The largest and longest-running construction skills competition in the UK returns, as Gower College Swansea prepare to host 80-100 students for the SkillBuild 2023 South Wales regional heat.

Gower College Swansea learners have been busy sketching, painting and creating digital and ceramic art for the annual 9to90 portrait competition, and yet again, have won in multiple categories! 

Organized by Jane Simpson of GSArtists, the 9to90 competitions give the local community, of all ages and abilities, an opportunity to come together and to have their work exhibited in the gallery. Each year, the portrait competition centres on a Welsh celebrity, with the celebrity or their family choosing the winners. There is also always a Pet Pawtrait competition.

Over 500 of the best students and apprentices from all over the UK came together for hours of intense competition in November, to be crowned as WorldSkills UK National Final winners.

WorldSkills is a global movement of over 80 countries which supports young people across the world via competition-based training. The UK National Final saw young people compete in 62 disciplines from 3D Digital Game Art to Laboratory Technician, and medalists were announced during an online celebration event on Friday 25 November.

Gower College Swansea's netball team are celebrating after two recent successes.

An 8-7 win against Coleg Gwent Cross Keys at the Sport Wales National Centre gave them a a perfect six-game record, making them 2022-23 Welsh Colleges Champions!

Additionally, seven players were selected for Welsh Colleges Netball at the Cardiff and Vale College trials:

An impressive 130 Welsh competitors have been announced as finalists for the WorldSkills UK National Finals taking place this November, seven of which are from Gower College Swansea!

The announcement follows a series of regional competitions that took place across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, hosting a string of talented young people. 

The finalists from Gower College Swansea are:

Foundation Skills: Restaurant Services

Ben Lewis, an electronics apprentice at Gower College Swansea, is set to represent Team UK at the WorldSkills 2022 competition in China.

Gower College Swansea student, Scott Tavner, has been entered straight into the WorldSkills Lyon squad after his outstanding performance in the WorldSkills UK 2021 National Finals.

WorldSkills is a global movement of over 80 countries, which supports young people across the world via competitions-based training, assessment, and benchmarking. The WorldSkills competitions are known by many as the ‘skills Olympics’, with competitors being trained to develop their personal and employability skills, as well as technical.

Two Gower College Swansea students have been presented with prizes for the under 18 category of the 9to90 Creative Community Pet Pawtrait competition.

The annual competition, organized by Jane Simpson of GSArtists, gives the community an opportunity to come together from all ages and abilities and to have their work exhibited in the gallery.

Fourteen of the UK’s best young apprentices and professionals have been selected to take on the crème de la crème of their European peers in the first big skills pressure test of the post Brexit era – EuroSkills.

Rhys Watts, Electronic Engineering Apprentice Technician at Gower College Swansea, is the youngest of the team, representing the UK in the Electronics Prototyping category.

Seven Gower College Swansea students have medalled in the Media and Creative category of Skills Competition Wales.

Congratulations to Pariyah, a band consisting of Jasmin Eagles, Dylan Hodges, Alexa Jones-Young, Matthew Thirwell and Eleri Van Block in the Popular Music competition; Leah Jones in the Visual Merchandising competition and Wiktoria Nebka in the Fashion Design and Technology competition.