Cardiff and Vale College wins WorldSkills UK Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Ambassador Award

25 Feb 2022

Cardiff and Vale College has picked up a national award for its work in opening up educational opportunities for young people.

The College was awarded the EDI Ambassador Award at last night’s (Thursday) WorldSkills UK Equity, Diversity and Inclusions (EDI) Heroes Awards.

The awards, in partnership with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners and NCFE, celebrate the individuals and organisations championing diversity and inclusion within the business and technical education sectors.

The College’s WorldSkills and Erasmus Officer, Emma Andrews, was also commended for her work helping to bridge the social mobility gap by providing decent opportunities for learners to achieve their potential.

The award reflects CAVC’s REACH+ initiative, which provides a central hub for the delivery of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses. This has proven so successful in improving delivery of courses and cutting waiting times that the Welsh Government has rolled it out across Wales.

The College also worked with the Velindre Cancer Centre to launch the UK’s first Health and Cancer Resource for black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

Dr Neil Bentley-Gockmann OBE, CEO of WorldSkills UK said: “This award is richly deserved by Cardiff and Vale College for all its work to reach out to its communities. The college’s work with the cancer centre demonstrates how it provides real help to its diverse communities. And its efforts to help people who don’t speak English as a first language get on and learn relevant skills was so inspiring that the Welsh Government rolled it out across the country. My congratulations go to all involved at the college in this important work.”

Cardiff and Vale College Deputy Principal Sharon James said: “CAVC works in the heart of one of the most vibrant and diverse communities in Wales and we work hard to ensure that everyone in that community of communities feels included and able to reach their full potential, so to see everyone’s work being rewarded in this way by WorldSkills UK is wonderful.”

In 2020 CAVC won FE College of the Year at the National Centre for Diversity Fairness, Respect, Equality, Inclusion and Engagement (FREDIE) Awards. It also moved from 12th to second in the Centre’s Top 100 Most Inclusive Workplaces.