NTfW Newsletter – April 2016
Newsletter Contents
The Best Skills Competitors in Wales Recognised by Deputy Minister
Policy Solutions – To inform and engage Assembly Members in post-16 activity
Employers and learners across Wales urged to enter VQ Awards
Register to compete in WorldSkills 2016
Awards launched to find Wales’ star learners, employers and learning providers
‘Cyflogiaith’ Conference coming to Cardiff in July
News from the Regions
Regional Learning Partnership 10th Data and Intelligence Report
Developing an Employment and Skills Action Plan for South East Wales
Higher Apprentice Darren rises through the ranks at Stena Line
Grŵp Llandrillo Menai’s Apprenticeship Oscars Ceremony
South Wales trio share ideas with pension giant on how to engage young people
Welsh businesses lead the way to achieve the UK’s first Higher Apprenticeship in Banking
Dates for your diary
Check dates for the latest events
Welsh Language/Culture Events
Welsh words for Spring
The Best Skills Competitors in Wales Recognised by Deputy Minister
The successes of Welsh learners, students and apprentices who competed in two major skills competitions have been celebrated at special events in Cardiff.
Competitors gathered at the Senedd and City Hall to be honoured for their achievements at Skills Competition Wales and the WorldSkills UK final, which took place at the Skills Show at the NEC in Birmingham last November.
During Skills Competition Wales, the country’s most talented apprentices, employees and learners battled it out in competitions ranging from reflexology to web development, and the highest scoring competitors were awarded bronze, silver and gold medals in their chosen skill.
The WorldSkills UK final, at the NEC in Birmingham saw more than 600 participants from across the UK take part in more than 60 competitions to be named the ‘best in the UK’.
The events in Cardiff saw Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology, Julie James, present certificates of recognition to the 18 young people who have been shortlisted as part of the UK squad.
At the Senedd, competitors were recognised from a range of industries from web design to visual merchandising – including Simon Davies the first Welsh competitor at the Abilympics, a skills competition for people with disabilities and learning difficulties.
Members of the UK squad, along with their families, were also invited to a celebratory lunch at City Hall where WorldSkills champion for Wales, Barry Liles, awarded plaques to the young people and their employers for the support and encouragement they have given to the squad members.
The Deputy Minister said: “These events are the perfect opportunity to recognise the successes of the best Welsh competitors at Skills Competition Wales and the WorldSkills UK final. They’ve all been practising for months and it is important to reflect and celebrate their hard work and determination.
“Skills competitions help to drive up standards in vocational skills and help us to show the world the talent that we have here in Wales. Every single person who was recognised has done so well and will act as role models to inspire young people in Wales.”
Alfie Hopkins, 17 from Llanelli who won a bronze medal in web design at last year’s Skills Show, he said: “I’ve never been to the Senedd before, so to come here with my dad and be recognised for my achievements is really special.
“Today is just the start. It’s really exciting to think that I might go on to represent the UK in Abu Dhabi next year if I make it into the UK team. I’ve met some people who competed at WorldSkills in São Paulo last year and it’s made me more determined than ever.
“There aren’t many courses specifically for web design, so a lot of my skills are self-taught and I practise a lot in my spare time. As part of my training to get into Team UK, I’ll get the chance to learn from industry professionals which will help not only with the competition but also hopefully with future employment.”
Backed by the Welsh Government, through the European Social Fund, Skills Competition Wales promotes the importance of developing a highly-skilled workforce, aiming to boost high level skills in Wales.
Policy Solutions – To inform and engage Assembly Members in post-16 activity
The National Training Federation of Wales is currently working in partnership with ColegauCymru and Learning and Work Institute to bring you a series of events to inform and engage Assembly Members in post-16 activity.
Our Policy Solution series brings fresh thinking and new ideas to key challenges in public policy. We will focus on issues where learning, skills and employment can help achieve economic growth, better educational outcomes, higher employment, improvements in productivity, better health and well-being, social inclusion, tolerance and cohesion, a nd community and citizen engagement. Our overall aim is to generate interest and debate in how public policy can be improved and how policy can be implemented to help deliver a more inclusive, fairer and successful society.
The events will take place on 18 May, 14 June, 7 July, 4 August and 13 September. More information about these events will be available soon.
Employers and learners across Wales urged to enter VQ Awards
Little Inspirations nurseries owner Jenine Gill (centre) with staff members Samantha Jones Williams (right) and Aimee Griffiths.
The VQ Awards recognises and celebrates those who use technical, practical and vocational qualifications to achieve success.
This year’s awards are split into three categories – employer of the year, intermediate learner of the year and higher learner of the year. The intermediate award is for learners with qualifications up to level three (equivalent to A levels), while the higher award is for qualifications from level four upwards (university level).
The Learner Awards recognise learners who clearly demonstrate progression and excellence in vocational studies and have made considerable achievements in their field. The Employer Award focuses on employers who promote the value of vocational qualifications in the workplace and make a real contribution to improving the skills and national competitiveness.
Now in their 9th consecutive year, the awards coincide with VQ Day on June 8, a celebration of vocational qualifications for students, teachers, training providers and employers.
Entries close on April 22 and three finalists in each category will be shortlisted and announced in early May. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on the evening of June 7 at St David’s Hotel, Cardiff, the day before VQ Day. For more information about the awards and to download an application form please visit vqday.wales
Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology, Julie James said: “A VQ award is more than just an award; it’s a symbol of dedication towards your chosen profession.
“Professional and personal development programmes are utilised for staff to enable them to follow a pathway of learning to meet company, customer and individual needs and the VQ awards help us to celebrate those Welsh employers and learners who are already going that extra mile when it comes to developing vocational skills and qualifications.
“If the Welsh economy is to continue to grow then we must ensure that employers, individuals and the Welsh Government work together to invest in the right skills for success in order to equip Wales with a world class work force.”
Learning providers across Wales are being encouraged to organise regional events to celebrate VQ Day and engage with learners of all ages. Vocational qualifications have never been more important to the economy and the individual, as they deliver the trained, talented employees that businesses are crying out for and ensure young people have the skills needed to succeed in education and work.
Register to compete in WorldSkills 2016
The closing date to register for WorldSkills 2016 is Thursday 7 April 2016. Follow the links to find out more information on the competitions and to register your interest to compete.
Each competition is designed to demonstrate excellence in a chosen trade. Competitors are tested on applied skills in a range of critical elements for that skill. The competitions are designed by industry experts and look to showcase the standards that lead to success in the UK and internationally.
Awards launched to find Wales’ star learners, employers and learning providers
Medium Employer of the Year Winner 2016 , Thorncliffe, Abergele.
The hunt is on to find the star learners, employers and learning providers involved in the delivery of a range of successful skills programmes across Wales.
Applications for this year’s prestigious Apprenticeship Awards Cymru are now being invited by joint organisers the Welsh Government and the National Training Federation for Wales (NTfW).
The awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of individuals, employers and learning providers who have excelled in contributing to the development of the Welsh Government’s Traineeships, Jobs Growth Wales and Apprenticeship programmes.
The organisers are looking to identify those who have exceeded expectations, shown a dynamic approach to training and demonstrated initiative, enterprise, innovation, creativity and commitment to improve skills development in Wales.
Funded by the Welsh Government and the European Social Fund, the awards are sponsored by Pearson PLC and supported by media partner, Media Wales.
This year there are 12 awards, including two in a new category for work-based learning practitioners: work-based learning assessor of the year and work-based learning tutor of the year.
This category aims to recognise the commitment, energy and enthusiasm of work-based learning practitioners and the key role they play in helping learners to develop workplace skills, to succeed in their careers and to overcome barriers to progression in their learning and work.
In the Employability category, there are awards for learner of the year (engagement) and learner of the year (level one), while the Jobs Growth Wales programme has an award for outstanding achiever of the year.
Apprenticeships are spotlighted with individual awards for foundation apprentice, apprentice and higher apprentice of the year.
Businesses of all sizes across Wales get their chance to bask in the national spotlight with awards for small employer (1- 49 employees), medium employer (50 – 249), large employer (250 – 4,999) and macro employer of the year (5,000 plus). These awards recognise employers who commit to developing their workforce through apprenticeships and other work-based learning programmes, which support employees during their training.
Application forms are available to download here and the closing date is noon on June 24.
‘Cyflogiaith’ Conference coming to Cardiff in July
Following the success of the ‘Cyflogiaith’ Bilingualism@Work Conference that was held in North Wales in January this year, NTfW and Sgiliaith will again be working in partnership and holding a similar event in Cardiff on 21 July 2016.
Natural Resources Wales, Portmeirion Cyf, Care Council for Wales and Hunaniaith spoke about their experiences and their requirements in relation to Welsh Language skills in the workplace during the event that was held in North Wales as well as Sgiliaith, Arfon Dwyfor Training, Grwp Llandrillo Menai and Coleg Cambria sharing best practice.
NTfW and Sgiliaith are in the process of securing employers and work-based learning providers for the event that will be taking place in Cardiff. Information regarding the upcoming event can be found on the NTfW website or email ryan.evans@ntfw.org for more information.
Regional Learning Partnership 10th Data and Intelligence Report
The RLP have recently launched the 10th Data and Intelligence Report. This report presents key data that is held on the Regional Learning and Skills Observatory (RLSO) within key themes and sectors.
This report differs from its predecessors by being more interactive, providing readers with the opportunity to further explore sections, data and themes. Featuring heavily in the report are infographics, created to depict the features presented in the edition, these are downloadable via the report and include: Cambridge Econometrics, the Importance of Local Information Systems, RLSO Training Feedback, and the updated Sectors at a Glance.
To view the report click here.
Available on request is an updated version of the Entrepreneurship and Enterprise scoping report, published in 2014. The report provides an evidence based understanding of activities informed by a full analysis of all available Labour Market Intelligence (LMI), which enables the identification of the scale and nature of current provision and key strategic gaps.
This report documents the findings of a two stage scoping exercise undertaken in 2015 to identify all known entrepreneurship and enterprise activity in the South West and Central Wales region (with a pan-Wales element).
Capturing the voice of employers from the region
Through the UKCES Futures Programme, the Understand, Co-produce, Influence, Leadership programme led by a team within the RLP, is working with small businesses and partners in the region, to identify barriers and co-create new ways to engage with and increase take-up of leadership and entrepreneurship skills provision.
The team is currently engaging with a number of employers and providers from across the region to understand more about the vision, passion and ambition they have for their businesses and capturing evidence of their current barriers.
To date we have run eight employer events working collaboratively with new and existing partners and there are many more to come. Evidence gathered to date will add value to the employer voice to influence the development of future provision and the Regional Delivery Plan for Employment and Skills.
Please take a look at our website to keep up to date with everything we do each week and what we have learned about all the exciting initiatives available in the region to help grow and transform businesses – rlp.org.uk/ukces
We would like to thank the partners who have already taken the time to share their thoughts, please call, e-mail, tweet or face book if you would like to participate or if you have any more ideas you’d like to share.
For more information on how to engage with the project and future events please contact Sara Nicholls – smnicholls@carmarthenshire.gov.uk
Developing an Employment and Skills Action Plan for South East Wales
Regional Skills Partnerships in each of the three regions across Wales are currently researching and developing the second iteration of their regional employment and skills plans for submission to Welsh Government in July 2016. The action plans will seek to define a strategic and collaborative response from stakeholders to regional skills priorities and will be used to inform decisions around future skills investment, to establish a more demand-led skills system aligned to economic needs.
To support the development of the Employment and Skills Plan in South East Wales, the Learning, Skills and Innovation Partnership (LSkIP) and members of the LSkIP Employment and Skills Board are working with stakeholders to engage industry through networks and with individual employers to better understand their employment and skills needs. Existing data and reports offer a broad insight but have their limitations when considered in relation to specific occupations and often do not provide sufficient depth or analysis at the regional level. Improving access to primary intelligence is therefore key and LSkIP is working with partners to undertake primary research activities that will deliver better intelligence. These include support for a skills forum created by the Anchor and Regionally Important Companies network and an intensive large companies research exercise which is nearing completion, both of which will greatly enhance available data and support the development of the Employment and Skills Plan for South East Wales.
Recent announcements such as the City Deal investment in the region, the planned Metro, the development of the new Aston Martin SUV super-car plant at the Cardiff Airport and St Athan Enterprise Zone, and the confirmation that TVR will bring its new factory to Ebbw Vale Enterprise Zone, create strong drivers for strategic skills investment in South East Wales. LSkIP will work with stakeholders to understand the impact of these and other investments on the wider employment and skills landscape across the region.
In parallel with assessing the economic drivers of demand across the region LSkIP is working to better understand the learning infrastructure and the nature, scale, location and supply of learning provision across the South East Wales region. Representatives from Welsh Government the National Training Federation for Wales, Higher Education, Further Education, Wales TUC and the third sector are all contributing to developing an understanding of what is planned or currently available. In addition a research exercise to explore what provision is or will be offered through European-funded operations will also assist the wider analysis of employment and skills support available when developing the Employment and Skills Plan for South East Wales.
The draft action plan will be developed in partnership with stakeholder representatives on the South East Wales Employment and Skills Board and LSkIP Core Working Group. National Training Federation for Wales members are represented by Sarah John, Acorn and Grant Santos from Educ8. For further information on the Learning, Skills and Innovation Partnership please visit www.lskip.wales, e-mail lskip@wlga.gov.uk or telephone 029 2046 8670.
Higher Apprentice Darren rises through the ranks at Stena Line
Former cabin assistant Darren Brown from Stena Line ferry company in Holyhead is living proof that ‘an apprenticeship can take you anywhere’.
Since dedicating himself to growing in the business in 1999 with a level three Apprenticeship in Customer Services, he has steadily risen through the ranks with every new qualification he has achieved and has recently been promoted to UK co-ordinator for the shore based Onboard Services operation.
Lots of hard work and commitment have been matched by career progression and personal development and now Darren, 41, is encouraging eager learners across Wales to take advantage of every apprenticeship opportunity that comes their way.
He was a warehouse supervisor and cabin assistant when he began his early career and promotions have followed as he progressed to a level four Higher Apprenticeship in management. He’s now almost completed a level five Higher Apprenticeship and wants to continue to level seven to keep challenging himself.
All the qualifications have been delivered by Cambrian Training Company’s North Wales manager Dawne Thomas, who is based in Holyhead. Apprenticeship programmes are funded by the Welsh Government with European Social Fund support.
Leading the UK based team, his wide ranging role covers everything from supporting commercial activity on-board Stena Line ferries, supporting menu development, systems support, article listings, financial reporting through to supporting ship refits.
“No two days are ever the same in my job,” said Darren, who lives in Holyhead and spends about four days a month in Sweden, where Stena Line’s Head Office and Central warehouse is based.
“Every time I have completed an apprenticeship I have been promoted. There may be an element of being in the right place at the right time, but I think learning new skills has also been a deciding factor.
“The important thing about learning progression is that it reinforces what you already know and makes you start thinking outside the box. Stena Line is a very innovative company and that gives staff the stimulus to keep pushing to the next level.
“On the back of the qualifications that my colleagues and I have completed, the company is hoping to pilot a Higher Apprenticeship in Food and Beverage at levels four and five.
“We see great potential for a group of staff on-board our Stena Line vessels to develop as the next generation of managers to support succession planning. It’s important that these up and coming people have the same opportunities that we have had.
“Achieving a Higher Apprenticeship is hard work but it gives you such a buzz when you are doing it and keeps the brain active. It’s so easy to get caught up in repetitive routines in modern business, but by achieving these qualifications it makes you stop, evaluate and develop different ways of working.
“I have driven my team to assist them in achieving their goals of level three apprenticeships and all of them have seen the benefits. Training helps us to retain our workforce and drive service standards onboard our vessels which ultimately drives great results.”
He praised the flexible, tailor-made support that Cambrian Training Company provides to Stena Line’s learners. “We looked at doing a similar qualification with Bangor University but the programme was just not flexible enough to the needs of our business,” he said.
“Learning with Cambrian Training Company is tailored to work in a fast paced business and Dawne, who used to work for Stena Line, knows exactly how we operate. It’s such a great partnership – nothing ever seems too much trouble for them.”
Dawne, formerly Darren’s manager at Stena Line, said she had witnessed the impressive growth and development of his management style and skills with each qualification he had achieved over the years.
“Darren is an excellent learner and is always eager to develop despite being a very busy man,” she added. “I can’t speak highly enough of him.”
Grŵp Llandrillo Menai’s Apprenticeship Oscars Ceremony
Two Business apprentices beat off competition from nearly 2,000 apprentices to scoop the main awards at two Grwp Llandrillo Menai Apprenticeship Awards ceremonies recently.
Apprentices from Coleg Llandrillo and Coleg Menai, along with their employers and representatives from local businesses, attended the Apprenticeship Awards Ceremonies at the Rhos-on-Sea campus and Friars Hall, at Coleg Menai, Bangor, respectively.
The guest speakers were ex-Director of RWE Npower, Andy Billcliff, at Rhos-on-Sea, and Mark Salisbury from Horizon Nuclear Power, at Bangor.
At Coleg Llandrillo, 20-year-old Emily Jones from Llandudno Junction, one of 11 winners from a range of programme areas who received £100 each, was also presented with the evening’s most prestigious award, ‘Apprentice of the Year 2016’, together with a granite trophy and another cheque for £100, by Dafydd Evans, Principal of Coleg Llandrillo.
23-year-old Gwilym Rhys from Bethel, Caernarfon, who works for Trefor Owen Clogs, was announced as Coleg Menai’s ‘Apprentice of the Year 2016’. He was presented with his prizes by Janice Lewis, acting Principal of Coleg Menai and Mark Salisbury, Training Manager for Horizon Nuclear Power which sponsored the event.
The diversity of people receiving awards at the ceremonies reflected the variety of apprenticeship programmes available at Grwp Llandrillo Menai: from Health & Social Care and Childcare, through Accounting, to Engineering and Automotive.
Emily and Gwilym beat off stiff competition from nearly 2,000 Grwp Llandrillo Menai apprentices to win the top awards.
Emily joined Cartrefi Conwy as a Business Administration apprentice – her first full time role since finishing school. Having never worked in this environment before, this was a challenging and demanding role and Emily quickly had to develop her skills in multi-tasking and managing priorities.
Emily quickly established herself as an integral part of the team, and through producing consistently high quality work, she has become a team member that is constantly in demand. It has been stated by her manager that the level of Emily’s understanding of the roles and responsibilities is “far higher than ever anticipated” and this is reflected through the understanding shown in the minutes she produces from complex meetings.
To promote the value of apprenticeships, Emily and a colleague took part in promoting the opportunities and benefits to local children by visiting and presenting at a local school, where she shared her experiences and answered questions on apprenticeships. Emily was also central in the organisation of several charitable and community events.
Gwilym’s tutors decided to support him in undertaking his apprenticeship in clog making in order to ensure the sustainability of a traditional art form that is inherently linked to the culture of Wales, especially within traditional dancing in Eisteddfodau. This was particularly pressing, since one of the oldest full-time clog makers in Wales was on the verge of retiring.
The learning programme that Gwilym followed has provided him with the traditional hand methods and techniques required for production of clogs – from dance clogs to leisure and work clogs.
Gwilym’s apprenticeship with Trefor Owen clog making was rather unique, in that he was not employed by the company itself. Rather, Gwilym was employed by the Cultural & Skills sector skills council – following intervention and support from Prince Charles himself! There was a real danger that the unique skill set required to produce clogs would be lost in Wales. Since this is a small business enterprise, both Coleg Menai and Cultural & Skills stepped in to ensure that the skills were not lost, and that Gwilym was able to undertake his apprenticeship.
Gwilym was delighted to receive a letter from Clarence House at the end of his apprenticeship, congratulating him on the completion of his apprenticeship and the support provided by the college. This completed a circle started by Prince Charles in the first place.
Gwilym plans to continue to develop his clog making skills, and hopefully start his own business, focusing on the Welsh clog dancing field.
A wide range of businesses were represented at the Apprenticeship Awards Ceremonies, from both the public and private sectors, including primary schools and playgroups from Denbighshire, Gwynedd and Conwy, the Welsh Ambulance Services, H. M. Revenue & Customs, Welsh Government and Conwy Borough County Council.
The two principals took great pleasure in recognising the achievements of the apprentices at the ceremonies, and were delighted that the apprentices got the opportunity to share their success with their employers, representatives of industry and public sector, and college staff. Grwp Llandrillo Menai has been involved in work-based training for many years and has an outstanding track record of working in partnership with employers and other training organisations in North Wales.
South Wales trio share ideas with pension giant on how to engage young people
A mission by three young people from South Wales to make their generation aware of the importance of planning and saving for the future has caught the attention of one of UK’s leading pension providers.
Nikita Tandy from Cardiff, Christie Buckeridge from Bridgend and James Williams from Maesteg received a legacy grant from Lloyds Bank after impressing judges in last year’s Money for Life Challenge, a national competition that aims to encourage better money management skills in local communities across the UK.
In the lead up to the competition’s Wales final, Scottish Widows’ pensions and investments director Ronnie Taylor travelled from Scotland to meet the trio – apprentices with Bridgend-based ISA Training, the largest independent hairdressing training provider in Wales.
They told Mr Taylor that pension providers should use simpler language and less jargon in pension literature and online information to engage young people. Their mission was to make it easier for people of all ages to understand the importance of starting to save into pension when they are young.
Mr Taylor was alerted to the team as it was only the second time in four years and 1,000 projects that a team’s Money for Life project had been centred around pensions.
Impressed by the trio’s enthusiasm, he invited them to meet his team at Scottish Widows’ head office in Edinburgh to share their ideas and see the work being carried out to engage savers aged between 16 and 24.
Nikita, Christine and James met a number of Scottish Widows experts including Peter Glancy, head of industry development, who explained the different types of pension, associated laws, tax and how customers’ funds were invested.
They also met the marketing and communications team to learn about the different ways in which they help educate younger people.
“Ronnie was very keen for our learners to challenge his team and we are going to prepare a feedback report with infographics for him,” said Clare Jeffries, ISA Training’s head of apprenticeships.
“They will hopefully be given access to the lab where Scottish Widows tests out new ideas when they return to Edinburgh with their report. The visit was fantastic and has inspired them to push forward with their work to encourage other young learners to save for the future and to show why it is important to start early.
“They are very grateful for the support of Scottish Widows and encouragement of Ronnie who remains very interested in their ideas. The way they put their points across is also educating older people like me, because they have made me stop and question if I’m putting enough money in my pension.”
Mr Taylor said: “The Money For Life challenge is great opportunity for young people to become more engaged with our industry and financial topics in general.
“I have personally been really impressed with the Young Pension Payers project and what they’ve been doing. I was pleased to have the group join us for the day and to share with them our industry and knowledge and expertise. It is also great to see the group challenge our thinking and I believe that we too can learn from them.”
As part of their project, the trio also created a twitter page to engage with industry experts, recorded four short interview videos for YouTube with young people and the Mayor of Maesteg about their feelings towards pensions, carried out online research and gave tips money-saving tips.
Welsh businesses lead the way to achieve the UK’s first Higher Apprenticeship in Banking
Two of Wales’ reputable businesses are celebrating the success of six Principality Building Society Apprentices achieving the Higher Apprenticeship in Banking – Level 4; a first in the UK.
Acorn, one of the UK’s leading specialist recruitment and training agencies, and Principality Building Society joined forces to create a bespoke apprenticeship programme. The Diploma was undertaken over 18 months by six Principality managers who were nominated by Principality’s senior managers and HR division. It enabled students to explain key legislative, regulatory and risk factors applicable to retail financial services and understand the implications and operational implementation of Retail Banking.
The qualification, which is accredited by the Institute of Financial Services (IFS), was undertaken by Andrew McGill from Blackwood, Ceri Thomas from Caerphilly, Laura Palmer from Hereford, Carrie Ann Morris from Oswestry and Maria Vidler and Andrew Gay both from Cardiff.
In recognition of their success, all apprentices were congratulated by Julie James, Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology and AM for Swansea West, at a celebratory event on the 6th October at the Wales Millennium Centre.
Julie James said: “I would like to congratulate each and every one of the apprentices on their achievements. The success of these learners is truly a testament to the hard work of all involved from Acorn and Principality Building Society. These two Welsh companies have worked together to be the first in the UK to achieve this Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship; this is great news for Wales and really establishes that Apprenticeships have a significant place within the financial industry.”
Helena Williams, Acorn’s Corporate Development Director, said: “We are delighted with the success of our Banking Apprentices. We have collaborated with Principality Building Society on Apprenticeships for a number of years, delivering Foundation Apprenticeships at Level 2 and Apprenticeships at Level 3 so when the Higher Apprenticeship in Banking – Level 4 became available; it seemed a natural progression to pilot it with them.”
She added: “Everyone at Acorn and Principality Building Society worked extremely hard to design a delivery model around these national standards, and to ensure it was relevant and beneficial for all involved. The apprentices gave their all to ensure they completed the qualification, and the support from the Principality’s Senior Managers and Directors was truly outstanding. The level of commitment that the building society showed to develop their people using Apprenticeships is innovative, and one of the main reasons why we’re the first in the UK to achieve this success.”
Damian Thompson, Principality’s Director of Distribution, who is responsible for the Society’s 53 branches and 18 agencies, commented: “By working closely with Acorn on the creation of this apprenticeship programme we were really able to ensure that the curriculum was appropriately tailored to our business and customer needs.
“All of our branch managers who took part in this programme worked extremely hard to achieve their Diplomas – we are extremely proud of their success and are looking forward to seeing them continue to strive and develop within Principality Building Society.”
Dates for your diary
8 June 2016
VQ Day
21 June 2016
Cyflogiaith (Bilingualism@Work) Conference
5-6 October 2016
SkillsCymru, Llandudno
12-13 October 2016
Skills Cymru, Cardiff
20 October 2016
Apprenticeship Awards Cymru
17-19 November 2016
The Skills Show
24 November 2016
NTfW Annual Conference
Welsh Language/Culture Events
30 May – 4 June 2016
Urdd National Eisteddfod, Flintshire
24 June – 2 July 2016
Tafwyl Week, Cardiff
2 – 3 July 2016
Tafwyl Fair, Cardiff
18-21 July 2016
Royal Welsh Agricultural Show (RWAS), Builth Wells
29-31 July 2016
Big Cheese Festival, Caerphilly
29 July – 6 August 2016
The National Eisteddfod of Wales, Monmouthshire
For more information on all forthcoming events in Wales, please visit the following website:
http://www.visitwales.com/things-to-do/whats-on
Welsh words for Spring
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