Wednesday 4 March 2009

Latest update 2/3/09

Yn dilyn amser prysur i fyny at hanner tymor y coleg, mae’r wythnosau’n dechrau hedfan heibio. Cafodd Pencampwriaethau Coginiol Cymraeg eu cynnal yn y Coleg yn ystod hanner tymor. Enillodd Tîm Coginio Seland Newydd y wobr Aur gyda Cymru’n ennill y fedel Arian. Mynychwyd y Pencampwriaethau gan golegau o ar draws y wlad ac enillodd fyfyrwyr Coleg Llandrillo nifer o fedelau yn y cystadlaethau unigol. Llongyfarchiadau i bawb a fu’n cymryd rhan.

Cyn hanner tymor, mynychodd Derwena Watkin, Joyce Sneddon a minnau seremoni Beacon ardderchog yn Llundain, pan gafodd y coleg ei ddyfarnu gyda Gwobr Beacon am Ymrwymiad Cyflogwr. Mae hyn yn gyrhaeddiad aruthrol ac yn gydnabyddiaeth ardderchog o waith a wneir ar draws y Coleg.

I’r rheiny ohonoch a fynychodd sesiwn Nigel Risner yng Nghyfarfod Canolfan Datrysiad Busnes byddwch nawr yn deall y gwahaniaeth rhwng ‘Dolffin a Mwnci’. Eto, roedd hwn yn gyfarfod ardderchog a gafodd ei fynychu gan dros wyth deg o gynrychiolwyr allanol.

Mae trafodaethau am Chweched y Rhyl yn parhau ac mae cynlluniau nawr yn eu lle ar gyfer dechrau 2009, ac adeilad newydd yn 2010. Rydym yn parhau i geisio sefydlu partneriaeth llawn gyda’r ddau ysgol yn y Rhyl, sydd mor bwysig at ddyfodol y dref a’r cyfleoedd sydd ar gael i bobl ifanc.

Wrth i mi ysgrifennu hwn rydym yn agosáu at Ddigwyddiad Cynllunio Strategol ar ddydd Gwener Chwefror 6ed. Eleni, bydd y canolbwynt ar ymdriniaethau newydd ac arloesiad. Mae grwpiau o staff wedi cael eu gwahodd i gyflwyno syniadau newydd i wella ein gwasanaeth yng nghyd-destun datblygiad sgiliau ac addysg a hyfforddiant. Rwy’n gobeithio yr aiff y diwrnod yn hwylus a phob lwc i’r enillwyr canlyniadol.


Mae addysg galwedigaethol uwch yn rhan bwysig o fusnes y coleg a’r wythnos diwethaf cyflwynais dystiolaeth i’r Pwyllgor oedd yn edrych ar ddyfodol AU yng Nghymru. Mae hi’n bwysig y caiff cyfraniad unigryw coleg AU mawr ei ddeall yng nghyd-destun sgiliau lefel uwch.

Rwy’n parhau i geisio gael eich barn am y cwestiynau a ofynnir isod ac rwy’n edrych ymlaen i dderbyn eich ymateb:


1) Oes yna unrhyw feysydd cwricwlwm sydd ddim yn cael eu blaenoriaethu ac â’r potensial i dyfu yn y dyfodol mewn ymateb i’r economi lleol?

2) Beth ddylai ein ymateb fod yng nghyd-destun datblygu hyfforddiant a sgiliau yn y cwymp economaidd presennol?

3) Allai ein gwasanaethau i fyfyrwyr gael eu gwella mewn unrhyw ffordd?

4) Fel rhan o’n ‘trawsnewid’ o wasanaethau addysgiadol a ddylai’r Coleg fod yn edrych am bartneriaethau a chynghreiriau newydd i adeiladu mas critigol a gwella ymateb strategol i Ganol a Gogledd Orllewin Cymru?


Following a busy time leading up to the college half term, the weeks are starting to fly by. The successful Welsh Culinary Championships were held at the College during half term. The New Zealand Culinary Team won Gold with Wales winning Silver. The Championships were attended by many colleges from across the Country and Coleg Llandrillo’s own students won numerous medals in the individual competitions. Congratulations to all participants.

Prior to half term, Derwena Watkin, Joyce Sneddon and I attended the excellent Beacon ceremony in London, when the college was awarded with its Beacon Award for Employer Engagement. This is a tremendous achievement and recognition of the excellent work undertaken across the College.

For those of you that attended the Nigel Risner session at the first Business Solutions Centre Meeting you will by now understand the difference between being a ‘Dolphin and a Monkey’. Again, this was an excellent meeting which was attended by over eighty external representatives.

Discussions on the Rhyl Sixth continue and plans are now in place for a 2009 start, and a new build for 2010. We continue to strive to establish a full partnership with the two Schools in Rhyl, which is so important for the future of the town and the opportunities made available for young people.

As I write we are nearing the Strategic Planning Event on Friday 6th March. This year, the focus will be on new approaches and innovation. Groups of staff have been invited to put forward new ideas for improving our service in the context of skills development and education and training. I hope the day goes well and good luck to the eventual winners.
Vocational higher education is an important part of college business and last week I gave evidence to the Committee looking at the future of HE in Wales. It is important that the unique contribution of a large FE college is fully understood in the context of developing higher level skills.


I continue to seek your views on the questions posed below and I look forward to receiving your responses:


1) Are there any curriculum areas which we are currently not prioritising and have the potential for future growing in response to the local economy?


2) What should be our response be in a training and skills development context to the current economic downturn?


3) Could our services to students be improved in any way?


4) As part of ‘transformation’ of educational services should the College be looking at new partnerships and alliances to build critical mass and improve the strategic response to Central and North West Wales?