Education

A COLEG SIR GAR apprentice hairdresser and an aspiring retail designer have proved they have world-class talent following their selection to the WorldSkills UK Squad.
Ellie Hanley, 19 from Haverfordwest, and Phoebe McLavy, 20 from Carmarthen, have both 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.
Apprentice hairdresser Phoebe, who is employed by Morgan Edwards 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.
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.
Ellie Hanley, who has been selected for Squad UK’s visual merchandising team is also familiar with competition success and has taken part in a range of regional and national events including WorldSkills UK Live in Birmingham where she won a silver medal in 2016. She said: “’Going to WorldSkills Live at the NEC was a truly incredible experience.
“Transforming a plain window booth into a fashion-focused display with hundreds of onlookers was very scary and incredibly pressurising.
“I am overjoyed to have been selected for Squad UK and I cannot wait to get stuck into all the intense training over the next few months.”
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 offer 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.
Education
Industry collaboration will give local stuidents ‘head start’ in clean energy jobs market

A NEW course preparing students for the future renewables’ jobs market has been launched by Pembrokeshire College. Two global renewable energy companies – EDF Renewables UK and DP Energy – have joined forces with Pembrokeshire College and designed a course to raise awareness, transfer real-world sector knowledge, and inform career journeys for 16-18 year olds.
The 2-year course – Destination Renewables – will educate learners about renewable energy technologies, including wave, tidal, onshore wind, solar and offshore wind and associated project development processes. This collaboration with industry will help to bridge the skills gap and showcase the diverse range of careers within the sector, all the while supporting net zero targets and maximising regional benefits.
Pembrokeshire is already a centre for energy, having played host to established technologies such as gas and petrochemicals, and is now providing a home for emerging sectors in renewables. EDF Renewables UK and DP Energy are themselves developing Gwynt Glas, up to 1 GW of floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea, off the coast of Pembrokeshire.
Nancy McLean of EDF Renewables UK who is leading the Gwynt Glas project, said: “With an increasing focus on tackling climate change and securing energy supplies, renewable technologies have to be developed and rolled out quickly, and we need to build a skilled workforce to deliver our plans. The partnership with Pembrokeshire College helps us to develop homegrown talent and meets the Welsh Government’s aspirations to develop green skills to achieve net zero. In addition to developing the Gwynt Glas floating offshore wind project, EDF Renewables UK is investing in onshore wind, solar, and battery projects right across Wales, so future career opportunities are plentiful.”
Chris Williams, Head of Development UK and New Markets at DP Energy, said: “There is a wealth of renewables expertise in the County, which is one of the reasons why we recently opened our UK headquarters here in Pembroke Dock. By introducing learners to the many career pathways within renewables we believe we can build the workforce needed to support projects like Gwynt Glas and DP Energy’s wider ambitions in Wales including tidal, onshore wind, solar, batteries and hydrogen. Having this skill base is crucial for Wales to maintain its position as a leader in renewable energy generation and technology development and is knowledge that can be exported across the world.”
Pembrokeshire College is the County’s largest provider of post-16 education and Head of Engineering, Arwyn Williams, said: “The College is delighted to be working so closely with industry to develop the talents needed for future careers in a sector that is so important to all our lives, and one which already has an established home right here in Pembrokeshire. Like our delivery partners – EDF Renewables UK and DP Energy – we are keen to maximise the regional benefits that renewables projects can bring, and we will focus our efforts on developing a skilled local labour force to work across all disciplines.”
Destination Renewables is underpinned by the Skills and Talent programme of the Swansea Bay City Deal, jointly funded by the Welsh and UK Governments, alongside private sector investment. Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum will support the renewables industry in the delivery of this private sector and education partnership to manage high-quality industry content standards and ensure a positive learner journey.
Education
Finalists revealed in the Professional Teaching Awards Cymru

THIS WEEK, 29 education professionals from across Wales have been revealed as finalists of the fifth Professional Teaching Awards Cymru.
The awards celebrate inspiring education professionals across Wales. Pupils, colleagues, and parents have nominated the extraordinary education professionals in their lives, and the nominees have now been shortlisted to 29 finalists across ten categories.
The nominees in South West Wales include:
Laura Buffee (Haverfordwest High VC School, Haverfordwest) for the Pupil (or Pupils’) Award for Best Teacher
Iona Llyr (Ysgol Maes y Gwendraeth, Llanelli) for Inspirational Use of the Welsh Language
Pembroke Dock Primary School (Pembroke Dock) for the Betty Campbell MBE award for promoting the contributions and perspectives of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Communities’ – a new category for this year.
The Pupil (or Pupils’) Award for Best Teacher is given to those nominated by pupils – past or present – who feel they have made a huge difference to their life in school.
The award for ‘Inspirational Use of the Welsh Language’ is for education professionals who have inspired pupils and colleagues to use and enjoy the Welsh language.
‘The Betty Campbell MBE Award’ has been named after Wales’ first black headteacher, and recognises an individual, team or school that has demonstrated an outstanding awareness of the importance of an inclusive education in their classroom.
The new award has been welcomed by Betty’s daughter, Elaine Clarke, who said: “The Award is a wonderful way to promote inclusion of all Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups and we are sure the recipients will continue to be inspired and develop future generations in the footsteps of our mother.”
The Minister for Education and the Welsh Language, Jeremy Miles, said: “The calibre of this year’s nominations has, as ever, been outstanding. They demonstrate the breadth of inspiring education professionals we have here in Wales and it’s important we recognise that.’
“We have so much good work promoting the contributions and perspectives of Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities by schools and educators across Wales, and this is recognised by the new Betty Campbell MBE award.’
“I look forward to celebrating these fantastic individuals who go above and beyond for their profession.”
Education
Pembrokeshire schools celebrate the great outdoors

THE FIRST Outdoor Celebration Day to be held since 2018 was hosted by Pembrokeshire Outdoor School (PODS) at Scolton Manor on Thursday, May 26.
The PODS partnership, which is co-ordinated by Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, is a network of specialist organisations, head teachers and local authority advisors. Its aim is to support schools in encouraging children to become fully engaged with and confident in their local environment.
This year’s Outdoor Celebration Day was attended by 130 students from Croesgoch CP School, Gelliswick Church in Wales VC School, Golden Grove School, Johnston CP School, Lamphey School, Neyland Community School, Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi, St. Oswald’s VA Primary School and St Marks School.
After introductions and a welcome talk by Pembrokeshire Outdoor Schools Co-ordinator Bryony Rees, each school was awarded a Pembrokeshire Outdoor Schools award by Tegryn Jones, CEO of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, and Chairman of Pembrokeshire Outdoor Schools, Graham Peake. This was in recognition of their progress and achievements with outdoor learning over the last few years.
Pupils had the chance to participate in workshops in the woods and on the lawn with PODS, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, the Foundation Phase Team at Pembrokeshire County Council, Darwin Centre, Sport Pembrokeshire and Tir Coed. Activities included mini beast hunts, building with natural materials, fire craft, Tree identification, bush craft and commonwealth activity games.
Bryony Rees said: “The event was enjoyed by all, with one pupil commenting that he had the best day in the ‘nature playground’. Representatives from Sustainable Schools, Keep Wales Tidy (Eco-Schools) and the National Trust were also on hand to connect with teachers, share ideas and discuss how outdoor learning in schools could be developed in line with the National Curriculum for Wales.”
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