We’re an AOC Beacon Award finalist

We’re proud to announce that Coleg Gwent is a finalist in the prestigious AoC Beacon Awards 2022. The awards celebrate the best and most innovative practice among UK further education colleges, and our Cyber College Cymru initiative was nominated for the Edge Award for Excellence in Real World Learning.

Supported by the Edge Foundation, the award recognises outstanding examples of practical teaching and learning, showcasing innovation, sustainability, and impact. The Edge Award celebrates initiatives that upskill people for the demands of our global and digital economy, through a broad and balanced curriculum, high quality training, engaging real-world learning, and rich relationships between education and employers.

Our nomination – Cyber College Cymru

Alongside being a Cyber First Gold college, Cyber College Cymru is an outstanding example of best practice and innovation, combining our college curriculum with industry expertise. Learners have weekly sessions with major employers like Thales, Fujitsu, and Admiral, who are working with colleges to close the skills gap. Involving these employers in the design and delivery of the curriculum means you can apply your learning to real employment scenarios, reinforcing your skills development.

The project develops the future cyber talent pipeline through a collaboration of colleges and industry specialists, making it a fantastic opportunity if you’re interested in a cyber career. Through professional mentoring, Cyber College Cymru is helping learners in Wales to flourish on this up-and-coming career path, uniting industry insight with ‘best of kind’ education. It prepares you for a career in the cyber industry by giving you the fundamental skills, knowledge, experience, and understanding you need to progress to university, employment, or an apprenticeship.

Through Cyber College Cymru, we’re nurturing young people with fresh perspectives, innovative ideas, and enthusiasm for the cyber and digital sectors. Students have access to beneficial employer-led experiences, so they can develop transferable skills to move successfully into employment. This impactful industry partnership harnesses new talent, helping us meet the workforce needs of the sector.

Cyber College Cymru’s growth

This award nomination recognises how Cyber College Cymru has grown and continues to develop the cyber talent pipeline through a collaboration of colleges and professional partnerships. Mark White OBE DL, Chair of AoC’s Charitable Trust, said:

“The AoC Beacon Awards showcase exactly why colleges are so important to every community and why people value them. This award recognises examples of excellent practical teaching and learning. The work of the finalists shows how important colleges are in providing students with the necessary skills for the real world.”

In Cyber College Cymru’s pilot year, two cohorts of learners from two colleges followed either the BTEC Level 3 Computing or Information Technology qualification. In the second year, another college joined us with 99 learners engaging in the initiative, while year three saw 130 learners engaging with Cyber College Cymru across four different colleges.

We’re now looking forward to seeing where year four takes us and we’re excited to see who wins the Edge Award for Excellence in Real World Learning. The AoC Beacon Award Winners will be announced in Spring 2023.

Discover more about Cyber College Cymru and our specialist digital and cybersecurity courses at Coleg Gwent.