College to get world-class skills boost after joining exclusive Centre of Excellence

COLEG CAMBRIA will get a world-class skills boost after being selected to join an elite training programme.

The north east Wales college is one of 12 institutions to become part of the WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence, in addition to 20 announced last autumn when the three-year pilot project was launched.

The Centre of Excellence – partnered and funded by educational charity and awarding body NCFE – will see more than 40,000 young students and apprentices – from all socio-economic groups across the UK – armed with world-class skills.

It aims to supercharge the quality and delivery of technical and vocational learning by transferring top-class expertise and knowledge to help develop educators and students.

Tutors at Cambria will receive exclusive ‘train the trainer sessions’ and 60 hours of intensive continual professional development.

The news comes after Cambria unveiled the largest WorldSkills UK cohort in Wales; 24 representatives who will take part in the competition this November across a range of subjects.

Chief Executive Yana Williams said it was a privilege to be included alongside some of the leading colleges and training providers in the UK.

“Coleg Cambria has a rich tradition of success at WorldSkills UK, so we are delighted to be named among the institutions chosen to join the Centre of Excellence,” she said.

“Every year we strive to improve and grow as an organisation, for our students, staff and the community.

“In partnership with some of this region’s leading lights in business and industry we have managed to do so and will have a wealth of experience and ability to contribute to this new Centre – we look forward to being a part of it.”

The UK Government recently cited the WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence as a prime example of how it wanted organisations with the relevant expertise to provide high-quality training and development for teaching staff.

Dr Neil Bentley-Gockmann OBE, CEO of WorldSkills UK, said: “In order to deliver the world-class skills that employers demand to be internationally competitive, we need to invest in the educators that are training young people for the future.

“The Centre of Excellence is a radical new way of bringing global best practice to local economies. Mainstreaming excellence in training standards and delivering it directly to tens of thousands of young students and apprentices at their places of learning is key to levelling up the economy and attracting inward investment.

“This new phase of the project means that we are now supporting young people the length and breadth of the UK.”

The effectiveness of the programme will be tested by measuring impact on learners, educators, and institutions in order to continually develop and innovate.

This level of insight will help the organisations involved to develop a programme which will give more young people, irrespective of background, better work and life opportunities, and help boost economic productivity.

Visit www.worldskillsuk.org for more information on WorldSkills UK.

For more news and information from Coleg Cambria, visit www.cambria.ac.uk.