Author: Rhys Gregory

Entries are pouring in for this year’s prestigious Apprenticeship Awards Cymru as the May 20 deadline fast approaches. Highlight of the year for apprentices, employers and work-based learning providers and practitioners, the awards are organised by the Welsh Government and supported by the National Training Federation for Wales (NTfW). Headline sponsor for the third year is Openreach. The awards highlight the outstanding achievements, during unprecedented times, of successful employers, inspirational apprentices and talented work-based learning practitioners. Application forms can be download from gov.wales/apprenticeshipawardscymru and submitted before the closing date of May 20 at 12 noon. From the applications, finalists in…

National Trust Cymru are preparing to start work this week on improving the existing facilities at Pont ar Daf, creating a fit-for-purpose car park from which visitors can access the iconic Brecon Beacons. With the addition of new visitor facilities, the popular countryside parking spot will become a welcoming starting point for the 350,000 people who walk up Pen y Fan each year. The new and improved car park will add around 200 more spaces, giving visitors access to a total of nearly 260 safe car parking spaces away from the busy A470 road. Cared for by National Trust Cymru,…

The Riverside Library, Gallery and Visitor Information in Haverfordwest is welcoming a very special exhibition this spring, thanks to the National Gallery Masterpiece Tour, sponsored by Christie’s. Hélène Rouart in her Father’s Study by Edgar Degas will form the centrepiece in an exhibition drawn from the National Welsh Portrait Collection at The National Library of Wales, which will be held at the Riverside Gallery, Haverfordwest. The exhibition will contextualise the painting through an exploration of the female form in art, and analyse the theory of the male gaze in portraits through the eyes of both female and male artists such…

A programme that helps Powys’ unpaid carers and volunteers balance their own care needs, with the needs of those they look after, is to return. Powys Health and Care Academy is offering a free mindful based living course over eight weeks, starting on Wednesday 12 May, and a free retreat day at the academy’s Bronllys campus on Saturday 28 May, for those who want help to look after their own wellbeing, while caring for others. The academy previously offered similar support to the county’s unpaid carers and volunteers during February, March and April this year, when 31 people learnt techniques…

The Welsh Government has formally removed the Infection Control Framework for Higher and Further Education institutions from today. The change will bring higher and further education into line with the wider public health guidance followed by businesses, employers and event organisers. The advice covers control measures that could be implemented to reduce the risk of transmission of the most common communicable diseases, including Coronavirus, flu and norovirus. Universities and colleges have been following sector-specific guidance to reduce the transmission of Covid-19, similar to the local framework followed by schools, with a scale of measures based on local risk. On 18…

A new Welcome Ticket will provide refugees and people from Ukraine with free bus travel and they will also receive free entry to Cadw sites across Wales. The two schemes, which are announced today, underline Wales’ commitment to be a Nation of Sanctuary to people fleeing conflict and abuse around the world. The Welcome Ticket, which will be available to refugees and people arriving from Ukraine, will cover the majority of bus services running in Wales and builds on the free six-month rail travel pilot, which was announced a few weeks ago. It provides all eligible people free, unlimited travel…

On International Day of the Midwife (5th May), Chief Nursing Officer for Wales Sue Tranka joined with midwifery teams in Cardiff University and Cardiff and Vale University Health Board to celebrate midwives across Wales and announce the latest winners of her new excellence awards. Sue visited the WHO Collaborating Centre for Midwifery Development and University Hospital Wales. Recipients of the Chief Nursing Officer’s excellence awards are: Donna James from Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. The first digital midwife in the health board, Donna has transformed services and increased safety for families by enhancing communication between them and the service. Donna…

The headline NatWest Wales PMI® Business Activity Index – a seasonally adjusted index that measures the month-on-month change in the combined output of the region’s manufacturing and service sectors – registered 56.2 in April, down from 58.0 in March, to signal a sharp upturn in business activity. Although the slowest for three months, output growth was linked to greater client demand and a further uptick in new business. The rate of growth was steeper than the series average but slower than that seen across the UK as a whole. Private sector firms in Wales signalled a steep upturn in new…

Raising costs and household expenses have been pushed to new extremes this year, but international travel has returned to full thrust with the relaxation of many global restrictions. This article will show you the best money-saving tips for your holiday money. Tip 1: Never buy your holiday money at the airport. Many holidaymakers leave getting their foreign currency until they arrive at the airport, proving to be a costly mistake. The airport bureau knows they have you as a captive audience ready to spend money; this, together with the inherent operating cost of running a bureau in a prime location,…

Your company can collect huge amounts of data to help with efficiency at every point of your customers’ purchasing journeys. The data is collected across multiple channels, such as mobile apps, website clicks, engagement, social media platform interactions. Despite the varying channels, every piece of information collected is always unique to the customer in question before being analyzed. Data analytics is the process through which all raw data collected is processed and studied to help drive positive outcomes for customers and your business. Below, we’ll look at some of the benefits organizations receive from data and analytics. It helps streamline…