The Welsh Government has ambitious plans for a Net Zero Wales, highlighting education and upskilling as key factors needed to achieve this goal by 2050.

From a business perspective, this means employers will need to put sustainability at the centre of their future planning and operations.

In response to this, �ڽ�����, Wales’ leading training provider, has launched a suite of qualifications with a focus on helping businesses become more environmentally conscious.

Sustainability is at the heart of �ڽ�����. Last year, the organisation received ISO 14001 certification for its environmental management system – an international standard. It is currently the only Welsh Government-funded training provider to hold the status.

As such, �ڽ����� is well-equipped to deliver impactful green qualifications that will give learners a better understanding of their personal and professional environmental impact.

One organisation that has seen the benefits of work-based green qualifications is packaging provider DS Smith.

The team’s learning journey began when Bev Fowler, DS Smith’s Head of Business Services, Global Master Data, began chatting with �ڽ�����’s Management & Business Services Route Manager, Kelly Harry, about sustainability. �ڽ����� had just launched a new accreditation in Sustainability and Bev ultimately took it ‘as a bit of a guinea pig’ to see if the course would be beneficial for her team.

“I was shocked by the impact one person can make to the environment and the difference we can make,” Bev said.

Join us at our Caerphilly Skills Centre Open Day! Whether you’re aged 16-19 or a parent/carer of a young person, our doors are open for you to discover how our brilliant Jobs Growth Wales+ and Apprenticeship programmes can pave the way to your dream career.

��During our tours, you’ll get a first-hand look at our fantastic facilities, a chance to chat with our welcoming staff, and connect with other amazing young individuals who have thrived in our recent Get Ready For Summer programme.

��We can’t wait to meet you and kickstart this incredible journey together!

When: Wednesday 23rd August 2023 at 2pm

Where: Market Street, Caerphilly, CF83 1NX

Call us to book your place today:��029 227 07070

She has worked at Lewis School for 19 years, becoming Assistant Head Teacher in 2018. During that time, her areas of interest have included teaching and learning, coaching and mentoring, additional learning needs, inclusion, pupil engagement, wellbeing, pupil intervention and support, and pupil equity.

Since becoming Assistant Head Teacher, she has focused on creating and developing an alternative provision setting for pupils who find the mainstream classroom too challenging.

The LPC (Learning Pathway Centre) was established in 2016, initially as a pilot and is now an integral part of the Caerphilly ALN strategy, supporting children from all across the local authority. The LPC is a reintegration facility with the primary aim to support our learners to return to mainstream education; however, this may not always be appropriate, and in such cases, we use a variety of interventions to help develop and strengthen our pupil’s ability to manage a small environment successfully in readiness for the next phase of their lives.

The 29-year-old Caerphilly native learned his skills at the leading training provider, which has a centre on the town’s Market Street, plus many more across South Wales.

Along with partner Jack Pullin, he founded dog-grooming service in 2018, and they have just opened a new premises in Bedwas.

Gareth used his own training to get where he is today, so he wants to help others in Caerphilly enter the unusual industry of preening pooches! He’ll take on Animal Care Learners from �ڽ����� on placements at Pupperazi this year, providing valuable work experience for a popular profession.

He said: “We‘ll be giving young people the opportunity to work with us in our busy salon, to help them learn new things and give them the chance to work with animals. We’ll also be helping the young people learn about business.”

Gareth has just returned from the world’s most-prestigious dog show, Crufts, and those he guides on placements at Pupperazi will learn how to present pets for any podium!

At the new Pupperazi shop at Unit 8/9 Afon Court, Bedwas, customers can have their dog expertly groomed, while a wide selection of pet toys and RAW Supplies treats are also on sale.

�ڽ����� is the place to help young people go somewhere in life. Also, Pupperazi will teach them skills in-house, to support their love of animals. �ڽ����� is passionate about helping young people get the jobs they want and the skills needed to secure these jobs.

The original Pupperazi store was in Mountain Ash. Now, this young entrepreneur is happy to keep jobs and training in the Caerphilly area, so the town he loves can continue to thrive.

He added: “Being based in Caerphilly is amazing as I’m from Caerphilly and we can bring the best to the Caerphilly town.”

Lewis Bowden, Programme Manager at �ڽ�����, added: “I’m really pleased that Gareth is now giving back to our learners, by providing them with such a fulfilling and beneficial work placement opportunity.”

If you’re 16-18 yrs and interested in working with animals, visit our�� JGW+ page

Mrs Winter took a tour of the accessible centre, spent time with both staff and learners, and heard first hand about the positive impact �ڽ�����’s Traineeship programme is having on learners. The MP was told how �ڽ����� offers all learners a pathway to employment or further study.

Beth Winter MP said: “It was lovely to spend some time in the brilliant new �ڽ����� training centre in Aberdare today.

“It is vital that we have a variety of opportunities and skills pathways for young people in our communities and I came away feeling inspired by the passion of staff and the enthusiasm of learners.”

During the pandemic, �ڽ����� made a significant investment in digital technology, to ensure learners received the very best specialised training to prepare for modern work. This investment is ongoing and can be seen in the new centre, where a large state of the art, interactive whiteboard – called a Prowise Touchscreen, takes centre stage. It enables digital collaboration between learners and staff, learning at home, in the classroom, or linking with other centres.

�ڽ����� is no stranger to Aberdare, having been previously located in Victoria Square. The new Canon Street centre offers a bigger space for learners, in a more prominent location. The centre also boasts an outdoor space for learning and teaching, with plans for a kitchen garden in the pipeline. It has the capacity for up to 100 learners.

Regional Manager Hollie Keepings said:��“The centre has a great location in the town’s main street, but it’s what goes on inside that really counts.

“We aim to provide bespoke support to each individual learner whilst they embark on their learning journey with us, coupled with outstanding wellbeing support – which is core to everything we do.”

�ڽ����� Managing Director Richard Spear added:��“We were delighted to welcome Beth Winter MP to our Aberdare centre today, to meet our dedicated team and our fantastic learners.

“Beth shares our passion for ensuring everyone in the community has the opportunity to fulfil their potential and we look forward to working with her to improve the economy and skills levels of the Cynon Valley.”

�ڽ����� Training has seven centres across South Wales, including Cardiff, Caerphilly, Barry and Bridgend. The newest one in Aberdare offers support and training opportunities to 16-18 year olds looking to join the world of work. Learners can complete a Traineeship in Hairdressing, Childcare, Business Services and more at the specialist site. They are also given advice and guidance on writing CVs, interview techniques and other tips to land their dream job.

The huge improvement is testament not only to the hard work of the delivery and learning support team, but also to the dedicated individual learners. They’ve really applied themselves, through what has been an incredibly disruptive 15 months, and maintained focus on their education.

Kelly Rowlands, Head of 11-16 Education, said: “It is fantastic to see such well-deserved GCSE outcomes for our pupils this year. The growth in achievement year-on-year is a credit to the hard work that staff put in to really ensure or learners are given the best opportunity to succeed.”

This year, the bar was raised when �ڽ����� Schools first learner achieved an A* at GCSE! Charlie Wiley, who scored the top grade for Maths Numeracy, finished the year with four GCSEs (one A*, two As and one B) as well as a vocational L2 qualification, which is equivalent to GCSE A*-C. Well done Charlie!

His delighted mother Sarah said: “Charlie struggled in three separate mainstream schools and was asked to leave each of them, as he did little or no work. When Charlie started �ڽ����� he flourished. I didn’t think he would finish school at all and the fact he finished with the results he did amazed me. His self-esteem, confidence and attitude changed completely. The support and nurturing that was needed was supplied in abundance at �ڽ�����.”

Emily Arscott, Charlie’s Art Teacher, added: “I am really pleased��with Charlie and all he has achieved with me over the last year or so. He worked really hard in difficult circumstances and deserves all the credit he gets.”

Antony Leach, Centre Manager at �ڽ����� Schools, Caerphilly, also praised Charlie’s incredible achievement.
He said: “During lockdown Charlie engaged really well online and in centre and he is very deserving of the grades he has achieved this year. I wish Charlie every success in the future and hope he is as proud of himself as much as we are of him.”

�ڽ����� Schools other highest achiever was the bright learner Callum Inker, who finished the year with four GCSEs (one A, three Bs) as well as two Level 1 vocational qualifications. He’s now going on to study A-levels at Cardiff and Vale College.

Callum said: “If I had stayed in mainstream school I wouldn’t have got the grades I got at �ڽ�����. The tutors were really supportive and I’m pleased with my results.”

His English teacher Lisa Bailey said; “When Callum started to believe in himself, the change was huge. Callum has grown into a genuine, hard-working, friendly and respectful young man and he has all the skills required to go on to achieve great things.”

Kie Baldwin, Centre Manager at �ڽ����� Schools, Cardiff, added: “The change in Callum since he joined us in Key Stage 3 has been remarkable. His grades are the result of hard work, growth, dedication and personal reflection and I wish him all the best in the future.”

At �ڽ����� Schools this year, there was one A*, plus six As, 24 Bs and 23 Cs.

�ڽ����� Schools is passionate about ensuring all young people are equipped to become successful adults with a wide range of skills and abilities.�� We offer a true alternative to mainstream learning, which is designed to engage young people and help them overcome their barriers to participation, preparing them for adulthood and the world of work. We’re also dedicated to reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET).

Find out more about �ڽ����� Schools here.

Learner, Izaak Salmon achieved an A Grade for English as well as gaining the Level 2 threshold of securing 5 GCSE’s between A-C Level.��Izaak has already secured��employment after finishing with �ڽ����� Schools and will be taking up a Heating apprenticeship. Speaking about his success, Izzak commented, ” I have done far better at �ڽ����� than I would have done in mainstream education.”

�ڽ����� Schools was formed in 2012, in response to the number of young people engaging with �ڽ����� at age 16 with deficient literacy and numeracy skills. �ڽ����� developed a specific, targeted Schools Programme as an attempt to redress this fundamental issue, currently a barrier for far too many young people across Wales. �ڽ����� strongly believe that early intervention is needed to ensure all young people, especially those disengaged with education, are able to enter the world of work with the best possible chance of success.

With centres in Cardiff and Caerphilly, �ڽ����� Schools offer an alternative education to young people who have been excluded or are at risk of exclusion, who are school phobic or are classed as vulnerable. The programme is designed to engage young people and help them overcome their barriers to participation, preparing them for adulthood and the world of work.

Speaking on the success of this year’s learners, Kelly Rowlands, Head of 11-16 Education, commented, “I am incredibly proud of the achievements of both the learners and the staff. The achievements of our learners shouldn’t be overshadowed by the current situation.��They have done amazingly well and should be commended on their successes. They have secured strong foundations to see them forward in to the��next chapters of their lives and its brilliant to see so many continuing within �ڽ�����.”

�ڽ����� Schools will use the grant to establish a fully mobile team which will include outreach workers (both youth work and teacher trained) as well as a school-based counsellor to help re-engage their learners post COVID-19. As well as supporting a return to education and refocus on career prospects, the team will help learners avoid the possibility of becoming engaged in violence and crime in their communities. In addition, the grant will enable purchasing of Chrome Books for every learner to support their digital development. This will help equip learners with the knowledge and resources they need in the future, should social distance learning remain.

�ڽ����� Schools was formed in 2012, in response to the number of young people engaging with �ڽ����� at age 16 with deficient literacy and numeracy skills. �ڽ����� developed a specific, targeted Schools Programme as an attempt to redress this fundamental issue, currently a barrier for far too many young people across Wales. �ڽ����� strongly believe that early intervention is needed to ensure all young people, especially those disengaged with education, are able to enter the world of work with the best possible chance of success.

With centres in Cardiff and Caerphilly, �ڽ����� Schools offer an alternative education to young people who have been excluded or are at risk of exclusion, who are school phobic or are classed as vulnerable. The programme is designed to engage young people and help them overcome their barriers to participation, preparing them for adulthood and the world of work.

Speaking about the grant award, Kelly Rowlands, Head of 11-16 Education at �ڽ����� Schools commented, “We are absolutely delighted to have received this grant from the Youth Endowment Fund. The past few months have been hugely unsettling for our learners and returning to full time education is going to pose some real challenges. This grant will allow us to put a specialist support team in place to help make that transition back to school just that extra bit easier for our learners.”

Jon Yates, Executive Director at Youth Endowment Fund, added: “It has been too easy to forget vulnerable young people during this crisis. The pandemic has removed much of the critical support that many of them rely upon – from teachers to youth workers. This funding will help us find the best way to reach and support these young people when they most need it.”

�ڽ����� Schools is one of 130 organisations to share part of a £6.5m grant pot from the Youth Endowment Fund to help at-risk young people impacted by COVID-19.

The Youth Endowment Fund is an independent charitable trust set up by the Home Office. It funds, supports and evaluates projects in England and Wales which work to prevent children and young people from being drawn into violent crime.

Adam Boyle, from our OPH provision achieved a fantastic 8 GCSEs, including a B and C in Maths, with Stephen Jenkins from Caerphilly gaining��6 GCSEs,��including a C in GCSE Art; �ڽ����� Schools ran this option for the first time this year to engage their more creative learners.��Despite a troubled background,��Stephen,��who came to �ڽ����� Schools in 2018 as his Year 10 was ending, surpassed expectations to gain his GCSEs and vocational qualifications.��Statistically, ‘looked after children’ do not achieve as well as children who live at home, with an April 2018 Estyn Report finding, ‘only 21% of looked after children achieve the Level 2 threshold’, making Stephen’s success even more exceptional. ��

Speaking about his time at �ڽ����� Schools, Stephen commented: “I first came to �ڽ����� in September 2018 after my school placement broke down. I used to like school but things changed for me and they couldn’t manage my behaviour. Moving to �ڽ����� was the best thing that could have happened.�� �ڽ����� treat me with respect and have really helped me through my exams. It is still like a school but the teachers care about me, and even when I haven’t been brilliant, they still look out for me.”

Antony Leach,��Caerphilly Schools Centre Manager, added, “I am immensely proud of Stephen and the progress he has made during his time at �ڽ�����. Despite the difficulties he has faced, Stephen has managed to complete a full academic year with us and achieve all of his educational targets. The staff at �ڽ����� Schools work with some of the most vulnerable children and do so with total passion and drive. I feel very privileged to work in such an environment and I am extremely proud of the team I manage as well as the pupils we support.”

Kelly Rowlands, Senior Schools Provision Manager, added, “Stephen’s story is just one example of the fantastic achievements of our learners this year. Since becoming an independent school, the �ڽ����� Schools provision has continued to grow and we are excited to continue building on our success over the coming years.”

Following his fantastic GCSE results, Stephen’s future plans are to pursue a career in engineering. His advice to any young people struggling with their school or home life is to “always ask for help. It doesn’t matter what the problem is, always get help.”

The launch which was attended by Caerphilly AM Hefin David and �ڽ����� Skills Ambassador Jonathan Davies, welcomed staff and learners to the new venue, which offers a variety of meeting, classroom and training rooms in a modern learning environment. ��

�ڽ����� founder and Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Cooksley, MBE commented: “�ڽ����� are fully committed to supporting young people fulfil their career potential and our new Caerphilly centre will do just that. As well as providing fantastic training and connecting our learners with local employers, it’s also about helping our young people become happier and more engaged citizens.”

Despite the latest Welsh Government statistics indicating that youth unemployment in Wales is on the decline, there are still 9,800 16-18 year��olds��who are not in education, training or employment (NEET).

In order to prevent young people becoming��NEET, �ڽ����� offers school leavers a helping hand progressing from education to the workplace via a��Traineeship��programme, which prepares 16-18 year��olds��for the world of work.

Learners at the new �ڽ����� Caerphilly Skills Centre can expect to receive top��employability��training, high quality work placement opportunities and many other benefits, including fully-funded day trips. Learners will also have access to an in-house Counsellor, Opportunities��Advisors and Attendance and Wellbeing Officers��– all of whom are there to ensure learners make the most of their time at �ڽ����� and help guarantee their future success. ��