Inspirational Student of the Year – Jamie Fifield
A big thank you to all our 2026 sponsors:
Asbri Planning
AtkinsRéalis
Bardic Construction
Blake Morgan
Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol
Kelly Fountain
Get Yourself Noticed
Greenwood Projects
Hengoed Care
Kier Group
Paul Kift
Knox and Wells
MPS Furniture
reThink PR and Marketing
RW Learning
Secret Hospitality Group
South Wales Transport
Swansea Council
Swansea University
The Cusp
University of Wales Trinity Saint David
WalesOnline
Waters Creative