Cardiff and Vale College joins forces with new partners to offer more Higher Education courses

Cardiff and Vale College has joined forces with a range of new partner universities to offer a range of exciting new higher education courses, enabling to people to study for a degree without leaving college.

The College is working with the University of Birmingham and Buckingham New University, alongside Cardiff Met, Kingston University, the University of South Wales and the University of West London to give people the opportunity to gain a university-level qualification in a wide range of new subjects. Many of these courses will be unique to the region.

From high tea to high finance, Cardiff and Vale College is collaborating with these universities to broaden and strengthen its unique Higher Education offer to meet the needs of employers and enhance the skills of its learners. From HNCs to PGCEs, from video game design to Airline and Airport Management, CAVC is boosting the Higher Education options it can offer.

Students on the Airline and Airport Management degree will have the opportunity to study at the College’s International Centre for Aerospace Training. This internationally renowned facility, based at Cardiff Airport, includes classrooms as well specialist workshops, laboratories and a real-life hangar with aircraft where people can develop their practical skills for a career in the aerospace industry.

Meanwhile, CAVC has also entered into a new partnership with University College Birmingham to offer foundation degrees in Hospitality, Tourism and Events Management and Professional Culinary Arts Management. The catering industry is a massive growth area in Wales, employing nearly 10% of the Welsh workforce, and bosses are hungry for new talent, which the College aims to provide.

Students on these hospitality degree courses will be able to work in the College’s commercial kitchens, gaining first-hand experience of industry-standard facilities.

Holiday Inn General Manager Richard Platt said of the new Hospitality, Tourism and Events Management foundation degree:“Finding enough high calibre, capable staff to fill skilled roles remains, by far, one of the biggest challenges as our sector continues to grow. The programme offered by Cardiff and Vale College will help us overcome this challenge. Holiday Inn Cardiff City Centre is proud to be associated with the College which now has an inspirational building and environment to compliment the high level of education it has always offered.”

Master patissier Massimo Bishop-Scotti heads Zucchero in Pontyclun and is renowned for his chocolate creations. He reckons the hospitality industry is crying out for people with the qualification a foundation degree in Professional Culinary Arts Management brings.

“The hospitality and catering industry increasingly needs Culinary Arts Managers and Chefs with a higher academic ability that can offer a high level of technical skills and an understanding of how to effectively manage operational costs and staff,” he said. “Cardiff and Vale College’s new Professional Culinary Arts Management programme will be invaluable in preparing learners for employment by teaching them how to apply theory in the workplace as well as giving them the skills needed for working in a professional culinary environment. As an employer in this area I would be happy to guarantee an interview to students who have completed this qualification.”

Paul Russell, Dean of University College Birmingham’s School of Hospitality, Tourism and Events Management, said the university was excited to be working with CAVC.

“University College Birmingham are looking forward to the introduction of this exciting new partnership and are delighted to be working with Cardiff and Vale College,” he said. “The state of the art facilities and experienced teaching staff of CAVC will mean that students entering the programme will be able to graduate with the skills and knowledge required to add immediate value to a range of hospitality organisations or progress into further study.”

Other HE courses available at CAVC include new HNC/D in Sports Coaching and Development, and Rugby and Football Coaching which will be offered at the College’s new Cardiff International Sports Campus in Leckwith. Other new foundation degrees in Finance, Fashion Styling, Psychology, English and History, Game Art and Design, and Product Design are available.

CAVC Vice Principal Emil Evans said, ” CAVC’s growing portfolio of Higher Education qualifications is designed in partnership with a range of universities and employers to ensure that every Foundation Degree or HNC/D we offer is practical and professional as well as academic. All our HE courses are designed with our students’ future career prospects in mind and are focused on developing the knowledge and skills needed for current and future job markets. We work closely with our University partners to ensure we provide clear progression routes through to the final year of a full honours degree programme at University and provide every student with the best possible prospects of sustainable employment within their chosen career.”