Six future Pembrokeshire rock stars have been named the best in the country.

Members of the Outtakes took gold medals at the recent Skills Competition Wales. They were among 19 medallists from Pembrokeshire.

The medals follow a series of regional competitions that took place across Wales, hosting a plethora of talented young people.

A well-deserved awards ceremony took place virtually earlier this month, where winners were able to receive acknowledgement for the demonstration of their skills and hard work.

In West Wales, students gathered at Pembrokeshire College, Coleg Sir Gar and Coleg Ceredigion and to watch and celebrate their achievements in front of their friends and family.

Milford Mercury: Pembrokeshire band the Outtakes with their Skills Competition Wales gold medals. Pembrokeshire band the Outtakes with their Skills Competition Wales gold medals. (Image: Fran Hathaway)

Pembrokeshire representatives competed against others in a number of sectors, including Health and Social Care, Industrial Economics, Carpentry and the newly launched Inclusive Skills: Independent Living Skills, to be named the best in the country.

Gold medallist Cai Barry, the Outtakes bass guitarist, won in the Popular Music category.

“Taking part in Skills Competition Wales and winning a gold medal has been amazing,” he said. “I’ve never won anything on a scale like it before. We travelled to Bangor to perform as part of the competition and even got our own dressing room!”

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“It’s made me a lot more confident performing in front of people I don’t know. Everyone was really supportive, and the experience has helped me secure a number of unconditional offers including one from the British Institute of Modern Music.

“I’d definitely recommend skills competitions to other young people. It’s a lot of fun and I’ve learnt a lot along the way.”

Cai and the rest of the Outtakes, as well as the other local winners, will have the opportunity to compete in the national and international competitions of WorldSkills UK, EuroSkills and WorldSkills International, subject to a pending round of applications.

Next year, Lyon, France will be hosting the 47th International WorldSkills competition otherwise known as the ‘Skills Olympics’.

38 competitors across Wales have started their training journeys in hope of representing Team UK at Lyon 2024, and possibly being crowned the best in the world at their chosen skill.

Minister for Economy, Vaughan Gething said: “Skills Competition Wales is an excellent platform for young people to challenge themselves and put their skills to the test.

“I’d like to congratulate each and every competitor on their accomplishments this far. Each of you have a very exciting journey ahead.

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