Two Coleg Gwent students have placed themselves firmly in the driving seat after making it through to the UK final of a top automotive competition which takes place this week.
Four students (Ashley Smith, Dave Thomas, Ruhel Ali and Carl Wright) from Coleg Gwent’s City of Newport Campus body repair department recently competed in the Bodyshop/Thatcham 2010 Craft Awards automotive regional heats at Manchester College with two students securing places in the UK final.
The group took part in the one day practical assessment at Manchester College after being selected from among the top 7% of entries from Great Britain. Coleg Gwent students Ashley Smith and Dave Thomas triumphed in the regional heats which saw skilled body shop and paintwork technicians from around the country compete for a place in the UK final.
The Finalists from the Bodyshop/Thatcham 2010 Craft Awards will have the chance to compete against contestants from all over the world in a WorldSkills UK competition. WorldSkills competitions run nationally each year in the UK, aiming to lift standards of training and performance while promoting world class skills and international competitiveness.
Tutors Richard Wheeler and Geoff Park accompanied the students, they said: “Our students did well to get through to the first heat and we were proud of the way they performed and conducted themselves as ambassadors for the college. We wish Ashley and Dave every success in the UK final”.
