A Coleg Sir Gâr apprentice hairdresser has proved she has world class talent following her selection to the WorldSkills UK Squad.

Phoebe McLavy, 20 from Carmarthen, has been selected for Squad UK to train for a chance to represent Great Britain in Russia next year at WorldSkills, the globe’s biggest biennial skills competition.  After having been through all the training, she is experiencing a challenging week this week (March 6) in Nottingham where she is competing for Team UK selection.

Since starting with Coleg Sir Gar in 2015, through dedication and hard work, Phoebe has come a long way and has successfully completed her level one, her Foundation Apprenticeship at level two and is well on her way to successfully completing her level three apprenticeship programme.

Apprentice hairdresser Phoebe, who is employed by Morgan Edward in Carmarthen has been successful in a range of regional and national competitions including WorldSkills UK Live, a competition final held every year at Birmingham NEC. She also competed last year in Belgium against 70 competitors and won gold.

Edward Rees, owner at Morgan Edward has been supporting Phoebe through her competition journey and providing training within his salon. He said: “Two years ago Phoebe began her WorldSkills journey as a young, motivated but very inexperienced hairdresser. 

“Through her hard work and dedication to her craft she has competed all over the country and won several awards along the way. 

“Today she is a highly qualified and talented member of the UK Squad and as a salon we have committed time and energy into her development and now have an asset in Phoebe. 

“I would urge other employers to guide their staff down this exciting career path.”

Phoebe McLavy added: “Competing and training has been an amazing experience which has taken me as far as Budapest and Italy for the EuroSkills training camp and locally, my employer and college are investing in additional training.”

Phoebe does have a final goal and that it is to help others with their journeys in hairdressing.  “Without the support and encouragement that I have received from my training adviser on my level three programme, I wouldn’t be here today in this selection process for Team UK for the next Worldskills,” she added.

The Inspiring Skills Excellence in Wales (ISEiW) project is a Welsh Government funded initiative that encourages and supports all Welsh competitors taking part in WorldSkills competitions and offers support across the board, from regional Skills Competition Wales events to international level. 

Paul Evans, pan-Wales coordinator for ISEiW said: “It’s a tough competition process but it’s highly supportive of competitors to ensure they are competing at world standard level.

“It’s also a highly competitive process which involves an intense training regime, supported by WorldSkills mentors, employers, training providers and colleges to ensure the very best are selected for Team UK to compete at WorldSkills.”

WorldSkills is the equivalent of the Olympics in skills and the 2017 Abu Dhabi event attracted 1,251 competitors from 59 countries which attracted more than 150,000 visitors.

Coleg Sir Gâr has a reputation for success in competing on a global level since 2009, representing areas including web design, carpentry, plastering and dry lining, restaurant services and hairdressing.