Continuing Success for Welsh FE Sees Gwent Employee Pick Up Award

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In the FE awards ceremonies of 2005, the Welsh FE sector swept the board. With only 25 FE colleges, they managed to win approximately 20% of the awards on offer.

It seems that, far from resting on their laurels, the FE sector in Wales is continuing in its efforts to drive forward the skills agenda that the Government is so passionately advocating. Coleg Gwent are delighted to announce that one of their employees has been recognised for her innovative work in key skills training, and has won an award.

Excellence in Key Skills Provision

The employee in question is Maliika Kaaba, whose role at the college is as Basic and Key Skills Manager. She was understandably pleased and proud to collect the award, jointly offered by the Dysg and City & Guilds (Award for Excellence in Key Skills Provision). The award is specifically designed to support the work of colleges offering learning programmes to students already in work, building and awareness of political and social concerns, as well as economic and technological changes in Wales today.

The award was launched by City & Guilds in an attempt to determine just how learning providers offer students information and access to the Welsh cultural, political and social heritage, and the Welsh position in the increasingly globalised and interconnected world. With the growth in global competition and international investment, the importance to tourism and trade of ever greater understanding and knowledge, there has never been a more crucial time to understand a nation’s position in the larger picture.

This forms a key component of another initiative being piloted by Coleg Gwent, namely the new Welsh Baccalaureate qualification. This award will help to spread awareness and encourage the sharing of best practice beyond national boundaries, with City & Guilds offering to pay the college up to £2,500 to send a delegation of staff and students to the International Education and Resources Network Conference in the Netherlands in July. This, it is hoped, will enable both staff and students to learn more about helping students to develop their key skills.

A Great Opportunity

Reacting to her victory, Maliika said: “I am delighted that the college has won this award, which is testament to the hard work being done at Coleg Gwent to help students understand the relationship between Wales, the UK, Europe and the world. The chance to attend the conference in the Netherlands is a fantastic occasion for both staff and students. They will gain the opportunity to meet others from all over the world who are involved in key skills with work-based learners and share ideas with them.”

The Manager of City & Guilds in Wales, Natalie Jenkins, commented on the importance of such an award: “Decisions made by political institutions and commercial organisations around the globe have a very real impact on the quality of all our lives and increasingly, workers need to understand how their vocational area fits in to the larger context. I would like to congratulate all at Coleg Gwent on their work, particularly with regard to helping students understand the transferability of skills between people living in Wales and the rest of the EU.”

Jethro Marsh

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