Coleg Morgannwg has been successful in securing funding from CyMAL to start ‘Reader Development Groups’ in the Learning Centres.

A book evaluation competition was organised; the group were asked to write a short review on a book of their choice. The judging panel of Gareth Williams (Basic Skills Tutor), Donald Mitchell (Employer Engagement Development Officer) and Rachel Griffiths (Learning Centre, Nantgarw) awarded third place to Mr Adrian Thomas; a student at the Aberdare campus for his review of ‘The Kite Runner’. Second place was awarded to Ms Ruth Thomas – also a student at the Aberdare campus for her review of ‘The Bell Jar’ and first prize to Vicky Hattersley, a Performing Arts student at the Rhondda Campus for her review of ‘Vicky Angel’. Congratulations to all!

Principal/Chief Executive Judith Evans presented the group with their awards; an iPod shuffle as the third prize, a digital camera for the second and a ‘Sony Reader’ for the winning entry. Mrs Evans said “It is important to the college that groups like this continue and that they work with new technologies. We have recently invested in the Learning Centres to bring them up to date; it is nice to see them being used”.  The winners were then invited to give a brief overview of their books.

It is hoped that the groups will continue to meet on a regular basis as it has sparked some very positive feedback and encouraged interaction between students from various courses; and that the group will in future be able to meet as a whole via technologies such as video conferencing and Skype.
Let’s hope that this is the start of a long and successful road for ‘Chapter 2’!

Actor Garnon Davies made a real impression on Coleg Morgannwg students at the new Centre for Art & Design Technology, Nantgarw campus; when he made an impromptu visit last week.

Garnon, who plays one of the central characters Elliot Bevan in Channel Four’s Holyoaks, spent the afternoon at the art centre chatting to the students as he viewed the new facilities.

He stated, "I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the few hours I spent at the art centre. On first impression, the building is warm and welcoming and staff and students are friendly. The staff provide students with an encouraging and enjoyable learning environment and the student standard of work is impressive.

On arrival, I had a tour of the building and had the opportunity to see the wide range of facilities available to the students. I particularly enjoyed watching some of the students go through the darkroom process of developing their own pinhole photographs and was lucky enough to have a go of this myself."

Annelies Walford (Graphic Arts Specialism student, BTEC National Diploma in Art and Design) was one of the lucky students to work alongside Garnon; she said “I enjoyed working with someone from one of my favourite television programmes. He was laid back and it felt like we were working with another student. My mum was jealous when I told her I had met him. It would be nice if he visited again, it was a fun day.

Coleg Morgannwg Construction students took part in the South East Wales heats of the Construction Skills competition.

Ten first year full-time students studying on Brickwork, Carpentry and Painting & Decorating courses at the college travelled to The College, Ystrad Mynach to compete in the one-day competition.

The competition tested their practical skills and the painting students were asked to undertake a series of tasks to demonstrate their abilities in preparing, wallpapering and stencilling.  The bricklayers’ project involved gauging, levelling and plumbing a ‘zig zag’ wall.  The carpenters produced a miniature cross section of a door, frame and skirting board.

David Finch, Deputy Principal, The College –Ystrad Mynach, presented Painting and Decorating student Rhys Holloway with an award for third place in his category each student received a college certificate for their participation in the event.

Steve Llewellyn, Senior Curriculum Leader for Construction said; ‘We are proud of the students’ performance during the competition, they worked in a professional manner and proved excellent ambassadors for the college. They enjoyed the challenge of the projects and all want the opportunity to have ‘another go’ next year.  Of course, none of this would have been possible without the hard work and efforts of the teaching and technician staff who prepared them for the competition.

Students who competed on the day were:

Jason Townley, Tomos Walker, Jonathan Griffiths, Lewis Randell, Marcus Watts, Rhys Holloway, Joshua Evans, Jordan Gooch, Matthew Thraves and Kerry Jones

A NEW Centre for Art & Design Technology was officially opened at Coleg Morgannwg this week.

The centre was opened by the Deputy Minister for Skills, John Griffiths A.M.

The project was paid for by Coleg Morgannwg as part of their Estates Strategy and has been designed over three floors each with a distinct identity. The building houses purpose designed studios including a photographic studio, Graphic Art studio, all equipped with industry standard equipment. 

The centre complements existing facilities at the campus which support training in Aerospace, Construction and Engineering. The Academy is also based at this site offering HNDs/HNCs in Complementary Therapies, Sport & Fitness and Beauty & Spa Management

Principal/Chief executive, Judith Evans, said: "Our new centre for Art & Design Technology - is an amazing addition to our facilities. I am delighted that the college has been able to invest in such a facility, the students have to be commended for having faith in Coleg Morgannwg; when they enrolled in September the building was just in the early stages of construction.  Walking around the Centre today it is pleasing to see that they have put their stamp on the building”.



Deputy Minister for Skills, John Griffiths said: “The new Art and Design Centre at Coleg Morgannwg is an excellent addition to the college’s facilities. It offers an enhanced learning experience for students to help them to gain the skills they need to progress their careers, and is also a modern environment for staff to teach in. I am delighted that present and future students will be able to benefit from this excellent teaching facility.”



Student Representative, Rebekah Lewis stated: “When I enrolled on the National Diploma for Art & Design in September I didn’t think the Centre would house such brilliant facilities.  There’s such a friendly atmosphere here and the staff and students are so supportive.  Having seen the displays of the costumes produced by the students studying on the Foundation Degree Course in Costume Construction for Stage & Screen, I have decided to enrol on the course on completion of my current course”.

The Minister was presented with a framed photograph of Dylan Thomas’s Boathouse taken by college student/technician Gary Luckwell.

Congratulations to all the finalists who took part in the College Enterprise Challenge at the Nantgarw campus. The winning team from the Aberdare campus included three students from Computing, two from Beauty Therapy and one from Public Services; they fought off fierce competition from Pontypridd, Nantgarw and Rhondda campuses to secure their place in the GEC final to be held at Cardiff Bay on 17th and 18th March 2009.

Lynne Parfitt, WBQ Development Officer for Entrepreneurship and Key Skills at Coleg Morgannwg said, “

The students have worked really hard for this challenge.  It has been good to see their enthusiasm and motivation; the students have worked well in their teams and developed very useful skills.   I would like to thank the staff for supporting and encouraging the students through the campus heats and college final and also Karen Phillips, Deputy Principal, Bob Todd, Employability Manager for judging the final and Lisa Evans, Michaela Jones and Sue Underwood-Gibbs who judged relevant campus heats.  We wish the Aberdare Team good luck for the finals in March.

Photograph: Successful team, from Aberdare campus with judges

Coleg Morgannwg is one of only two F.E. colleges in the U.K to offer a course in one of the most advanced beauty treatments.

The level 4 award in Variable Pulse Light is a Higher Education ‘credit associate module’ which is validated through the University of Glamorgan. This award may be studied as a freestanding qualification and is aimed at qualified therapists or medical practitioners ensuring that state of the art treatments are available as Continuous Professional Development.

The award compliments the HND in Beauty Therapy and Spa Management and The Foundation Degree in Complementary Therapies currently on offer at our flagship centre of excellence - The Academy, Nantgarw campus.

The course covers the core theory of laser and pulsed light therapies required for Healthcare Inspectorate of Wales registration and all the practical aspects of Variable Pulsed Light Technology including Client Management and all relevant Health & Safety.

Senior Curriculum Leader, Elaine Rees said, “We are proud of the facilities at The Academy and the accreditation to offer the Variable Pulse Light course is another endorsement of our high standards and commitment to learning.  We are the only college in Wales to include this technology as part of a learning programme”.

The treatment of Variable Pulse Light is clinically proven to treat many skin conditions including hair removal and all aspects of skin rejuvenation using short pulses of light energy. This is a state of the art qualification route for all professionals who are serious about staying ahead in the field of Beauty Therapy. The qualification gained by the students will put them in good stead when seeking employment within this sector”.

Ceris Roberts, National Trainer from Energist stated, “The College has been selected to offer this course due to its exceptionally high reputation in the provision of Beauty Therapy courses.

Two members of staff from Coleg Morgannwg took up an invitation to visit Yale’s Grove Park campus in Wrexham to look at Employability and in particular the Deloitte Employability Foundation programme.

Bob Todd and Lisa Evans met with Marco Vianello, Tony Ryan (Deloitte Programme Co-ordinators) and Fran Hopwood, Vice Principal. They observed a Deloitte session of Care students (a presentation on their work experience) and discussed how the scheme is incorporated into the Learning Core.

A Welsh Assembly Government funded marketing campaign has made a Coleg Morgannwg student £100 richer.

The recent ‘Happy Days’ campaign is part of the Assembly Government’s commitment to deliver a thriving library network for the 21st century.

The survey asked students why libraries make them happy and Kellyanne Harris’ entry was chosen out of nearly 400 other entries from students across Wales. The survey resulted in a top ten list and a collection of personal stories showing the positive effect that libraries have had on students and their studies.  The stories highlight how libraries can make a real difference; helping with research and saving time and money were important factors in the survey.

Kellyanne commented: “The library at Coleg Morgannwg is great.  Me and the other students on my course love going there to do research and to catch up on our work.  It is so convenient and usable.  The atmosphere is calm and friendly.  The staff are around to help constantly and are approachable and nice.  There is lots of space and there is always a table or computer to use when you go there.  I find that the library has lots of different books to offer and CDs, videos and tapes to borrow as well.  It is very handy.  I constantly use all the childcare books with my studies and there isn’t a book I need that isn’t available”.

Sandy Griffiths, Learning Centre Co-ordinator “I am delighted that Kellyanne is a winner.  The college has recently upgraded all its Learning Centres and we would like to thank Kellyanne and all the other students who took part in the survey for their positive feedback”.

Press Notes:

Photograph:
Kellyanne Harris collects £100 vouchers from Sandy Griffiths (Learning Centre Co-ordinator) and Julie Middleton (Learning Centre Assistant) - Learning Centre, Rhondda campus, Coleg Morgannwg

Coleg Morgannwg has been proactive in emphasising to its students the importance of giving blood.

As part of the Student Induction Programme at the Rhondda Campus, Student Welfare Officer Donna Smolett arranged for members of the Welsh Blood Team to visit the college to speak with the students.

College tutor Alison Llewellyn is a regular donor, donating over 30 pints of blood; after the talk she encouraged her students to join her at the next local donor session. Alison stated “I have given blood for many years I was so proud of my students when they agreed to give blood, the Welsh Blood Team were excellent with the students they explained the process and reassured them.

The students studying on the Diploma in Child Care and Education programme live in Rhondda Cynon Taf and hope to work in the caring profession on completion of their course.

Care student Lucy Strong said” I have always wanted to give blood but I have been too nervous to go on my own. When Alison suggested that we could go to the next session as a group I was keen to participate.  The staff at the blood session were really friendly and Alison came along to offer moral support. I’m so glad that I have been able to give something back to society – I’ll definitely give blood again and would urge other students to attend their local sessions.”

Photograph: Diploma in Child Care and Education students support the Welsh Blood Donor Session

Following a £28K refurbishment, the former Lemon Tree training restaurant at Coleg Morgannwg’s Pontypridd campus has been transformed into Millfords Bistro and has opened its doors to the public.

As a result of the investment, the bistro has been decorated to a high standard and its comfortable modern surroundings make it the ideal place for staff, students and members of the public to meet.

The bistro provides customers with a varied menu which includes something for everyone from hot chocolate to wine and light snacks to full meals.

Millfords Bistro provides a realistic and practical environment in which to train and work, mirroring the facilities and working practices of a commercial kitchen and restaurant setting.

The bistro provides the students with the opportunity of putting both their food preparation and serving skills into practice and helps to develop the necessary team building and social skills required to work in the hospitality and catering industry.

International Employment & HR Specialist Viv Du-Feu presented a seminar at Coleg Morgannwg’s autumn Management Briefing; which was attended by 33 managers from Coleg Morgannwg and Merthyr Tydfil College. 

Du-Feu, from Cardiff and London based Capital Law, stated that in the war for talent, managers that understand the different value sets and motivational triggers of the different generational groups will be most successful in first attracting and then retaining the most talented staff.

The seminar feedback was excellent and included comments about both Du-Feu’s engaging presentation style and the thought provoking content.

Coleg Morgannwg and Merthyr Tydfil College plan to develop more joint initiatives and are also working with other colleges to share best practice and increase the opportunities for staff to participate in training that is relevant across the sector.

The seminar focussed on the fact that in the current workforce there are four generational groups working alongside each other and successful organisations were those that recognised the value of the contribution that each generation can bring.

Beauty students at Coleg Morgannwg spent the day fundraising for Breast Cancer. 

The students, studying the Beauty Therapy NVQ and Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification at the Rhondda Campus arranged a programme of activities and used their personal products to raise the funds.

Beauty student Shauna Evans said ‘It was a fun day; we raised £106 for Breast Cancer awareness and also gained experience in providing the treatments.  We were busy all day and we’d like to thank the staff and students for supporting our activities which included a Pink Spa Day and Nail Painting – Pink of course!

Course Tutor, Gemma Treharne stated, “The students really enjoyed planning the fundraising activities, everyone was so generous.  This activity will provide valuable evidence for the Community participation and Team enterprise activity modules of the students Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification”.

First Minister Opens Multi Million Pound Centre

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