Coleg Ceredigion recently offered a hearty Bienvenue to twelve Engineering students from the Lycée Professionnel Julien de Balleure, Chalon-sur-Saône in Burgundy.  The students, accompanied by two members of staff visited Coleg Ceredigion’s Cardigan Campus to gain a taste of Wales and to develop their linguistic skills.

The visit was arranged by John Jones, Engineering Lecturer at Coleg Ceredigion, and his French counterpart Mdme Nadine Perceau.  The students enjoyed a very busy itinerary during their visit, which began with a “Taste of Wales” themed meal at Coleg Ceredigion’s Park Place Restaurant, prepared and served by the college’s Catering students.  Present at the lunch were Principal Jacqui Weatherburn, Allison Coleman, Chair of Governors, and Cllr Catrin Miles, Mayor of Cardigan. Also visiting the college was the Vice-Principal of Julien de Balleure, M. Mathieu Liegault and the Head of Vocational training M. Rachel Maricq.

Activities during the stay included visits to the ski and toboggan slopes at Gwersyll yr Urdd, Llangrannog, the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea and the Museum of Internal Fire at Tanygroes.  The students were given a tour of the various departments at the Cardigan Campus and spent some time in the Motor Vehicle workshops working with their Welsh counterparts.

Following the visit, John Jones thanked  his colleagues at Coleg Ceredigion who had helped with the visit, particularly those who had accommodated the French party during their visit.  He also wished to thank the various shops and people in Cardigan who had welcomed and helped the French students.  This was the second time that students from Julien de Balleure have visited Cardigan, with Coleg Ceredigion students having travelled to Chalon-sur-Saône in April 2011.  He was sure that many a friendship had been formed and hoped that this link would continue for many years to come.

Looking for something different? Want to learn some new skills, but unsure where to start? Why not join us at the Saturday Workshops, which will take place on Saturday 12th May at the Aberystwyth Campus, and Saturday 19th May at the Cardigan Campus.

These FREE workshops will give you the opportunity to try your hand at something new in a relaxed and fun environment.

Click on the following links to see what’s on offer:

Aberystwyth

• Cup Cakes and Bakes
• Sugarcraft
• Printmaking
• Digital Photography
• Audition Workshop

Cardigan

• Build a Barbeque
• Beautiful Breads
• Women at the Wheel
• DIY for Women

Places are limited, so book your place today by contacting us on:

Aberystwyth: 01970 639730

Cardigan: 01239 622310

Terms and Conditions apply

Budding entrepreneurs at Coleg Ceredigion’s Aberystwyth Campus recently wowed the panel at the Enterprising Pitches Conference held at the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David.

The Enterprising Pitches Conference is the culmination of a year-long project between the University of Wales, Trintity Saint David, Coleg Sir Gar and Coleg Ceredigion, which saw students take part in a series of enterprise workshops aimed at developing their entrepreneurial skills and ideas. The workshops helped students think about the routes available to them at the end of their studies, such as self-employment and starting their own business.

Level 3 Business students Megan Webster and Harriet Farley were invited to pitch their own individual ideas to the panel,  headed by Percy Emmett, Business Start-Up Consultant. Megan’s idea to set up an online outlet selling South African crafts with a Fairtrade angle impressed the judges, and earned her a prize at the end of the pitch. Having researched the idea and spotted a gap in the market, Megan’s confidence in the concept was clear as she completed her pitch.

Harriet went on to pitch her idea, and the judges were so impressed, they have offered advice on patenting the idea for the future.

Keith Henson, Business Development Manager at Coleg Ceredigion, commented “Both Megan and Harriet have shown initiative in their pitches, and they represented Coleg Ceredigion very well. Congratulations to both”.

A Coleg Ceredigion apprentice has been awarded a Welsh Livery Guild Award in recognition of outstanding achievement.

Gareth Jones, a second year Brickwork apprentice, received the award at the annual Coleg Ceredigion Awards Ceremony recently, presented by Richard Gwynne, ConstructionSkills. Gareth received the award in recognition of his outstanding effort in completing his framework, and for his commitment to succeed, both at the college and during his employment with Paul Draper of Pentregat.

ConstructionSkills Field Officer, Richard Gwynne, commented “We are very pleased that Gareth was able to complete his full qualification, and we’re proud to have been able to support him through his apprenticeship”.

Huw Thomas, Curriculum Leader at Coleg Ceredigion, commented “We’d like to congratulate Gareth on winning the Welsh Livery Guild Award. Gareth, along with his fellow students on the course, has shown a great level of commitment, and I’d like to thank the lecturers and ConstructionSkills for their support in helping the students reach their potential”.

It was celebration time at Cardigan’s Guild Hall recently as students, staff, family and friends along with members of the college’s Board of Governors, local employers, Cllr. Catrin Miles, Mayor of Cardigan, and Cardigan Town Councillors gathered for the annual Cardigan Campus Award Ceremony.

A total of 29 awards were presented this year by the Chair of Governors, Allison Coleman. During her address, Allison highlighted that the awards were presented for a variety of achievements ranging from academic excellence to outstanding effort on a personal level, and congratulated each of them on their success.

In her closing address, Principal Jacqui Weatherburn emphasised that the awards should be seen as a starting point along a journey of lifelong learning, and thanked teachers, family and friends for their support in helping the award winners succeed.

Jacqui Weatherburn commented further, “Our annual Award Ceremony is an excellent opportunity for the college and the community to recognise and celebrate the efforts and achievements of our students. All tonight’s award winners deserve our heartiest congratulations and we wish them every success in the future.”

The ceremony was followed by a splendid buffet at the Park Place Restaurant prepared and served by the Catering students and staff.

Coleg Ceredigion award winners pictured with Rhiannon Elias, Assistant Director of Curriculum, Huw Thomas, Curriculum Leader, Cllr. Catrin Miles, Mayor of Cardigan, Allison Coleman, Chair of Governors, Jacqui Weatherburn, Principal, and Robert Thompson, Director of Curriculum.

Coleg Ceredigion is supporting the Noah’s Ark Appeal’s Recycling campaign by having a textile recycling bin placed on their Aberystwyth Campus. 

Students and staff are being encouraged to bring in bags of unused clothes, shoes and accessories to be recycled.  Noah’s Ark Appeal Ambassador Les Jones, visited the Aberystwyth Campus recently where the recycling bin is located to visit staff and students and officially open the textile recycling bin on behalf of the charity.

Donating unwanted clothes is a great way of supporting the Noah’s Ark Appeal as it doesn’t cost a penny and is also good for the environment.

Suzanne Mainwaring, Director of the Noah’s Ark Appeal said “The Noah’s Ark Appeal raises around £100,000 each year through partnerships with a number of recycling companies. It’s vital that we keep on receiving clothes donations so that they can be turned into cash to help young patients at the Children’s Hospital for Wales.”

Coleg Ceredigion has also been fundraising for the Noah’s Ark Appeal and collected over £260 for the charity’s Splish Splash Splosh campaign and Christmas Stocking Appeal to date.

If you have any unwanted items of clothing, you can bring them along to the Aberystwyth Campus to be placed in the Noah’s Ark Appeal Recycling bin. 

Childcare Students at the Aberystwyth Campus photographed with Noah’s Ark Appeal Ambassador, Les Jones, and Childcare and Education Lecturer, Elen Lionel.

Childcare students at Coleg Ceredigion’s Cardigan Campus will be holding a number of events this week to raise money for Tŷ Hafan and Latch.

Level 3 Childcare students Charlotte May, Eliza Bentley, Edward Mumford, Abi Giles, Amanda Moss and Heledd Powell are preparing to hold a street collection in Cardigan with jelly in their wellies, as well as selling raffle tickets and holding a tombola at the college. They will also hold a ‘musical chairs’ event during the week in the hope of raising as much money as possible for these worthwhile charities.

The students would like to thank local businesses in Cardigan for their support in donating prizes for the raffle.

If you’d like to make a donation, or buy a raffle ticket, why not call in at Coleg Ceredigion’s Cardigan Campus this week to join in the fun!

A Coleg Ceredigion Catering and Hospitality student has been awarded a Silver Standard certificate at the Mid Wales heat of the World Skills Restaurant Service Competition.

Beth Clark, Level 2 Food and Beverage Service student at Coleg Ceredigion, competed in the Advanced Food Service category of the Welsh Regional Competition held at Coleg Powys earlier this month. During the gruelling competition, Beth successfully served a table of four guests, showcasing varied skills from choosing and serving wine to complement the main meal to flambé at the table during dessert service. At the end of the competition, Beth was named as the winner in the category, and was awarded the Silver Standard Certificate in recognition of her achievement. She has now earned her place to represent the Mid Wales region at the All Wales Final of the competition to be held at Coleg Llandrillo on 27^th March.

Food Service Lecturer Bill Mousley commented “Beth has worked very hard to prepare for this competition, and has represented Coleg Ceredigion well. This is the fourth year that one of our students has achieved success at the competition, and we are very proud that Beth was able to compete on such a high level along with other promising students from across the region. Good luck in the Final!”

A Coleg Ceredigion lecturer has been invited to judge at the Welsh Final of the Worldskills UK Restaurant Service Competition to be held at the end of March.

Having been a well known figure in the Restaurant Service industry, and a lecturer at Coleg Ceredigion for many years, Bill is looking forward to the challenge of judging the Advanced Level competition for the fourth year in succession.

Bill Mousley commented “I’m very pleased to have been invited to judge such a prestigious competition. Competitions such as WorldSkillsUKgive competitors the opportunity to put their high level skills to the test, and most importantly to enjoy taking part and learn from the experience”.

The Welsh Final of the WorldSkills UK Competition will take place on the 27^th March at Coleg Llandrillo.

It was celebration time at Coleg Ceredigion recently as students, staff, family and friends along with Governors and Chair of Llanbadarn Community Council gathered for the annual Coleg Ceredigion Aberystwyth Campus Award Ceremony.

A total of 27 awards were presented this year by the Chair of Governors, Allison Coleman. During her address, Allison highlighted that the awards were presented for a variety of achievements ranging from academic excellence to outstanding effort on a personal level, and congratulated each of them for their achievements and hard work. For the first time this year, a Student Contribution Award was presented in recognition of one student’s contribution to college life throughout the year.  

In her closing address, Principal Jacqui Weatherburn congratulated the students on their achievements, and thanked teachers, family and friends for their support in helping the award winners succeed.

Jacqui Weatherburn commented further, “Our annual Award Ceremony is an excellent opportunity for the college and the community to recognise and celebrate the efforts and achievements of our students. All tonight’s award winners deserve our heartiest congratulations and we wish them every success in the future.”

The ceremony was followed by a splendid buffet prepared and served by the Catering students and staff.