Local students have showcased their skills and brought home medals and commendations from a prestigious national competition.

Coleg Ceredigion students competed in the recent WorldSkills UK national final, a culmination of intense regional qualifiers that have taken place across the country in a range of categories, from restaurant services to joinery.

At Coleg Ceredigion, Elara Jones won bronze in the beauty therapy category, Caitlin Meredith won bronze in culinary arts and Shannon Brown won bronze in restaurant services.

Elara Jones lives in Bro Teifi, Cardigan and attends Coleg Ceredigion where she is currently studying level 3 beauty therapy. She has previously won two national Wales Skills silver medals at levels 1 and 2 for beauty therapy and was delighted to win bronze at a national level.

“It still hasn’t sunk in that I made it to the finals and came away with a bronze medal,” said the 17-year-old. “All the hard work and training after college and at home paid off.”

Caryl Edwards, Coleg Ceredigion lecturer added: “We are so proud of Elara, her dedication and hard work in preparation for the skills competition has been inspiring and it's been a pleasure supporting and guiding her throughout the process.”

Shannon is also a Cardigan student while Caitlin is from Aberystwyth.

Some students will be eligible to progress further within WorldSkills UK. In the past Coleg Ceredigion students have progressed to qualify to train for UK squads and compete internationally.

Andrew Cornish, CEO and principal at Coleg Ceredigion said: “I am delighted that our talented learners have represented their college and Team Wales at the national finals of the vocational skills competition in Manchester and Milton Keynes.