Our Engineers of the Future

Coleg Y Cymoedd, through the Skills Academy Wales partnership, have worked closely with Aspire Blaenau Gwent for 8 years in relation to the Shared Apprenticeship Programme, with the aim to increase engagement with local industry for apprenticeships in order to meet skills shortages and create employment opportunities. During this period, over 100 apprentices have been successful in completing frameworks and this has been achieved through Aspire engaging with over 50 local employers helping them fulfil skills gaps and replenishing the aging workforce.

Aspire Blaenau Gwent have been running annual LEGO® Education Challenge events with secondary schools within the area for several years. Working in conjunction with the Eden Education Centre and using LEGO® Education materials and resources, a series of heats are held in schools around Blaenau Gwent, with the best performing teams of aspiring Engineers invited to attend a final competition event at a neutral venue.

Andrew Bevan, Team Leader Apprenticeships and Skills at BGCBC comments; “The LEGO® Education Challenge events are a fun and exciting way of engaging with the secondary schools throughout the county borough, promoting the benefits of Apprenticeships with our young people and raising awareness of the comprehensive range of Engineering careers available within Blaenau Gwent and the surrounding area. We also invite current Aspire Apprentices who will have attended these schools to act as competition judges, this provides the students with relatable examples and the opportunity to discuss the Apprenticeship journey from school into local industry with those Apprentices. We get a fantastic response from all participants, hopefully inspiring them to become our Engineers of the future.”