ColegauCymru is delighted to congratulate member colleges Gower College Swansea and Cardiff and Vale College on their recent success at the TES FE Awards 2021.
The virtual event took place on Friday 28th May with Gower College Swansea winning the Award for Apprenticeship Programme of the Year whilst Cardiff and Vale College picked up the Support for Learners Award.
Gower College Swansea
Apprenticeship Programme of the Year Award
When international employer Tata Steel faced a shortage in science skills, Gower College Swansea solved the problem, developing a Level 3 Apprenticeship in Laboratory and Industrial Science and a Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship in in Life-Science Industries. They are also working closely with Swansea University to ensure a pathway for progression. Other companies, including Huntsman Corporation and Vale Europe, have also benefited from the setting up of the programme.
Gower College Swansea also developed a female STEM Apprenticeship Ambassador to visit schools to dispel the notion that the sector is not for girls.
Lead Judge Ian Pretty said,
“Gower College Swansea has shown an innovative and employer-centric approach to delivering for the needs of a major South Wales employer, and in getting female apprentices, many from deprived areas, into an industry typically dominated by men.”
Cardiff and Vale College
Support for Learners Award
During the Covid19 pandemic, Cardiff and Vale College stepped up the support that was already being offered to learners. Established monthly safeguarding meetings brought together a wealth of information from the local police cohesion team, eSafe digital monitoring reports, referrals from staff along with details of community tensions in the local area, to give a real sense of the issues facing learners. Despite campuses being closed, safeguarding hubs were set up to provide essential check-in options for vulnerable learners and for those who required additional support.
The College also partnered with Here We Flo to ensure that learners were provided with free sanitary products during Lockdown. Violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence training was also given to staff to enable them to offer support where needed.
Lead Judge Vicky Duckworth said,
“Cardiff and Vale College showed a real commitment to supporting learners and listening to the voices of their learners and their community.”
ColegauCymru Director of Policy and Public Affairs Dr Rachel Bowen added,
“Both Gower College Swansea and Cardiff and Vale College show that our colleges are so much more than simply a place for education. They are making valuable contributions to our citizens and their communities, as well as making a real difference to the future prosperity of the Welsh economy.”
