During the recent WorldSkills Kazan 2019 competition event, no less than six of the 19 medals won by Team UK came from Wales.
Among the medal winners was Collette Gorvett, who studied Hospitality and Catering at Gower College Swansea before being snapped up by The Ritz in London. Collette competed in the Restaurant Services category, where she impressed the judges with her talents in making mocktails, restaurant mise en place and fine dining, and was eventually awarded a coveted Medallion of Excellence.
Also picking up a Medallion of Excellence was Tom Andrews, a learner from Hampshire who undertook intensive competition training at Gower College Swansea’s Tycoch Campus over a two year period prior to the Russia event.
Tom attended sixth form college and then the University of Portsmouth before joining Sonardyne, a global provider of underwater acoustic, inertial, optical and sonar technology, where he is currently employed.
“We were delighted to be able to support Tom on his competition journey, culminating in his fantastic and well deserved medallion win,” says Steve Williams, the College’s Curriculum Leader for Electronic Engineering and Training Manager with WorldSkills.
“Thanks to significant investment from both the College and WorldSkills, Tom was able to travel to Swansea to make use of our specialist equipment and learning facilities during his holiday periods. We built up a fantastic rapport with Tom during this time – so much so, that he will return in October to help us train, with the support of Semta, the next generation of electronic engineers.
“In advance of the prestigious WorldSkills National Finals at the NEC in November, we will host a team of nine students - four of whom are from Gower College Swansea – as they undertake their pre-competition training. Success at this level could mean they take their first steps towards competing at WorldSkills Shanghai 2021.
“Tom will be a fantastic support and role model for them as they make their way through this exciting and challenging process.”