Monday, 20 July 2009

Summer 2009

As thoughts turn towards summer holidays and possibly some relaxation it is also useful to remind ourselves of what has been achieved over the year.

The high point of the college calendar for me is always the main College Awards Day held in July. This year was no exception, celebrating and recognising the achievements of nearly 300 graduates and 14 student achievers, nominated by staff of the college for their outstanding contribution. I was also surprised and honoured to be presented by an award to recognise twenty years of service as Principal. Thank you to everyone who has made this experience so fulfilling.

Over the last few weeks I have also tried to keep you all informed of progress relating to the merger with Coleg Meirion Dwyfor. Early in July the Boards of both colleges agreed to move onto a more detailed planning phase with a view to merger from Easter 2010. The challenge is to ensure that core systems e.g. financial, quality, human resources and learner support are harmonised across both colleges. The aim is to achieve the best outcomes for student and position the new institution to be sustainable and able to meet the challenges of changing funding regimes. This will be achieved within an environment and culture which is high performing and builds upon the expertise of staff in both colleges.

The Coleg Llandrillo brand will be protected and the new institution and its constituent colleges will form part of a Coleg Llandrillo group of colleges, operating across a significant part of Central and North West Wales. The new college will be operating to a budget of £44,000,000 and will meet the needs of over 25,000 students and 1250 staff.

In Rhyl, rapid progress is being made to create the Rhyl Sixth. The Sixth forms are being scheduled for closure from September 2009 and all post 16 students in Rhyl will come under the college. From September 2009 students will be part of a transitionary phase until the new building has been completed and from September 2010 all students who would have progressed to year 12 and 13 will instead progress to the Rhyl Sixth, which will be an integral part of Coleg Llandrillo.


This development will considerably increase choice and opportunity for young people in Rhyl, and will be developed as a landmark education project for Wales. It is anticipated that that certainly in the early phase of the project that some of the potential students will continue to transfer to the Llandrillo Rhos site, and this option will remain open to all. Over a period of time it is projected that the students will opt to stay within the Rhyl environment as part of the Rhyl Sixth or Coleg Llandrillo Rhyl. These developments are seen as integral to the regeneration of the area.

On the Rhos site, the Marine and Built Environment Centre (MBEC) is nearing completion. This impressive developments is projected to be completed ahead of schedule to accommodate the new intake from the beginning of the Autumn term. The related landscaping, car park and new road developments will be completed by Christmas. This will return us to full car parking capacity with a new entrance road. My thanks to all the staff for their patience over the last year related to congestion and reduced car parking.

Continuing with the estate development programme, the coming academic year will also see the creation of a new Institute of Health which will be a refurbishment of the Mostyn block and a new administration area developed on the site of the current examination mobiles on the ‘top’ road. The old hall area being refurbished for enhanced student facilitates. These are important developments for the college which will continue the modernisation programme and take us into the next phase of development.

As the 2008/9 academic year draws to a close it is pleasing to record yet another year of expansion. Our FT 16-19 year old students increased, our HE students and work based students all expanded. Alongside this our retention rates improved and our institutional attainment rate is projected to continue at a high level. Financially the College is regarded as the most successful in Wales allowing us to invest in new staff and resources.

So, as we contemplate or indeed are taking holidays, take a little time out for self congratulation. It takes an incredibly strong team to produce these results. My thanks to all of you, for your contribution to this success.
Gorffennaf 2009

Wrth i’n meddyliau droi tuag at wyliau’r haf ac o bosib rhywfaint o ymlacio byddai hefyd yn ddefnyddiol i atgoffa’n hunain o’r hyn a gyflawnwyd dros y flwyddyn.

Uchafbwynt calendr y coleg i oedd prif Ddiwrnod Gwobrwyo’r Coleg a gynhaliwyd yng Ngorffennaf. Doedd eleni ddim yn eithriad, gan ddathlu a chydnabod cyraeddiadau bron i 300 o raddedigion a 14 cyflawnwyr, a enwebwyd gan staff y coleg ar gyfer cyfraniad rhagorol. Cefais i sioc ac anrhydedd o gael fy ngwobrwyo gyda gwobr i gydnabod ugain mlynedd fel Prifathro. Diolch i bawb sydd wedi ei wneud yn brofiad mor foddhaus.

Dros yr wythnosau diwethaf rwyf wedi ceisio eich hysbysu o’r cynnydd ynghylch yr uniad gyda Choleg Meirion-Dwyfor. Yn gynnar yng Ngorffennaf cytunodd Byddai’r ddwy goleg i symud i gam cynllunio mwy manwl gyda goleg i uno ym Mhasg 2010. Y sialens i yw sicrhau fod systemau craidd e.e. ariannol, ansawdd, adnoddau dynol a chefnogaeth dysgwyr yn cael eu hasio ar draws y ddwy goleg. Y bwriad yw i o gyflawni’r canlyniadau gorau i’r myfyrwyr a lleoli’r sefydliad newydd i fod yn gynaliadwy ac i allu cwrdd a sialensiau o drefniadau ariannu newidiol. Caiff hyn ei gyflawni o fewn amgylchedd a diwylliant sydd yn perfformio’n llwyddiannus ac yn adeiladu ar arbenigedd y staff yn y ddau goleg.

Caiff brand Coleg Llandrillo yn cael ei amddiffyn a bydd y sefydliad newydd a’i golegau cyfansoddol yn ffurfio rhan o grŵp o golegau Coleg Llandrillo, gan weithredu ar dras rhan sylweddol o Ganol a Gogledd Orllewin Cymru. Bydd y coleg newydd yn gweithredu gyda chyllideb o £44,000,000 a bydd yn cwrdd ag anghenion dros 25,000 o fyfyrwyr a 1250 o staff.

Yn y Rhyl, mae cynnydd cyflym yn cael ei wneud i greu Chweched y Rhyl. Bydd dosbarthiadau Chweched yn cau ym mis Medi 2009 a bydd pob myfyriwr ôl-16 yn y Rhyl yn dod o dan ofal y coleg. O fis Medi 2009 bydd myfyrwyr yn rhan o gyfnod o drawsnewid nes i’r adeilad newydd gael ei gwblhau ac o fis Medi 2010 bydd pob myfyriwr a fyddai wedi datblygu i flwyddyn 12 a 13 yn datblygu i Chweched y Rhyl yn lle, a fydd yn rhan integrol o Goleg Llandrillo.
Bydd y datblygiad yma’n cynyddu dewis a chyfleoedd i bobl ifanc yn y Rhyl yn sylweddol, a cafodd ei ddatblygu fel prosiect trobwynt addysgiadol i Gymru. Rhagwelir y bydd rhai darpar fyfyrwyr yn parhau i drosglwyddo i safle Llandrillo Rhos yn fuan yn y prosiect, a bydd yr opsiwn yma ar agor i bawb. Dros gyfnod o amser rhagwelid y bydd y myfyrwyr yn dewis aros o fewn amgylchedd y Rhyl fel rhan o Chweched y Rhyl neu Goleg Llandrillo y Rhyl. Gwelir y datblygiadau yma yn integrol i ailffurfio’r ardal.

Ar safle Rhos, mae Canolfan Morwrol ac Amgylchedd Adeiledig bron a chael ei orffen. Rhagwelir y bydd y datblygiad gafaelgar yma’n cael ei gwblhau o flaen amser gydag amserlen i allu derbyn myfyrwyr newydd ar ddechrau Tymor yr Hydref. Bydd y tirlunio, maes parcio a datblygiad ffordd newydd yn cael eu cwblhau erbyn y Nadolig. Bydd hyn yn ein dychwelyd at argaeledd parcio llawn gyda ffordd fynedfa newydd. Llawer o ddiolch i’r holl staff am eu hamynedd dros y flwyddyn ddiwethaf yn gysylltiedig i dagfeydd a llai o lefydd parcio.
Gan barhau gyda rhaglen ddatblygiad ystâd, bydd y flwyddyn academaidd newydd yn gweld cread Sefydliad Iechyd newydd a fydd yn adffurfiant o floc Mostyn a bydd ardal weinyddol newydd yn cael ei ddatblygu ar safle hen ddosbarthiadau arholiadau ar y ffordd ‘uchaf’. Mae ardal yr hen neuadd yn cael ei ailwampio i alluogi am fwy o gyfleusterau myfyrwyr. Mae rhain yn ddatblygiadau pwysig i’r coleg a fydd yn parhau gyda’r rhaglen moderneiddio a’n cymryd i’r cam nesaf o ddatblygiad.
Wrth i flwyddyn academaidd 2008/09 dynnu at ei derfyn mae hi’n bleser i nodi blwyddyn arall o estyniad. Mae’n myfyrwyr 16-19 LlA wedi cynyddu, mae’n myfyrwyr AU ac yn y gweithle wedi ymestyn. Ochr yn ochr â hyn mae’n cyfradd dargadwad wedi gwella a rhagwelir i’n cyfradd cyrhaeddiad sefydliadol barhau ar lefel uchel. Yn ariannol, ystyrir y Coleg fel y mwyaf llwyddiannus yng Nghymru gan ein galluogi i fuddsoddi mewn staff ac adnoddau newydd.

Felly, wrth i ni fyfyrio neu gymryd gwyliau, cymerwch ychydig o amser i longyfarch eich hunan. Mae angen tîm arbennig o gryf i gynhyrchu’r canlyniadau yma. Mynegaf fy niolch i chi gyda am eich cyfraniad i’r llwyddiant hwn.

No comments: