Careers and Ideas

The Careers & Ideas team are here to help throughout your time at college. Whether you require careers advice and support in planning your next steps or you want to participate in activities which will enhance your CV/UCAS application; you have come to the right place. 

We are also here to support learners who are interested in starting a business, being self-employed or working freelance. 

What can we do for you?

Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance

The Careers and Ideas team has qualified Career Coaches who provide impartial careers information, advice and guidance to all learners. With a student-centered approach, the coaches are here to support learners ensuring that they are making informed decisions about their next steps. 
The Careers team have achieved the Careers Wales Mark and Matrix Standard for information, advice and guidance and work within the Gatsby Good Career Guidance Benchmarks. The Career Coaches are responsible for delivering a stable career program, providing encounters with employers and providing high quality information, advice and guidance. 

Get in touch! 

Pop in to the Careers and Ideas Centre at City Centre Campus. 
Email: careers@cavc.ac.uk 

Work Placement

The Careers team source work placement opportunities for learners to enhance their employability skills and increase their future employment prospects. Through working closely with a variety of local and national employers the team create a wide range of work placements.  
Work experience is compulsory for the majority of the courses delivered at CAVC. As a Welsh Government requirement our students need to complete a minimum of work experience hours in order to complete their course. The required hours are dependent on the department and level of course.  
Our successful collaborations have resulted in many of our learners receiving employment offers upon work placement completion. Our Work Placement Officers work in collaboration with the learners and tutors to ensure a positive and beneficial experience for the learners and employers.

Get in touch! 

Pop in to the Careers and Ideas Centre at City Centre Campus. 
Email: careers@cavc.ac.uk

Enterprise and Entrepreneurship

At Cardiff and Vale College we aim to put entrepreneurial and enterprising education at the heart of everything we do. 
We’re responsible for delivering Welsh Governments Youth Entrepreneurship Strategy at Cardiff and Vale College by supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs. We help learners to develop their ideas, learn what it takes to start a business and help them take the first step in becoming their own boss. 
Click here to discover our 2020 Achievements 

Our funding from Welsh Government has enabled us to embed a start-up journey across the institution as well as introduce new activities to accelerate student entrepreneurship, helping us identify and nurture student’s ambition for business start-up. 
Click here to find out more and discover where you are on the journey to start-up.

Skills Competitions

At Cardiff & Vale College we encourage our learners to develop and excel in their vocational studies by providing them with the opportunities to compete in regional and national competitions. Most competitors will start their journey by competing in Skills Competition Wales. Additionally, learners can also enter for WorldSkills UK Competitions and if they are successful in a regional competition, they will be invited to compete at the WorldSkills UK Live final at the NEC in Birmingham. Following this, learners can be invited to compete as part of Team UK in the EuroSkills and WorldSkills Finals. The next WorldSkills final will take place in Shanghai, China in 2021. 

CAVC Successes: 
Numerous learners have won medals at Welsh Skills Competitions and learners have also succeeded at a UK, European and International level. Here are some of the results:   

WorldSkills UK Results: 

  • Tom Lewis (Electrical Installation) and Kyle Woodward (Cyber Security) were members of Team UK. 
  • Tom and Kyle both competed at the World Skills final in Kazan, Russia.  

WorldSkills UK Results 2019:  

  • Holly Edwards (Beauty Therapy Practitioner Competition) Highly Commended 
  • Kristian Brooks (Network Systems Administrator) Highly Commended 
  • Morgan McNeil (Network Systems Administrator) Silver 
  • Scott Roberts (Network Systems Administrator) Bronze 

Get in touch! 
Pop in to the Careers and Ideas Centre at City Centre Campus. 
Email: Emma Andrews eandews@cavc.ac.uk or skillscompetitions@cavc.ac.uk  

Erasmus+

Erasmus+ offers exciting opportunities for participants to study, work, volunteer, teach and train abroad in Europe. We currently have Erasmus visits taking place in a number of curriculum areas including: Business & IT, Child, Health & Social Care, Sport, Travel & Tourism, Hospitality & Catering, Hair & Beauty, Aerospace Engineering and Creative. 
We are working with a variety of partners located across Europe. In 2020 alone, we are sending 64 of our learners on a two-week placement to a number of different countries, including: Nantes, France, Valencia, Spain, Barcelona, Spain, Venice, Italy, Bergen, Norway, Majora, Spain, Cyprus, Lisbon, Portugal, Cruseilles, France, Madrid, Spain and Mosta, Malta 

Get in touch!  
Pop in to the Careers and Ideas Centre at City Centre Campus.  
Email: erasmus@cavc.ac.uk 

Careers & Ideas Hub

On our two main campuses (Cardiff City Centre and Colcot Road, Barry) we have drop-in Careers Hubs. Each Hub is staffed by a member of the Careers & Ideas team who will be available Monday to Friday to help you with any queries relating to careers and enterprise. 

You can access the Hub at any time during your time in college. Our friendly team can offer you advice and guidance at every stage of the learner journey.  
Careers & Ideas Centre, Room 126 at City Centre or AG6 (near reception) at Colcot Road. 

Team Photo

If you have any questions about the Careers and Ideas support at CAVC please complete the form below and we will get back to you.