Skills Competition Wales
The importance and benefits of speaking Welsh
My name is Gwion Ellis. I'm 19 years old and I'm studying Level 3 Motor Vehicle Engineering at Coleg Cambria. In January I had the privilege of representing Coleg Cambria and my work placement, namely JH Motors, in Skills Competition Wales. I travelled to Cardiff and competed against the best apprentices in Wales. If I succeeded in this round, I would have the opportunity of competing against the best apprentices in Britain and then throughout the world.
What did I have to do?
Initially, we had to travel to Cardiff. On arrival we had food and a chance to relax during the night. In the morning, after having our fill of warm food, we went to the College where the competition was being held. There were six competitions in total; cars that wouldn't start or a warning light on the dashboard, and so on. Everyone was given 45 minutes to complete one task, before moving on to the next task. It was great to be able to associate with young people who could speak Welsh, and talk about things like rally cars, tools, and work.
We get the competition results on the 14th of March. Coleg Cambria is holding an awards ceremony where I will have to be smartly dressed. I hope to be awarded the first, second or third prize so that I can proceed to the next round. Being part of the competition was an excellent experience. It was great to be able to speak Welsh with people from across the country. Although I often speak Welsh at college and with my family at home, it was nice to be able to speak it at work. There are loads of benefits of speaking Welsh, for example having the opportunity to be an ambassador for the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.
My Experiences
I applied for a job as an apprentice in a garage in Corwen. To be honest, I didn't think I would get the job as I had no experience of working in a garage, only studying for a year at college. Four others from my class applied for the same job. After two or three weeks I received a phone call saying that I had been successful, and they offered me the job. After working in the garage for a few weeks, I asked the manager why I, rather than the other applicants, had been successful in getting the job. The answer I received was, "you were the only one who could speak Welsh.” He added that this was a great skill for the business as the garage was located in Corwen, which is a Welsh-speaking area.
Speaking Welsh with customers
When I talk to customers in Welsh, I feel that there is an immediate connection and a greater understanding between us. A lot of people from the area speak Welsh as their first language, so I feel that they get the best welcome when speaking Welsh and that they feel a lot more comfortable.
The Future
When speaking Welsh I feel that I establish greater trust with the customers. In the future I would like to build my own business or run a garage. I speak Welsh with approximately 75% of my customers at the moment, so I feel it is a valuable skill to have.