Salon and cafe to open at college
A SALON and restaurant run by students will open at Aberdare’s new Coleg y Cymoedd campus.
The £22m site, which will open in September 2017 with state-of-the-art facilities in Robertstown, will see students on its professional cookery programme and its health and beauty course ‘learn on the job’ on site.
The salon and restaurant will be open to the public, and is expected to provide its student-run services at cheap prices.
The news comes as a ‘topping out’ ceremony took place at the building last week, to signify the point when the entire structure of the campus has been built. Meanwhile, it has also been announced that an extended range of courses will be offered, with new subjects that are not currently taught at Aberdare ‘s existing Coleg y Cymoedd campus in Cwmdare.
They include creative arts and media, a sports curriculum and a higher education centre for courses offering Level 4 qualification and above.
Speaking at the ‘topping out’ event Judith Evans, principal at Coleg y Cymoedd, said: “This is a hugely exciting project for the college that is starting to really take shape now.
“Thanks to Kier’s hard work, we’re on track to open the college next September, it will completely reinvigorate post-16 education in Aberdare for hundreds of learners.
“What’s more, we believe the campus will become a hub for the community as they take advantage of the new salon and restaurant run by our learners which is open to the public.”
The project is being half funded by the Welsh Government, and last month Rhondda Cynon Taf council leader said the college combined with the nearby £55m Aberdare Community School will provide the town with unrivalled post-16 education across the valleys .
Welsh Government Minister for Lifelong Learning and Welsh Language, Alun Davies AM, added: “This new campus exemplifies the Coleg’s mission to make excellence in education and skills development a reality for all learners in the communities it serves, in particular changing the face of post-16 education in the South Wales valleys.
“The Welsh Government recognises that it is vital to the future economy of Wales that education is delivered in fit for the future facilities, which are environmentally responsible, modern and technologically advanced.
“This building promises a fantastic environment to develop confident, motivated learners, and encourage those learners to gain the skills they need to progress and achieve their aspirations, whether progressing to higher education, an apprenticeship programme or employment.”
David Wainwright, commercial director for contractors Kier Construction Western and Wales added: “Coleg y Cymoedd’s new Aberdare campus is on target to achieve BREEAM Excellence, an accolade that demonstrates the com- bined team commitment to sustainability.
“Learners from the college’s existing campuses have been able to visit the site during the build process, and expand their knowledge by experiencing how classroom theories are applied in practice on a live construction site.
“Students have also been given insight to the vast range of career opportunities available in construction.”