30 September 2011

CollegesWales is officially international

Ambitious and adaptable college students and apprentices who want to enhance their vocational skills in  workplaces abroad now have more opportunities than ever as ColegauCymru / CollegesWales launches CollegesWales International.

CollegesWales International has wide horizons. It is starting life in Europe as well as further afield in China.

Spain, France and Italy are the first European countries to experience CollegesWales International.  It is organising two or three-week work placements with employers in Europe for apprentices from Wales.  It also works with employers in Wales to place students from Europe in workplaces here. 

This work-based learning exchange scheme is ambitious and challenging for learners.  Their tutors settle them in to the host country but then return home, leaving the learners to fend for themselves. The apprentices live with host families or in a local college environment and have to adapt to a new culture, get along with new colleagues and communicate in an unfamiliar language for the duration of their stay. 

Five engineering students from Spain and three South Wales-based companies were the first beneficiaries of CollegesWales International’s services.  The work-based learning placements for those five Spanish students have ended and they have returned to Spain.  Two apprentices from Swansea have also just returned from placements in Italy and a further two are currently in Italy. More placements are planned during this academic year involving apprentices from eight colleges across Wales.

Further afield in China, college students and staff from Wales were spellbound on their first visit to Chongqing, China in March this year where they participated in the
first China-Wales Skills Exchange.  Momentum for cementing relationships with Chinese colleges has grown leaps and bounds since then.

A CollegesWales International representative based in Chongqing, China is soon to be working to a consortium of ten further education colleges from the Wales Government office in Chongqing in order to develop relationships with Chinese businesses and technical colleges for the mutual benefit of Wales and China.

Chief Executive of ColegauCymru / CollegesWales, John Graystone, said: “The launch of CollegesWales International is a major step forward in opening up new markets for colleges and their students and apprentices in Wales. The global economy offers rewarding and enriching opportunities to those who have the drive and ambition to take on these exciting new challenges. 

“The aim of CollegesWales International is to help provide a first step for vocational learners who want to find their own way in the global marketplace.  It is important that we support these learners with professionalism and expertise. Launching CollegesWales International as a brand in its own right within the ColegauCymru / CollegesWales family shows the world that colleges in Wales are fully committed to this exciting development.”

International Coordinator at ColegauCymru / CollegesWales, Siân Holleran, said: “ColegauCymru is working hard to provide opportunities for learners in Wales to broaden their horizons and find their place in the global economy. There has never been a better time for ambitious school pupils and college students who have set their sights on a vocational career path to add a modern foreign language to their suite of vocational skills. 

“Internationally portable vocational careers can be found in beauty therapy, business administration, catering, construction, education, engineering, and more. High level technical and soft skills plus experience of other cultures and a grasp of another language make for an unbeatable combination.

“I am looking forward to expanding these opportunities in Wales by widening the participation of Welsh learners in work placements in Europe and in developing our relationship with China.”
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Contact: Sylvia Davies on 029 2052 8384 or 07968 771913.
Notes to editors:

1. ColegauCymru / CollegesWales was previously known as fforwm. It is a national educational charity that represents all 20 further education (FE) colleges and institutions in Wales. Its mission is to raise the profile of further education with key decision-makers to improve opportunities for learners in Wales. For further information about ColegauCymru / CollegesWales, and the colleges it represents, visit www.colegaucymru.ac.uk or www.collegeswales.ac.uk

2. ColegauCymru / CollegesWales has been successful in its bid to the Leonardo programme to fund the European apprentice mobility scheme for 2011/12. Leonardo is part of the European Commission’s Lifelong Learning Programme. Ecorys is the UK National Agency for the Leonardo programme and manages Leonardo grants available to UK organisations.

3. All further education colleges that are members of ColegauCymru / CollegesWales can benefit from the services of CollegesWales International. There is a network of college managers that meets on a regular basis to discuss opportunities and developments and share good practice on international work. Ten colleges have invested in the Wales-Chongqing Consortium to date.