The autumn 2010 Adult & Community Education prospectus is now available.  It provides details about the huge range of part-time courses that are running at local community venues across the whole of Powys from September.

The prospectus has been developed by the Powys Adult & Community Partnership – an innovative collaboration of all the key organisations who deliver adult and community learning opportunities throughout the county of Powys.

A wide range of courses are on offer including Counselling, Stained Glass, Italian, Drawing, Sugarcraft, Upholstery, ESOL, First Aid, Latin & Ballroom Dance, Seasonal Cookery and Stone Therapy.

To get your copy of the prospectus download it here, telephone 0845 4086 299 or email enquiries@coleg-powys.ac.uk.

Coleg Powys is providing a series of demonstrations on stand D302 at this year’s Royal Welsh. On each morning between 10am and 12pm, staff and students from the hair and beauty department will be demonstrating their skills through a range of activities, including massage, plaiting and twisting, indian head massage, nail filing and polishing, fitness work and reflexology.  Treatments will be offered to members of the public with donations going to The Bracken Trust.

Staff and students from the catering department will also be providing some demonstrations on the Thursday at 10.30am-12pm and 1pm-2.30pm.  They will be decorating cupcakes and producing Welsh cheese sticks with local organic fruit and vegetables.

You will also find some of our beauty students at the BBC Cymru Wales building throughout the week, where they will be offering nail shaping and polishing for a donation of £3 for Children in Need.  They will be doing the treatments in a mock-up of ‘Salon Sheryl’, which is from the popular Welsh language soap ‘Pobol y Cwm’.

Please come and support us at stand D302 and the BBC Cymru Wales building.

Staff will also be available throughout the week to provide information about courses.

Colegau Cymru has kindly allowed us to be part of their stand this year, along with four other colleges from Wales.

Programme of Activities on the Colegau Cymru stand

As the summer term closed, the Sing in Company class in Ystradgynlais invited friends, family and the wider local community to their third concert since the group first formed.

As the group grows in strength, numbers and confidence they raise the standard of performances and this was evidenced not only through the performance itself but the approach, stance and smiles of all involved.  

The night included hit songs from the Beatles, Nat King Cole and Kylie Minogue.  At one point while the rain poured down outside a version of the Weather Girls “Raining Men” resonated from the inside. 

The audience were encouraged to sing along at the end and even those whose singing is usually confined to the privacy of the car or shower couldn’t help but join in.

The Sing in Company class is offered as part of the adult & community provision that Coleg Powys runs throughout Powys.  The class meet once a week at Abercraf Primary School.

For more information about the Sing in Company group please go to their website at: www.singincompany.co.uk or contact the musical director Alun Brookfield on 07791443159.  New members are very welcome.  A wonderful singing voice is not an essential requirement; you just need enthusiasm and a willingness to learn something new!  For further information on the next course, which starts in September, contact Coleg Powys on 0845 4086 299.

The Construction combined schools group, which consist of school pupils that come to Coleg Powys Newtown one day a week to study construction as part of the futures programme, have produced seven picnic benches for Llanidloes High School.

The project was initiated from a governors meeting at Llanidloes High School.   They wanted to put some picnic benches on their school grounds and David Jones, who is a governor but also works at the College, suggested that Coleg Powys might be able to do this.

Llanidloes High School paid for the materials and the group made the picnic benches as part of their BTEC Diploma in Construction course, under the guidance of the Construction lecturers.

The pupils that were involved in the project were from Llanidloes High School, Bro Ddyfi High School and John Beddoes High School. 

Construction technician Dennis Buttery said: “All of the group participated and enjoyed working on the project.  The Llanidloes pupils are really looking forward to seeing their work on show in the school grounds.”

The Powys futures programme enables 14-16 year olds across the county to study additional vocational subjects at Coleg Powys, including Construction, Hair & Beauty, Motor Vehicle and Business.

Coleg Powys student Aled Jones of Dolyfelin at Llanafan Fawr, Builth Wells has won this year’s Hafren Vets Shield for being the best first year agriculture student.

Aled is pictured being presented with the shield by John Hughes, who is senior partner at Hafren Veterinary Practice in Newtown.  It is the first time the trophy has been won by a Breconshire student.

Aled has proved to be a very capable practical student both with livestock and in the workshop.  He also showed fortitude in the worst of last winter’s weather rarely missing a day at college despite his daily 70 mile round trip to attend classes at Fronlas Farm.

Course tutor Nigel Barratt said: “Aled has added his name to some excellent former winners of the Hafren Shield.  It will stand him in good stead when it comes to choosing future career options and he thoroughly deserves recognition for a great effort this year.”

The course at Fronlas Farm is a two year level 2 diploma that covers all aspects of livestock hunsbandry, machinery operation and maintenance.  For further details visit www.coleg-powys.ac.uk or telephone 0845 4086 200.