CAVC tops the medals chart at the WorldSkills UK Finals 2025

Cardiff and Vale College has finished top of the medal table at this year’s WorldSkills UK Finals.

The College shared the top position with Pembrokeshire College, both with 13 medal points. In the WorldSkills UK Finals, a gold medal is worth four points, a silver three points, a bronze two and a Highly Commended is worth one point.

The medals awarded to CAVC competitors were:

• Belal Al Haka – gold in Automotive Body Repair
• Daniel James – gold in Network Infrastructure Technician
• Oliver Thomas – silver in Heavy Vehicle Technology
• Anisa Abdin – Highly Commended in Beauty Therapy
• Daniel Pitman – Highly Commended in IT Support Technician

Belal Al Haka said: “Winning the gold medal feels amazing and it’s something I’m very proud of. It’s a great feeling to see all the hard work pay off.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the competition. It was challenging but very rewarding and it pushed me to perform at a higher level than ever before.”

He paid tribute to the support he has received from across CAVC to help him get to be the best at what he does in the UK.

“The support from the College played a huge part in my success,” Belal explained. The ongoing guidance, training and encouragement from my tutors helped me feel fully prepared and confident going into the competition.”

 Belal believes skills competitions like WorldSkills play an important role, and that taking part will have real benefits in the future.

“Taking part in this skills competition has given me a real confidence boost and is a valuable experience for my future,” Belal said. “It’s helped me develop both my technical skills and my mindset for my career moving forward.”

“Winning a gold medal was a complete surprise,” Daniel James said. “Talking to the others we all seemed to struggle in the same areas. I had no idea who would win, but I never expected it to be me – I was proud to have made it to the finals, and I’m honestly still shocked to have won gold.

“I really enjoyed all aspects of the competition as I not only had fun doing what I love in computing and showcasing my skills, but I also had a wonderful time meeting and socialising with the other competitors. The whole experience was amazing and really helped push me out of my comfort zone.”

Daniel was also grateful for the support he received from the College.

“I have had brilliant tutors in the Computing Department who have supported me throughout my time at CAVC,” he said. “Without their support and guidance I don’t believe I would be where I am now and I’m extremely grateful to have been taught by them.”

He also believes taking part will stand him in good stead for the future.

“Taking part in the competitions has definitely helped me to be more ambitious with my choices, such as giving me the confidence to apply to good universities, which I’ve already received offers from,” Daniel explained. “I also believe I have gained many valuable technical and life skills and I hope that it will help me to stand out among employers in the future.”

In addition to the successes in the WorldSkills UK Finals, in the SkillBuild UK Finals CAVC learners Travis Huntley and Joseph Burgess won silver and bronze medals respectively in Wall and Floor Tiling.

Cardiff and Vale College Principal Sharon James-Evans said: “Congratulations to all of learners who won medals and commendations – it really is an amazing achievement and places you as being among the best at what you do in the UK!

“At CAVC we passionately believe in skills competitions and the vital role they play, and we were privileged to be the main host for the WorldSkills UK Finals this year. To come joint top in the UK is a formidable accomplishment and testament not only to our supremely talented learners, but also to the hard work and dedication of the College staff who have worked tirelessly to support them to this level.”