Author: Rhys Gregory

The leading provider of apprenticeships to the hospitality industry in Wales has welcomed plans to create a Commission for Tertiary Education and Research to govern all post-16 education and training. Arwyn Watkins, managing director of Welshpool-based Cambrian Training Company, which has offices across Wales, believes the commission will have much better control over post-16 education and training provision based on evidence and the needs of the economy The bill to create the new body is expected to become law by next summer and will herald the end of the Higher Education Funding Council. Plans for the new commission come at…

For the first time, on 14 February 2022, Careers Wales is providing a week of online, employer-led activities for year 6 primary school children in Wales. With more than 30 Welsh employers signed up so far, Career Discovery Week is linked to the Curriculum for Wales’ Areas of Learning and Experience (AoLEs) and will bring real world of work experiences and information to primary school children to help them prepare for their future careers. The week-long virtual programme will consist of live and pre-recorded activities, challenges, videos and vlogs to help raise the career aspirations of young people, realise their…

Welsh honey producers will be making their debut later this month at one of the UK’s biggest food and drink events – the BBC Good Food Show (November 25th – 28th). Exhibiting at the major consumer event at the NEC in Birmingham will be Bee Welsh Honey, Gwenynfa Pen y Bryn Apiary and Mêl Gwenyn Gruffydd. All three are Great Taste Award winners, and they are taking part under the auspices of the Food & Drink Wales Honey Cluster, which also appears at the BBC Good Food Show for the first time. Part of the Food & Drink Wales Cluster…

One of the UK’s newest private schools is up for two major awards at the independent education sector’s ‘Oscars’. Myddelton College, in Denbigh, just five years since it was founded, is the only school in Wales to make the prestigious short-list for the Independent Schools Association awards. The school, which was the country’s newest independent school in 2016, is nominated for Outstanding International Involvement and for Outstanding Sport in a Small School. Headmaster Andrew Allman said: “We are delighted to have been selected on the three-strong shortlist for each of these important awards which we believe recognises the tremendous strides…

On Saturday 13th November, The Boot Room, a charitable organisation set up by Carl Bradley from Neath, was named the national winner of the prestigious Community Project of the Year award at the 2021 FAW & McDonald’s Grassroots Football Awards ceremony, held at the Cardiff City Stadium. The FAW & McDonald’s Grassroots Football Awards recognise and celebrate the tireless volunteers who dedicate countless hours to inspire those in the grassroots community. The awards are now in their fourteenth year and Carl Bradley joins a long list of inspirational grassroots football heroes who have been recognised by the programme. The awards…

Wrexham AFC co-owner Ryan Reynolds has been at it again – plugging the club he bought will fellow A-lister Rob McElhenney and his favourite trailer maker. The Hollywood icon has created a hilarious “trailer on a trailer” to promote his new film, Red Notice, also starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Gal Gadot aka Wonder Woman. As part of the promo, a giant television screen was professionally mounted onto an 18 ft long LM187 trailer made by the Welsh firm and waved off by a group of six  diehard Wrexham fans who work for the company. During the film trailer,…

Cardiff and Vale College (CAVC) is set to host the finals of the Automotive rounds in the prestigious WorldSkills UK Finals. From Monday 15th November, the College’s state-of-the-art Automotive Training Centre at its City Centre Campus in Cardiff will host the competition, bringing the best young talent from across the UK. The contest will also bring together employers and local schools, who will view the competitions in action and take part in Automotive Challenges to inspire future talent and raise awareness of careers in the industry. CAVC is hosting the WorldSkills UK Finals in: Automotive Refinishing Automotive Body Repair Heavy…

£51 million of loans and equity investments have been made into 220 Welsh businesses by the Development Bank of Wales during the six-month period from April to September 2021. Half-year figures published today, 15th November 2021, by the Development Bank report that the £51 million has attracted additional private sector investment of nearly £38 million and has helped to create or safeguard over 1,370 jobs. A 31% increase in the number of new business starts in Wales in the year to Quarter 1 2021 was noted in the latest annual report by Economic Intelligence Wales. This is reflected in a significant increase in micro…

The University of Wales Trinity Saint David introduces a new popular voice pathway within its BMus Vocal Performance programme for the next academic year. Building on the success of the vocal programmes at the Wales Academy of Voice & Dramatic Arts, the newly devised BMus (Hons) Vocal Performance is a specialist industry-focussed programme designed specifically for singers. This exciting new programme is based in the vibrant city of Cardiff and delivered by experts of national and international repute. The specific focus on ‘voice’ has enabled WAVDA to design a programme shaped purely around the demands of the vocal performance industry,…

Legendary Manchester band James have announced a huge outdoor show in North Wales next summer. Playing at Rhyl’s Event Arena on Friday 8th July, the band will be supported by The Lightning Seeds and The K’s. James’ 16th studio album All The Colours Of You was released to huge acclaim earlier this year and the band played a number of festivals across the Uk and Europe this summer. All The Colours Of You is their first on a new label, Virgin Music Label & Artists Services and a new publishing home, Kobalt Music. James will perform tracks from the new record and…