A CHEF-DE-RANG from Carmarthenshire representing Coleg Sir Gâr, has won a medal of excellence for her world-class skills in restaurant services at WorldSkills, Abu Dhabi.
Elizabeth Forkuoh, a hospitality, supervision and leadership student at Coleg Sir Gâr and former pupil of Coedcae Comprehensive School, represented the college within Team UK at the largest international skills Olympics.
Team UK retained their top 10 position at WorldSkills this year rivalling 45 nations.
The journey towards Team UK selection has been a life-changing experience for Elizabeth and also for Alfie Hopkin who represented the college competing in the web design competition.
Elizabeth steadily rose through the competition ranks whilst at college and made such significant headway in UKSkills competitions, she received employment offers from some of the top restaurants in the country. As a result, she now works for Gleneagles in Scotland, one of the best restaurants in the UK for customer care and food service. She also underwent professional training at The Ritz, completed a wine appreciation course in London and attended a training event in Taiwan. She also won a British Education award when she was at college and working part-time at the Stradey Park Hotel.
Alfie Hopkin, a former Ysgol Glan y Mor student, is studying a computing and IT level three diploma at Coleg Sir Gâr. Throughout his competition journey, Alfie received significant training from the college and UKSkills to prepare him for the Abu Dhabi event including design training at James Good, JavaScript and Clientside training in Norway and pressure testing in Brazil.
Elizabeth and Alfie were two out of four competitors representing Wales within Team UK.
Backing Team UK and the Welsh contingency is Coleg Sir Gâr and Coleg Ceredigion principal Barry Liles who in his role as Skills Champion for Wales and in partnership with the Welsh Government-funded Inspiring Skills Excellence project, ensures the Welsh contingency is supported throughout their competition journey.
Barry Liles said: “WorldSkills is an extravaganza of an event which replicates the Olympic Games, showcasing the very best of skills from young people around the world who have been through a rigorous competition journey.
“For me, being part of WorldSkills is crucial in not only raising aspirations of our young people but raising their skills levels, for Wales to take a competitive stand in a global economy.
“I was thrilled to see Elizabeth win a medal of excellence as she’s trained phenomenally hard, as have all our competitors.
“Witnessing Team UK, the Welsh squad and Coleg Sir Gâr competitors on the world stage will always be a very proud moment for me.”
Elizabeth Forkuoh added: “It’s been hard work over the last few years but with the support of my employer and trainer, I have given my best and I definitely know that fine dining is where I belong.”
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