Monday 6 June 2011

June 2011

I was delighted to be present at the Colegau Cymru Awards presentation when the College was successful in gaining the ‘Maintaining and improving quality award for Wales’. This was a very competitive category including some of the high achieving colleges in Wales. This provides the College with an excellent platform to continue the many initiatives which have been initiated to maintain this important agenda for the College. This allied to the release by Welsh Assembly Government of the Learner Outcomes data reflects well on student achievement at the College, placing us at the forefront of achievement in Wales.

Other achievements have recently included a clean sweep at the Niace Awards with the following staff being recognised for their achievements:

Rhian Evans - Basic Skills Tutor of the Year
Ms Helen Hodgkinson - Vocational Tutor of the Year
Mrs Melinda Gardner Digital Inclusion Award
Ms Eirlys Bowler - Further Education Learner of the Year

Congratulations are also extended to Michael Norton and Joyce Sneddon for their performance in their MA in Management Studies, recognised as being the highest marks awarded by the University of Wales, Newport in this category.

On a completely different note the meetings with managers to review efficiency are ongoing and strategies are now in place to achieve a £1million reduction in expenditure for the coming year, reflecting the uncertainty of future funding regimes. The College is working hard to future proof its activities to allow for long term sustainable developments. The recent disappointment of the reductions in work based activity have been compensated to a degree by successes in strategic European projects, which has facilitated a realignment of activity without unnecessary staff disruption. Nevertheless the College has had to face up to uncomfortable decisions to balance work based expenditure with income.

It was also a pleasure to visit the Glynllifon site last week and to undertake an informal tour of the ‘Pentre Addysg’. What an exciting project which will bring long term benefits to the area and provide the resource base for the land based industry which for some time has been lacking. We continue to have some concerns relating to the completion date for the project but I have recently been reassured that significant parts of the new build will be open to the new intake in September.

Our discussions with Coleg Menai have also reached a decisive phase and a joint Board conference in late June will pave the way for separate Board decisions in July as to whether the proposed merger scenario will become a reality. As no formal decisions have as yet been taken it is difficult to discuss in an open manner. Suffice to say that key staff at both Colleges are working hard on the project, which is expected to become the cornerstone of the ongoing response to transformation in Wales.

On a final note, blog readers may be aware that the book on the history of Coleg Llandrillo, will be entitled ‘O Grefft i Gryfder’ (From Skill to Strength) and will be formally released in the early Autumn. The book, written by Gill Evans, traces the growth and development of the College from its early beginnings to the point of the recent merger with Coleg Merion Dwyfor.

On a lighter note at the recent Colegau Cymru conference I was invited to present Richard Hart with a gift as recognition of his work with the FE sector over many years. Richard was most recently the Regional Director for North Wales - Welsh Assembly Government. His response is recorded below for posterity. Richard Hart pictured from right to left above pictured with myself and Dr John Graystone, Chief Executive, Colegau Cymru, 26 May 2011, Colegau Cymru Awards Presentation Cardiff Hilton


Ten Principals in a line
One named Fred and then there were nine

Nine civil servants deciding who to relocate
One sent to Llandudno Junction and then there were eight

Eight quango types thought ELWa was just heaven
But along came the Pop Factory and then there were seven

Seven Principals thought their budgets were in a fix
But I’m alright, said David Jones and then there were six

Those six College Principals saw their funding take a dive
Glyn Jones said Andrew Clark’ll look after me and then there were five

Five College Principals were now feeling rather poor
I’ll be safe if I merge with Llandrillo thought one and then there was four

Four College Principals just could not agree
So Paul Croke said I’m off and then there were three

Three Civil Servants wondering what to do
One took early retirement to become a NEET and then there was two

Two College Principals deciding how to have fun
Let’s have another merger said Huw and then there was one

One College Principal had no-one with whom to debate,
so he brought in Gavin Thomas at twice the hourly rate……



Roedd hi’n bleser gen i fod yn bresennol yng nghyflwyniad Gwobrau Colegau Cymru pan enillodd y Coleg ‘Wobr Cynnal a Gwella Ansawdd dros Gymru’. Roedd hwn yn gategori cystadleuol iawn gan gynnwys rhai o’r colegau mwyaf llwyddiannus yng Nghymru. Mae’r wobr yn rhoi platfform ardderchog i’r Coleg i barhau gyda sawl menter a gychwynnwyd i gadw’r agenda hwn sy’n bwysig iawn i’r Coleg. Mae hyn, ynghyd â data Canlyniadau Dysgwyr a gyhoeddwyd gan Lywodraeth Cynulliad Cymru, yn adlewyrchu’n dda ar gyrhaeddiad myfyrwyr yn y Coleg, gan ein rhoi ar flaen cyrhaeddiad yng Nghymru.

Mae cyraeddiadau eraill diweddar yn cynnwys llwyddiant yng Ngwobrau Niace ble cafodd cyraeddiadau’r staff canlynol eu cydnabod:

Rhian Evans – Tiwtor Sgiliau Sylfaenol y Flwyddyn
Ms Helen Hodgkinson – Tiwtor Galwedigaethol y Flwyddyn
Mrs Melinda Gardner – Gwobr Cynhwysiant Digidol
Ms Eirlys Bowler – Dysgwr Addysg Bellach y Flwyddyn

Fe hoffwn hefyd ddweud llongyfarchiadau wrth Michael Norton a Joyce Sneddon am ennill eu MA mewn Astudiaethau Rheolaeth, gan ennill y marciau uchaf a wobrwywyd gan Brifysgol Cymru, Casnewydd yn y categori hwn.

Ar nodyn cwbl wahanol, mae’r cyfarfodydd gyda’r rheolwyr er mwyn adolygu effeithiolrwydd yn parhau ac mae strategaethau nawr yn eu lle i wario £1 miliwn o bunnoedd yn llai dros y flwyddyn nesaf, gan adlewyrchu’r ansicrwydd yn y drefn gyllido ar gyfer y dyfodol. Mae’r Coleg yn gweithio’n galed i ddiogelu ei weithgareddau ar gyfer y dyfodol er mwyn galluogi i ddatblygiadau cynaliadwy hir dymor fynd yn eu blaen. Mae’r llwyddiant o ennill prosiectau Ewropeaidd strategol wedi gwneud yn iawn am y siom diweddar yng ngostyngiad mewn cytundeb seiliedig ar waith, sydd wedi golygu hwyluso aildrefnu’r gweithgaredd heb amharu gormod ar staff. Er hynny, mae’r Coleg wedi gorfod wynebu penderfyniadau anodd i gydbwyso gwariant seiliedig ar waith gydag incwm.

Roedd hi’n bleser ymweld â safle Glynllifon yr wythnos diwethaf i gael taith anffurfiol o amgylch y ‘Pentre Addysg’. Mae hwn yn brosiect a fydd yn creu manteision hir dymor i’r ardal ac yn darparu’r sylfaen o adnoddau ar gyfer diwydiant diwydiannau’r tir a fu’n brin ers tro. Mae pryderon ynghylch y dyddiad cwblhau yn parhau, ond cefais sicrwydd yn ddiweddar y bydd rhannau arwyddocaol o’r adeilad newydd ar agor i dderbyn myfyrwyr newydd ym mis Medi.

Mae’n trafodaethau gyda Choleg Menai wedi cyrraedd pwynt tyngedfennol, a bydd cynhadledd Bwrdd ar y cyd yn niwedd mis Mehefin yn paratoi’r ffordd i’r Byrddau wneud penderfyniadau ar wahân ym mis Gorffennaf, i weld a fydd yr uno’n troi’n realiti. Gan bod penderfyniad ffurfiol heb ei wneud eto, mae hi’n anodd trafod a sgwrsio mewn modd agored. Digon yw dweud bod staff allweddol y ddau Goleg yn gweithio’n galed ar y prosiect, a disgwylir iddo fod yn gonglfaen yn yr ymateb parhaus i drawsffurfio yng Nghymru.

Ar nodyn terfynol, efallai bod darllenwyr y blog yn ymwybodol mai teitl y llyfr am hanes Coleg Llandrillo fydd ‘O Grefft i Gryfder’, a chaiff ei gyhoeddi’n fuan yn yr hydref. Mae’r llyfr, a ysgrifennir gan Gill Evans, yn olrhain tyfiant a datblygiad y Coleg o’r dyddiau cynnar hyd at yr uno diweddar gyda Choleg Meirion-Dwyfor.
Ar nodyn ysgafnach, cefais wahoddiad i gyflwyno gwobr i Richard Hart yng nghynhadledd diweddar Colegau Cymru fel cydnabyddiaeth o’i waith yn y sector AB ers sawl blwyddyn. Yn fwyaf diweddar, roedd Richard yn Gyfarwyddwr Rhanbarthol Gogledd Cymru – Llywodraeth Cynulliad Cymru. Nodir ei ymateb isod:

Richard Hart 26 Mai 2011
Seremoni Cyflwyno Gwobrau Colegau Cymru, Gwestyr Hilton Caerdydd


Ten Principals in a line
One named Fred and then there were nine

Nine civil servants deciding who to relocate
One sent to Llandudno Junction and then there were eight

Eight quango types thought ELWa was just heaven
But along came the Pop Factory and then there were seven

Seven Principals thought their budgets were in a fix
But I’m alright, said David Jones and then there were six

Those six College Principals saw their funding take a dive
Glyn Jones said Andrew Clark’ll look after me and then there were five

Five College Principals were now feeling rather poor
I’ll be safe if I merge with Llandrillo thought one and then there was four

Four College Principals just could not agree
So Paul Croke said I’m off and then there were three

Three Civil Servants wondering what to do
One took early retirement to become a NEET and then there was two

Two College Principals deciding how to have fun
Let’s have another merger said Huw and then there was one

One College Principal had no-one with whom to debate,
so he brought in Gavin Thomas at twice the hourly rate……