Ceredigion County Council and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) have shared their proposal to maintain educational provision on UWTSD’s Lampeter campus.
Following a series of discussions between the Council and the University, exciting plans are being developed to deliver post-16 vocational education on the campus, with particular emphasis on skills-based courses critical to the rural economy of Wales, such as agriculture, horticulture, gastronomy and construction.
In a related development planned to support agricultural and horticultural courses, the Council has now secured the purchase of a farm adjacent to the campus.
Councillor Bryan Davies, Leader of Ceredigion County Council said: “We are pleased to now be in a position to share these exciting plans. We know how important the Lampeter campus is to the town and the wider community. Our ambition is to help to secure a sustainable future for the campus and to ensure that it continues to make a significant contribution to the regional economy.
“The vocational courses that we plan to offer will enable us to develop the skills required to meet employer needs around the region. The campus has significant potential. We will continue to work with UWTSD to explore the opportunity with a view to increasing the breadth of courses the campus can support over the next few years. It is important that learners can stay in their communities to learn and to be able to succeed in their chosen fields, whilst staying in Ceredigion”
Over the next three years, a range of vocational courses and skills-based programmes are planned to be made available at the Lampeter campus. The Council will also look to provide additional community facilities on the site.
A-level courses will not be provided on the campus, which will therefore not compete with school sixth forms for academic provision.
Emlyn Dole, Chair of UWTSD Council said: “The UWTSD Group, which includes Coleg Ceredigion, is pleased to be working with Ceredigion County Council on this exciting opportunity for the Lampeter campus. The plan announced today reflects our shared ambition to build a brighter future for Lampeter, one that is centred around creating new education and learning opportunities, strengthening community links and supporting the rural economy.
“This project will also ensure greater integration between the campus and Lampeter town, and I have no doubt that co-locating a significant number of post-16 learners on the campus will have a welcome impact on the local economy. We are grateful for the Council’s support and look forward to bringing this vision to life.”
A series of public meetings will be held in the coming months to discuss the plans and how they complement the ideas put forward by Lampeter Town Council and the Key Stakeholder Group convened by the University.
