Coleg Cambria joined education providers, employers and training organisations across the UK in championing the achievements of learners as part of the inaugural Vocational Celebration Day.
The college marked the national awareness day – supported by Enginuity – on Thursday (August 6) by shining a spotlight on another outstanding year for its students, apprentices, staff and employer partners.
Launched to challenge outdated perceptions of technical education, the UK-wide campaign celebrates learners following vocational pathways and highlights the contribution apprenticeships, specialist qualifications and employer-led training make to communities, businesses and the wider economy.
It comes after another landmark year for Coleg Cambria. Learners achieved a record-breaking 68 honours at Skills Competition Wales, including 19 medals, while Tomas Ankers is among those preparing to represent the college at this autumn’s WorldSkills Shanghai finals after qualifying in CNC Milling.
Cambria for Business also achieved national recognition through Professional Institute Awards such as the IET (Institute of Electrical Technology) and IMEchE (Institute of Mechanical Engineering) Learner of the Year Awards, with Lauren Travis, a Village Bakery Engineer, among those celebrated.
Nick Tyson, Vice Principal and Director of Business and Partnerships at Coleg Cambria, said: “Vocational Celebration Day recognises something we see every day at the college – that technical education provides opportunities, transforms lives, strengthens businesses and helps drive the economy.
“It is a chance to celebrate not only the achievements of our learners and apprentices, but also the employers who invest in developing future talent alongside us.
“Our partnerships with leading companies across advanced manufacturing, engineering, construction, healthcare, leadership and management and many other sectors ensure our learners develop the practical skills, confidence and professional behaviours employers are looking for.
“The success we’ve seen this year – from MAKE UK national award winners, to our record-breaking performance at Skills Competition Wales to learners preparing for the WorldSkills UK finals – demonstrates the outstanding talent we have across North Wales. We hope this new national celebration inspires even more people to see vocational education as a first-choice pathway into exciting, rewarding careers.”
Across its campuses at Deeside, Yale, Bersham Road, Northop and Llysfasi, the college works with hundreds of large and small employers to deliver industry-focused education, apprenticeships and professional training.
Long-standing partnerships with organisations including Airbus, TATA Steel, Kronospan, Kingspan, Village Bakery, Kellanova, Shotton Mill, Toyota, JCB, Convatec, Atlas Copco, Boccard, S4S and Platts Agricultural to name a few, go from strength to strength and a new leadership and management programme with Siemens Healthineers Llanberis reflects the college’s continued commitment to helping employers develop the skilled workforce needed by the regional economy.
Employer learners enjoying training over the summer include a benchmark Higher Engineering Apprentice programme whereby apprentices are learning Medr supported career skills with organisations such as Tata Steel.
The celebrations also shone a spotlight on Coleg Cambria’s Bersham Road campus in Wrexham, home to many of the college’s technical and vocational programmes, with innovative courses and Wales’s first fully funded Construction Degree Apprenticeships.
Delivered in partnership with Wrexham University, the pioneering programmes enable learners to earn while they learn while progressing into careers in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Building Surveying and Quantity Surveying.
Karl Jackson, Assistant Principal for the Institute of Technology and Site Lead at Bersham Road, said: “Every day we see learners develop the confidence, technical expertise and professionalism that employers are looking for, so it is fantastic to have a national celebration recognising those achievements.
“Vocational education is about much more than gaining a qualification. It is about developing real-world skills, solving practical challenges and preparing for rewarding careers in industries that are vital to our economy.”
Through close collaboration with employers and industry partners, the college continues to shape programmes that respond to regional and national skills priorities, ensuring learners graduate ready to make an immediate impact in the workplace.
