A STUDENT from Coleg Gwent has won the Graphic Design Gold Award at the Skills Competition Wales event after competing in Carmarthen.

John Gatela, aged 19, represented Coleg Gwent in the Graphic Design category of the competition, which was hosted by Coleg Sir Gar at the Job’s Well Campus. He is currently completing the final year of a Level 3 BTEC Interactive Media Course at Coleg Gwent’s City of Newport Campus.

Skills Competition Wales offers students, trainees and apprentices a chance to challenge, benchmark and raise their skills by taking part in local competitions across a range of sectors. It aims to raise the profile of skills in Wales.

The Graphic Design competition consisted of students being given a brief to design a typographic poster around the theme of Year of the Sea, aiming to promote the Welsh coastline as a holiday destination, with four hours to complete the design.

Mr Gatela said: “Our tutor told us about the competition and we had a few practice runs beforehand in college. I decided to focus my poster design around Tenby and Llandudno. I didn’t expect to win because I was competing against people who probably had years of experience.

“I was really shocked when they said my name, and so pleased that I won. It was an honour to take part in this competition with so many talented people across Wales. I’d like to congratulate everyone who participated in Skills Wales and to thank my tutors for this valuable opportunity to showcase what I have learned.”

David Watkins, lecturer at Coleg Gwent’s School of Creative Industries said: “This is the first time that Coleg Gwent has taken part in this event and I am thrilled that John did so well. He was up against older students with a lot more experience, and the competition was very tough.”

Nichola Watkins, head of School of Creative Industries, said: “This competition gave our students the chance to apply what they have learned, and to demonstrate their skills. John has shown that he is capable of working to a tight deadline to produce high quality work, which will be invaluable experience when he is looking for jobs. We are very proud of what John has achieved.”