An Amman Valley teenager who helped transform Glangwili Hospital’s children’s ward outdoor play area has won a paid apprenticeship with a nearby construction firm.

Jordan Rowlands, from Brynaman, impressed the building firm TRJ Ltd and Lloyd & Gravell Ltd with his hard work under the Next Steps scheme.

He wasn’t the only winner as Kyle Barratt from Llanelli also scooped a paid apprenticeship with the firms and Jordan Williams from Trimsaran and Connor Evans from Ammanford were awarded places on the Cyfle Building Skills Share Apprentice Scheme.

The winners were announced at a ceremony in Y Ffwrnes Theatre on Friday, August 11.

The group of four battled it out over the last six weeks to secure a place in construction in a joint initiative between Lloyd & Gravell and TRJ Ltd building firms and Constructing Carmarthenshire Together - a partnership between Carmarthenshire County Council’s Property division, Carmarthenshire Construction Training Association Ltd. (CCTAL), Coleg Sir Gâr and CWIC.

To be in with a chance of winning the candidates had to spend a week training at Coleg Sir Gar before being given the task of working alongside qualified tradespeople to refurbish Cilgerran Ward’s Lle Hapus over five weeks.

All four will start their apprenticeship in September.

The council’s executive board member for environment, Cllr Hazel Evans said: “The four candidates have worked extremely hard for such a deserving cause and I’m sure they will all go on to do well in their careers if they keep the same level of ambition, drive and enthusiasm.

"A big thank you must go to TRJ Ltd and Lloyd & Gravell Ltd, who – once again – have put so much in to this project.”

The competition is in its eighth year with over 60 candidates have taking part.

Seventeen candidates have won traditional apprenticeships with Lloyd and Gravell Ltd and TRJ Ltd. Fifteen have secured apprenticeships on the Shared Apprenticeship Scheme with CCTAL/Cyfle Building Skills and 25 have enrolled on full time education at Coleg Sir Gâr.

One winner who completed his apprenticeship with Lloyd and Gravell has since started his own business taking on apprentices also.

TRJ Ltd’s Owain Jones added: “We are thrilled to have Jordan and Kyle join our respective companies along with the fact that Jordan and Conner will be joining the Shared Apprentice Scheme.

"They have worked extremely hard in delivering this very important project and deserve every success for the future.