Career Ready students graduate from Cardiff and Vale College

Cardiff and Vale College has played host to 25 students as they celebrated their graduation from its Career Ready programme with their friends, parents and mentors.

The graduation ceremony was held in The Classroom, the College’s landmark modern European restaurant with views across Cardiff at its City Centre Campus. Students were presented with a certificate for completing the programme by Welsh international and Newport Gwent Dragons rugby player Ashton Hewitt.

The programme, run in CAVC by Career Ready Manager Tracy Bird, is part of a UK-wide charity linking employers with schools and colleges to open up the world of work to young people aged 16 to 19. Learners at CAVC can apply to join the programme to run alongside their course and receive mentoring, masterclasses, workplace visits and internships.

Awards were also presented. The Career Ready Student of the Year Award 2018 was won by Dylan Eveleigh for his creativity, attention to detail, enthusiasm and potential.

“I was very surprised and very grateful to Tracy and everyone on the team to win this award,” Dylan, who is 17 and from Pontypridd, said. “The Career Ready programme is invaluable – it’s unique and offers unparalleled experience which is unlike anything offered by other schools and colleges.”

The CAVC Career Programme expands year on year to include more courses. This year Construction courses were featured for the first time and the Think Build Construction Student of the Year Award was won by Level 3 Enhanced Diploma in Construction and Built Environment learner Nia Jones.

“I’m very grateful for this award,” 17-year-old Nia from Bridgend said. “I have received some fantastic opportunities and more people should get involved with Career Ready to learn skills for the world of work. The construction industry is growing massively and more girls need to get involved in construction as well.”

Career Ready Student Achievement Award went to Callum James, a 19-year-old IT learner from Cardiff, for the way he had constantly challenged himself through the past year, with developing confidence and ability that amazed his tutor and mentor. The Cardiff West Community High School Student of the Year Award was won by 18-year-old Georgia Newman, also from Cardiff.

The Outstanding Achievement Award was won by Lloyds Bank Head of Colleague Engagement and Insight Steve Pember for his work on the Career Ready Local advisory Board. Collecting the award on Steve’s behalf, Career Ready Lead Regional Manager for Wales and the West Simon Page said: “I would like to thank the College for the strategic relationship we have together. There’s real best practice here – we work with 300 schools and colleges and some of the stuff that’s coming out of Cardiff and Vale College is simply mind blowing.”

CAVC Career ready Manager Tracy Bird said: “I am honoured and proud to celebrate the success of our Career Ready learners. These students embraced the opportunity to build a successful career path.

“Each one of them has been supported by mentors’ masterclasses, workplace visits and internships. We have a significant role to play in enabling young people to deliver their potential and for us to deliver a skilled workforce.

“With help of our volunteers and supports we have achieved this, not only producing a skilled team of Career Ready learners but also successful ones. Career Ready students of today are our future.”

The ceremony was presided over by Danielle Halford, a former Career Ready student who has been employed by the College as a Career Ready apprentice. Former Career Ready students Connor Csaszar and Kathryn Parker who are now a part of the CAVC Career Ready Student Bilingual Board spoke of their experiences, and Camilla Bollington of Forseti Associates and Women in Property also spoke about gender and the construction industry.