Time to achieve your goals at Cardiff and Vale College
STUDENTS finishing their GCSEs and still contemplating their next step are being encouraged to visit Cardiff and Vale College (CAVC) on Wednesday, August 30 to discuss their options and claim the last remaining places on courses starting this September.
From A-levels and BTEC Extended Diplomas to career-focused courses and apprenticeships, CAVC offers the widest choice of pathways across Cardiff and the Vale, running at different levels to allow individuals to achieve their goals, whether university or a dream career.
Students have a choice of nearly 30 A-level courses including biology, English language and English literature, history, law, mathematics, media studies, photography, psychology and business, or an extensive range of career-focused courses, including aircraft engineering; hair, beauty and complementary therapies; hospitality; travel and tourism; sport and engineering, and business and IT.
Demand for full-time courses is at an all-time high with more people than ever before applying to study at one of the college’s sites across Cardiff and the Vale but, as Principal Kay Martin explains, it’s not too late to get your place:
“The appetite for full-time learners to study at CAVC is high with our A-level courses in particular receiving an unprecedented number of applications. With our state-of-the-art campuses and facilities and the depth and breadth of courses available across all our sites it’s an exciting time to be part of Cardiff and Vale College.
“Competition for places is high but there are still places available for some courses starting in September. Our enrolment period will provide those who’ve yet to make their final choices with the opportunity to come along, receive advice and guidance and secure their place on an appropriate course on a first-come, first-served basis to study at CAVC.”
Student success rates at CAVC are one of the best in the country; above the national comparator and continue to rise with more learners achieving their main qualification each year. Last year, 86% of learners progressed to further study, university or employment within three months of leaving the college and more than 1,000 have gone on to universitylevel study in the last few years.
Students looking to progress straight into employment after college are also reaping the benefits from their time at CAVC. Through its focus on employability, the college provides all students with opportunities to develop their skills through participation in work placements, national skills competitions, entrepreneurial challenges, masterclasses with business and industry, workshops and more. CAVC supports students to stand out from the crowd and progress.
In the last year, Cardiff and Vale College has seen many of its students embark upon life-changing experiences, seeing them win more medals in the Skills Competition Wales and WorldSkills contests than ever before.
Christopher Northfield won gold in the WorldSkills Web Design competition while Christopher Jones and Theordorous Tsounindas brought home silver and bronze respectively in Auto Refinishing, placing them among the very best in the UK.
Hairdressing students showed that they are a cut above with Nadia Hadjali being crowned Student of the Year by the Hairdressing Council and going on to win in the Skills Competition Wales Advanced Hairdressing competition alongside fellow student Nelly Tanetah.
Danielle Halford was recognised as one of the best Business learners in the country, winning the Sir Winfried Bischoff regional award for Wales, the West and Midlands for her commitment to the Career Ready programme.
“Career Ready at Cardiff and Vale College has been a life changing experience for me,” Danielle said. “I would never have expected to have the goals I have now compared to the ones I had before I started the programme – they are so much more ambitious.
“I’ve applied to go to university to do a degree in business management which is something that would never have crossed my mind before I started the Career Ready programme. It’s completely changed my career path and has been even better than I expected.”
Hospitality and catering student Amy Hoskins jetted off to India to represent Wales at the prestigious International Young Chef Olympiad competition. Amy, 21, was sponsored by the Cardiff Hoteliers’ Association and had a transformative experience cooking among the most promising young chefs in the world.
As part of its commitment to providing students and the community with inspirational, state-of-the-art learning environments, CAVC has significantly invested in upgrading its sites and facilities.
You could be one of the first people to study in its brand new Eastern Community Campus when it opens in 2018. A shared campus with Eastern High, CAVC will provide high quality post-16 education at a range of levels in subjects including construction, engineering and building services, business, creative, automotive, health and care, preparation for work, catering and hospitality, sport, tourism and public services.
The college’s landmark £45m City Centre Campus is just five minutes’ walk from Cardiff Central Station with impressive teaching facilities including specialist labs, construction and automotive training centres, a fifth-floor training restaurant, huge commercial salon and spa, art and design studios, IT suites as well as its own cafe, convenience store, Subway and coffee shop for students.
Cardiff International Sports Campus is CAVC’s fantastic dedicated space for those wishing to train for a future career in sport. It underpins an already well-established sports provision at the college including several successful sports academies such as rugby and football. This year will also see investment in equipment at a range of sites including the College’s International Centre for Aerospace Training in the Vale.
Open enrolment for places on Cardiff and Vale College’s wide range of courses takes place on Wednesday, August 30 at its Cardiff City Centre Campus and Barry Colcot Road Campus from 10am-7pm.