Digital Technology students did Gower College Swansea proud at the recent Worldskills National Finals at the Birmingham NEC.
The students, alongside lecturers Steve Williams and Clive Monks and Learning Support Assistant Teresa Jayathilaka, spent an intense five days preparing for, and participating, in the show.
Sara Vonk and Chloe Moore were tasked with running an Industrial Electronics Showcase at the event, which saw hundreds of people of all ages and abilities join in with fun and educational activities.
“We wanted our stand to appeal to as wide an audience as possible,” says Sara. “Our ‘how to get electricity out of a potato’ activity was really popular, with people using multi-meters to test the voltage from the vegetables. Whole families were engrossed in this and it was a really fun way to get them to think a little differently about electronics.”
Those with a more advanced knowledge were given a soldering exercise to complete. Chloe had made around 300 ‘smiley face’ badges and visitors to the stand were encouraged to try their hands at soldering the badges to get them to light up.
“Sara and Chloe coped exceptionally well and spoke with confidence to lots of different groups of people – they literally made faces light up!” says Curriculum Leader Steve Williams. “So much work went into this - weeks of preparation, marketing and the brainstorming of ideas but it was a wonderful experience for them.”
Meanwhile, a separate group of Gower College Swansea students - Kieran Belton, Ryan Thomas, Cody Wilks and Adams Wilkins-Williams - took part in the Industrial Electronics competition and presented a Smart TV prototype they have developed alongside Tongfang Global (THTF).
“These students worked really hard and all achieved personal bests throughout the competition,” adds Clive Monks, who was a head judge at the event. “This experience will undoubtedly enhance their abilities and confidence and will set them in great stead for the next big date in the diary – the Big Bang Fair in March 2017.”