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.

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.”

THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF WALES in Aberystwyth and the University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies will publish the most thorough and scholarly study of Welsh manuscripts ever to be conducted on June 20.

Author of the work is Dr Daniel Huws, former keeper of manuscripts and records at the library and chief scholar of Welsh manuscripts.

The publication of ‘A Repertory of Welsh Manuscripts and Scribes, c.800–c.1800’ is the culmination of many years of thorough research and is a substantial contribution to international scholarship.

To celebrate the publication of the repertory and to mark Dr Huws’ 90th birthday, an international conference on various aspects relating to Welsh manuscripts will be held at the library from June 20-22.

The plenary speakers at the c.800–c.1800 Welsh Manuscripts Conference will be Ceridwen Lloyd-Morgan, Bernard Meehan and Paul Russell. Notable scholars from Wales and beyond will also take part.

More than 30 papers will be delivered relating to aspects of manuscripts of Welsh provenance, including their construction, palaeography, scribes, patrons and collectors, textual studies and digital presentation.

Pedr ap Llwyd, the National Library’s chief executive and librarian, said: “This is undoubtedly one of the most important, if not the most important, scholarly research to be published by us.

“We owe a debt of gratitude to Daniel for his outstanding work and I have been privileged to get to know this dear and unique scholar over the past few years. Our best wishes to him on his special birthday and our thanks to him for a lifetime of service to Wales, our culture and learning.”

Professor Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones, director of the University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies, said: “This is a masterpiece indeed. We celebrate the scholarship of Dr Daniel Huws and are proud of the collaboration that has taken place so as to present this work to the world.

“I would like to thank all those who have worked with us to publish these extraordinary volumes and we look forward – not only to the launch and conference this year – but also to the new work and research that will come as a result of the Repertory for decades to come.”

This will be the most important publication on Welsh manuscripts for more than a century, and it will revolutionise the study of the country’s culture and literature.

The three volumes will include a detailed study of the manuscripts safeguarded by the National Library of Wales, Bangor University and centres such as the British Library and the Bodleian Library, Oxford.

It will also look at manuscripts that are kept further afield in places such as the Universities of Harvard and Yale, Stonyhurst College and Northamptonshire Archives.

On the basis of these manuscripts, the work and motives of the individuals that created them are analysed – from the Middle Ages up to the Industrial Revolution. Readers are introduced to notable individuals in the history of the nation, some that have been long forgotten and other more interesting characters that deserve further attention.

For more information visit https://llawysgrifaucymru.wordpress.com/rhaglen-programme-2/ or visit https://www.library.wales/events to book a ticket.