Whirlwind year of success for VQ Award winner Alys


Alys Evans, winner of last year’s VQ Learner of the Year (Intermediate) Award.


Winning a Vocational Qualification (VQ) Award last year was the start of a momentous 12 months for talented young Welsh chef Alys Evans. Alys, 19, from Gilfach Goch, has found that winning the VQ Learner of the Year (Intermediate) Award has opened doors to a host of exciting opportunities. She has qualified for the WorldSkills UK squad for Russia 2019 after competing at WorldSkills UK in Birmingham and been selected by the Culinary Association of Wales to compete with the Wales team at La Parade des Chefs at the International Salon Culinaire in London, which runs from March 5-8. The competition is an


important warm up event for the Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg in November. In addition, Alys has started a new job as pastry chef at the Vale Resort, Hensol, near Cardiff and completed her patisserie and confectionery studies at Coleg y Cymoedd. As this year’s VQ Awards are launched, she reflected on the past year, which has been somewhat of a whirlwind. Just a few days into 2018, her diary is full of exciting competitions, specialist training sessions and work commitments. “Winning the VQ award last year was an amazing experience and it was really nice to be recognised for all the hard work that I had put


in,” she said. “Putting the award on my CV has been a massive help when searching for jobs in the hospitality industry. “As a result of the award, the Culinary Association of Wales heard about me and invited me to be part of their team, which has been amazing.” As a member of the WorldSkills UK squad, she is receiving specialist training and hopes to be successful in a series of assessments to qualify for the team to compete in Russia in 2019. Training sessions in sugar and chocolate work are planned in London and Hull. Nominations for this year’s four VQ Awards categories close on March 2. The awards aim to recognise individuals and organisations who have used technical, practical and vocational qualifications to achieve success. Categories include Employer of the Year, Learner of the Year (Intermediate), Learner of the Year (Higher) and Trainer of the Year. The awards ceremony will be held at The Exchange Hotel, Cardiff on May 3 to coincide with VQ Day in Wales. Now in their 11th consecutive year, the awards are designed to celebrate vocational qualifications for learners, teachers, training providers and employers. For more information about the awards and to download a nomination form please visit https://www.vqday. wales


Coleg Gwent hosts series of Care Careers Fairs


COLEG GWENT is hosting a series of Care Careers Fairs, in partnership with Aneurin Bevan Health Board and My Care My Home. The next event will be held at the Pontypool Campus between 10am-3pm, on Monday 5th February, followed by the Blaenau Gwent Learning Zone on Friday 8th February, with the last event being held at the City of Newport Campus on Wednesday 14th February.


The exhibitors will include staff from Coleg Gwent’s School of Care, who will be on hand to help anyone interested in courses relating to health sector careers, including Physiotherapy, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Social and support work, Healthcare Assistant roles and Medicine.


These events will also give students and the local community the chance to find out about job opportunities, and paid placements with local employers. The Pontypool


Welsh children heading towards emergency health crisis


Data on active travel released by the Welsh Government today (30 January) reveals a severe drop in walking rates for people in Wales, including children on the school run. Living Streets Cymru, the charity for everyday walking is demanding action be taken to reverse the


decline in walking to help prevent the


problems associated with inactivity including chronic health conditions, childhood obesity and lethal levels of air pollution. The Welsh Government statistics reveal that 42 per cent of primary school children walk to school, down from 50 per cent in 2013-14. 78 per cent of primary school children who live less than a kilometre from their school sometimes walk to school, but just 26 per cent of those who live 1–2 km away do; and children living in more sparsely populated rural areas are more likely to use a car to get to school than those who lived in urban areas. Rachel Maycock, Manager, Living Streets Cymru said: ”Wales passed its first Active Travel Act back in 2013. At the time, it seemed to be a fantastic


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signal that the Welsh Government had their priorities straight. But the lack of action since is evident in these disappointing figures. “We need to instil healthy habits into our children so they go on to lead healthy lives. This isn’t something we can ignore – low physical activity levels among children and adults costs NHS Wales £650 million a year.


“The reduction in the number of children walking to school seems to be largely the result of a fall in the number of those walking to school on their own or with friends. Safer crossings, school street closures and 20mph limits are all ways to help parents feel safer walking to school. “Our walk to school scheme sees walking rates increase on average by 23 per cent, with a corresponding drop in car use. The Welsh Government should be looking at supporting successful behaviour change schemes like these, as well as in creating safer walking routes. “Every school in Wales should be an active travel school and at the moment this just isn’t the case.” For those who live too far away to walk the whole


way, parking a little further away and walking the rest (Park and Stride) ensures children still get active and school gates aren’t surrounded by harmful pollution all day.


When it came to the data on adult walking rates, things weren’t much better. The number of adults walking for at least five minutes at least once a week dropped from 66 per cent in 2013-14 to 61 per cent.


There were extreme regional differences with Cardiff as the local authority with the highest proportion of people walking as a means of transport most frequently (44%) and Flintshire the lowest with just 14 per cent. People in urban areas were also more likely to walk more frequently, with 31 per cent of people in urban areas walking every day compared with 22 per cent in rural areas. Living Streets Cymru wants to see adequate funding allocated to the Active Travel Act 2013, transparency in progress and visibility of leadership as well as a clear plan of action to reverse this decline in walking rates, in particular for the walk to school.


Care Careers Fair will host over 20 exhibitors, including Aneurin Bevan Health Board, My Care My Home, Allied Healthcare, Q Care and Inspire among others. Maria Johnson, Head of Art and Care at Pontypool Campus said: “The Crosskeys Care Fair event was very well attended, and we hope to attract a lot of people to the event at Pontypool. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn about health sector related courses, and to meet employers offering paid placements and jobs. The healthcare sector is currently in a period of growth, and with more and more roles being created, now is an excellent time to consider a job in this industry.” Sian Hughes, Head of Learner Services at Pontypool Campus said: “Coleg Gwent’s Care Careers Fairs offer a fantastic insight into the sector. The School of Care offers many different pathways for someone thinking about a career in healthcare. Students can choose from a range of courses in Health and Social Care, Childcare, Community Health, Mental Health, Psychology, Applied Science, as well as A Levels in Biology, Chemistry, Health and Social Care, and Psychology. These qualifications will give students the opportunity to progress on to further or higher education courses, and improves their employment prospects.” To find our more, please visit: www.coleggwent. ac.uk/carefairs To find out more about Coleg Gwent’s Health and Care courses, please visit: www.coleggwent. ac.uk/care


Cardiff & South Wales Advertiser - Friday 2nd February 2018 - 23


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