An 18-year-old apprentice from Caerphilly has been praised for her caring skills after taking part in a UK-wide competition.

Alisha Thomas won gold at the WorldSkills contest, where she took part in the Health and Social Care Foundation category.

The competition brings together young people with Special Educational Needs from across the country to show off a variety of workplace skills.

As part of the competition, Alisha delivered a talk about healthy eating, with the aim of raising awareness to patients who are recovering from a stroke.

During the competition, Alisha explained how a better diet could prevent a stroke from happening again and discussed the importance of staying fit and healthy throughout the pandemic.

She is the first learner to win a medal at the competition under the guidance of Welsh training provider, ACT, which has a base in Caerphilly town centre.

Alisha said: “Since I was a child, I’ve always wanted to work in the care industry. I grew up in a large family with two brothers and two sisters, so I’m used to helping others. It’s always been a dream of mine to care for people who need support.

“I am very happy and proud of myself for winning gold at WorldSkills UK and I would like to give a massive thank you to my family and the members of staff at ACT for encouraging and helping me with the competition.

“It was an amazing experience being able to represent Wales on a national scale and being chosen as the best childcare competitor in the UK was something I’ll never forget.”

However, it was not the first gold medal win in the competition for Alisha.

Last year, she won gold in the Inclusive Skills: Childcare category for her work creating educational storyboards based on children’s book The Gruffalo.

Alisha brought the story to life by crafting pieces of card and painting wooden spoons. The storyboard explained the stories of the characters in the book and the important lessons they learned during the story.

She said: “I love stories and films because they always have a meaning behind them.

“They teach you things in a fun and loving way, which is exactly what I wanted to do with my storyboards.”

She added: “I have developed many skills during my time with ACT, Skills Competition Wales and WorldSkills that will benefit me in the future.

“I have learned how to work independently and in a team. They have helped me with my communication skills and have built up my confidence massively.”

“One of the skills I’ve learned is problem-solving and with the career I want to do, there will be many times you will have to think on the spot and come up with a solution.”

Currently, Alisha is studying a Level 1 Childcare apprenticeship.

During her apprenticeship, Alisha has learned how to bathe a baby correctly, change nappies and prepare bottles – all important skills for working in childcare.

She is now gaining first hand experience in the industry through a placement at First Steps Daycare in Aberbargoed.