News

Sixth form scheme snubbed

Published

9 years ago

May 14, 2015

COUNCILLORS who attended a presentation by pupils of Tasker- Milward and Sir Thomas Picton schools on Wednesday, April 29, were left in little doubt about the strength of feeling and depth of opposition to the local authority’s scheme to strip Haverfordwest schools of their sixth forms.

The presentation, would have made uncomfortable listening for some councillors as student after student made it clear just how important having a sixth form in school was for the school community.

Cory Jenkins, the Head Boy of Sir Thomas Picton School, and Millie Thomas, Deputy Head Girl of Tasker- Milward, coordinated the presentations made by members of the schools, who face losing their sixth forms if the Council presses on with its scheme to site a new single sixth form centre at Pembrokeshire College.

Or at least that is the plan the Council is consulting on.

It appeared from comments made by Cllr David Lloyd near the meeting’s close that the Council has largely abandoned the sole proposal upon which it is now consulting.

Pupils’ impassioned plea

In a moving address to councillors, Cory Jenkins related how the personal knowledge of a teacher who had known him for years, allowed him to look again at his future and reconsider his original decision to attend an NVQ3 course in Drama and Theatre at Pembrokeshire College. He disclosed how polls of students at both Sir Thomas Picton and Tasker- Milward overwhelmingly supported the retention of sixth form education in Haverfordwest’s secondary schools.

Electing to remain in Sir Thomas Picton and study for A Levels, Cory has been offered a place at the London School of Economics. Cory was clear that, as were other speakers, the direct involvement of inspirational teachers with direct knowledge of students gained over a number of years, was something the Council’s plans put in jeopardy.

Luzelle Davies spoke movingly of the importance of the sixth form in delivering assistance and support to younger students. Without sixth form presence in the school, Luzelle stated that the level of pastoral guidance given by post-16 students in school could not be replaced easily, if at all. Highlighting the reading support project within Tasker-Milward School and its importance in developing confidence in younger students and empathetic skills in older ones, Luzelle said that there was no way in which the scheme could be as successful or as rewarding for participants without sixth form input.

Responding to a question as to whether students in Year 11 could provide the support currently given by those in Years 12 and 13, Millie Thomas gave a clear and decisive ‘no’. Explaining how the pressure of working towards GCSE’s at the end of Year 11 meant that such a proposal would be impractical, Millie pointed out that periods in which Year 12 and 13 students were not in class or working in school provided them alone with the capacity and time to engage with younger students and build the school as a living community.

Not only about academics

The Council’s plan for repatriating students to their original schools to participate in sports once they were ensconced in Pembrokeshire College as students was given short shrift by student Tom Harvey. Describing the plans as ‘not very well thought out’, Tom pointed out that it was impractical to simply uproot students and transplant them back without continuity of sports coaching. Tom warned that the most likely result of the scheme was to reduce participation by young people in sport. One councillor in attendance was heard to mutter that the authority’s proposals on sport smacked of ‘back of a fag packet calculation’.

The suggestion that the Council had adequately consulted before it made its proposal was vigorously disputed by Millie Thomas. Pointing out that students learned of the proposals to strip schools of their sixth forms by reading about it in The Herald and other local press, she related how the original proposals were for 11-19 education to remain in schools and the proposal to relocate post-16 education to Pembrokeshire College came out of the blue.

Cory Jenkins took up the baton and demonstrated the Council’s careless use of statistics to back up its claims regarding the success of post-16 school-based education. Pointing out that claims made of superior performance at post-16 by Pembrokeshire College ignored the size difference between schools and the College. 165 students heading off to university from the College in 2014, represented only 1% of its post-16 cohort, whereas 26% of A Level students headed to Russell Group universities alone from the sixth form in Haverfordwest’s schools.

Cllr David Lloyd made an interesting contribution both to the event and to the wider debate about the future of post-16 education.

While he said that councillors would listen to the views expressed by the students, and praised them for their eloquence, he averred that councillors had to look at ‘the broad picture’. In terms, he appeared to tell students that listening to them would not entail acting to allay their concerns in a concrete way.

And then Cllr Lloyd made a revelation.

The plans subject to the consultation, and upon which the Council is spending tens of thousands of pounds of public money and resources, do not seem to be the plans that the Council is promoting in Fishguard and Saint Davids. Instead, taking Cllr Lloyd at his word the Council appears is both promoting and pursuing a multi-site semi-federated strategy allowing some sixth form retention at Ysgol Bro Gwaun and Ysgol Dewi Sant.

The Herald has been able to confirm that is the plan being touted to mollify parents in Fishguard and Saint Davids.

If Cllr Lloyd is correct and that is the Council’s plan, it is not clear what residual legitimacy still attaches to the current consultation.

News

70 Pembrokeshire clubs benefit from Sport Wales funding

Published

29 seconds ago

April 25, 2024

Tom Sinclair

SEVENTY Pembrokeshire clubs have been successful in receiving grants from the Be Active Wales Fund over the last financial year.

In total the clubs received more than £407,800 from the grants scheme from Sport Wales in 2023/24.

The fund backed 25 different sports, ranging from archery, basketball and cricket to sailing, short mat bowls and weightlifting and everything in between.

The Be Active Wales Fund is open to applications from not for profit community clubs and groups to help develop and sustain their activities.

Grants range from a minimum of £300 up to a maximum of £50,000.

The scheme will support coach education courses, the purchase of essential items of equipment right up to larger projects such as floodlighting and boats for sailing clubs.

For advice and support with your application contact Alan Jones or Lois Hilling at Pembrokeshire County Council’s Sports Development department, Sport Pembrokeshire on [email protected]

The Be Active Wales Fund is always open for applications.

More information is available on the Sport Wales website.

Business

Welsh Secretary commends growth of medical device company IQ Endoscopes

Published

6 mins ago

April 25, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE Secretary of State for Wales, David TC Davies, has commended IQ Endoscopes for the clear progress it is making on its ambitious growth journey and the value it is bringing to the local economy.

The Cabinet Minister turned the spotlight on the impact of private equity investment and venture capital following a fact-finding mission to the medical device manufacturer’s Chepstow HQ in South Wales.

The visit was organised by the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA), whose members, BGF – one of the largest and most experienced investors in the UK and Ireland – and the Development Bank of Wales, alongside a consortium of existing investors, boosted IQ Endoscopes’ expansion with a £5.2 million investment in 2022.

Mr Davies, the MP for Monmouth, commented: “IQ Endoscopes is an outstanding example of how a business can excel with the right support and investment, which has allowed the team to innovate, grow, create jobs and bring value to the community.

“IQ Endoscopes is a fantastic company on the brink of an extraordinary achievement as they push the boundaries of medical technology, but these pioneers could not have turned their bold vision into reality without the backing of BGF and Development Bank of Wales.”

Tim Rea, head of early stage investments at BGF, said: “IQ Endoscopes has been able to generate a great deal of momentum to date as the team navigates its way towards launching a truly innovative technology which will help ease the strain on our healthcare system and improve patient outcomes worldwide.

“We’re proud to support IQ Endoscopes, providing strategic guidance and funding at a crucial stage of the company’s journey.”

IQ Endoscopes has created a single-use endoscopy device which is not only cost-effective and scalable but also sustainable and has the potential to revolutionise early diagnosis of a range of cancers and gastro-intestinal conditions.

Matt Ginn, IQ Endoscopes Chief Executive Officer, said: “IQ Endoscopes has undergone rapid acceleration. Funds from our 2022 investment have enabled my team to focus on market access strategy ahead of product launch.

“We’re now pushing forward at speed to develop a device which will soon transform the way patients undergo vital treatments and procedures, as well as boosting the economy with up to 100 new jobs.

“To support this growth, we’re looking to raise further investment in the near future and as such, we’re keen to explore interest from further UK venture sources.”

Michael Moore, British Private Equity and Capital Venture Association Chief Executive, added: “We were delighted to arrange for the Welsh Secretary to visit IQ Endoscopes and demonstrate the real impact that private capital has in small and innovative businesses up and down the country.

“In 2022, 27.5bn was invested by private capital into UK businesses in sectors across the UK economy, ranging from consumer products to emerging technology. There are over 12,000 UK companies backed by private capital which currently employ over 2.2 million people in the UK. A majority of the businesses backed are outside London and 90% of the businesses receiving investment are small and medium-sized businesses.”

Dr Richard Thompson, Senior Investment Executive at the Development Bank of Wales, said: “We’ve worked closely with IQ Endoscopes since our initial investment in 2020 attracted them to Wales. Having secured regulatory approval in the UK and US, they’re making significant progress.

“The company is one of many that is helping to position Wales at the forefront of the health-tech sector and we’re proud to be playing a part in their global success story. We’re looking forward to the difference their technology can make to help patients and to reduce the NHS waiting times for endoscopy services.”

Business

Welsh food and drink businesses leading the way with employee satisfaction

Published

12 mins ago

April 25, 2024

Tom Sinclair

A RECENT survey has revealed that Welsh medium sized businesses in the food and drink sector are performing above national and global averages in terms of employee satisfaction.

The Welsh Government’s Food & Drink Insight Programme, in partnership with Sgiliau Bwyd a Diod Cymru / Food & Drink Skills Wales, commissioned and carried out the survey which delved into various areas of the workplace including job satisfaction, wellbeing, organisational culture, management feedback, facilities, training and employee engagement.

The survey’s findings were notably positive, including Welsh businesses achieving an engagement score of 73%, surpassing the industry average of 71%. For the purpose of the research, engagement is defined as the involvement and enthusiasm of employees in their work, with engaged and happy employees being more productive and profitable.

Additionally, a significant 81% of respondents agreed that living in Wales enhances their quality of life and work-life balance, with the ease of accessing nature outside of work hours scoring highly as one the factors for this.

For the newly-appointed Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies MS, the survey’s findings are very encouraging and shows that Wales is an attractive location for food and drink businesses.

He said, “We are thrilled with the results of this survey, which show that Welsh food and drink businesses are leading the way in terms of employee satisfaction.

“The Welsh Government is committed to initiatives that bolster the food and drink sector and contribute to employee wellbeing. The insights from this survey are instrumental in fostering continuous improvement areas and skills development.”

The Food & Drink Skills Wales project has been a key partner in the work, with the project planning, and the intention to use the findings to help improve skills development within the food industry.

Nerys Davies from Sgiliau Bwyd a Diod Cymru / Food & Drink Skills Wales said, “We are thrilled with the results of the survey, which shows that Welsh food and drink businesses are leading the way in terms of employee satisfaction.

“However, while the results are extremely positive it also serves as an invaluable tool in helping us identify key areas for improvement and gaps in skills provision. The Food & Drink Skills Wales programme looks forward to working with businesses and partners to support the industry become an even better place to work.”

Explaining why they took part in the survey, Osian Deiniol of Llanrwst-based Blas ar Fwyd said, “We were keen to take part in this survey, as we believe that employee satisfaction plays an important role in the success of a business.

“It’s great to see the industry in Wales is on the right track, but just as important is the fact that the survey also provides us with valuable insights into how we can continue to improve and develop as a good employer. We look forward to working with Food & Drink Skills Wales on these areas over the coming months.”

Meanwhile, reflecting on the findings Doreen Donovan from WorkL, who conducted the survey said, “Our interviews with the businesses showed that people who choose a career in Welsh food and drink are, on the whole, very satisfied with their work, with the scores exceeding global averages.

“The engagement score was particularly positive, which is very good news for businesses as research consistently shows that companies with employees who are more engaged are typically more successful and profitable.”

For more information about the Sgiliau Bwyd a Diod Cymru / Food & Drink Skills Wales project, visit https://menterabusnes.cymru/food-and-drink-skills-wales/