 Coleg y Cymoedd Logo | |
| Type | Further Education College |
|---|---|
| Established | 2013 |
| Principal | Jon Morgan, 2022–present |
Administrative staff | 800 |
| Students | 10,000 |
| Location | |
| Website | https://www.cymoedd.ac.uk/ |
Coleg y Cymoedd (English: College of The Valleys) is a further education college located at four main campuses across Rhondda Cynon Taf, and Caerphilly, Wales. Coleg y Cymoedd was formed after the merger of Coleg Morgannwg and Ystrad Mynach College in September 2013. [1]
The college's main campuses are the Aberdare Campus ( 51°43′25″N3°28′07″W / 51.7236°N 3.4686°W ), Nantgarw Campus ( 51°33′51″N3°16′24″W / 51.5642°N 3.2734°W ), Rhondda Campus, Llwynypia ( 51°38′21″N3°27′15″W / 51.6391°N 3.4543°W ), and the Ystrad Mynach Campus.
Courses offered by the college include NVQs, GCSEs, BTECs, A levels, Access Courses, Higher Education courses (Higher National Certificate), Foundation Degree and Bachelor's degree. Subject areas on offer include:-Access, Art, AS/A2 Levels, Basic Skills, Beauty Therapy, Business Studies, Catering & Hospitality, Computing, Construction, Childcare, Education & Training, Engineering, ESOL, Hairdressing, Health & Social Care, Higher Education, Office Administration, Motor Vehicle, Public Services, Sport, Travel & Tourism and Welsh.
Coleg y Cymoedd offer a range of Higher Education courses across its campuses. You can study for HNC/D, Foundation Degrees and Degrees in a variety of areas. Coleg y Cymoedd provides higher education courses with a number of partners including Cardiff Metropolitan University and UHOVI, part of the University of South Wales. Coleg y Cymoedd is a collaborative partner of the University of South Wales.
Several building development projects were undertaken by the former institutions. Some of these development include:-
Campus Redevelopment Ystrad Mynach Campus
Building work commenced in June 2009 on a new B Block facility costing £7.2M housing 13 classrooms, a new library, improved catering facilities and public areas for learners, exhibitions, competitions and public events.
Taff Ely Learning Campus Nantgarw
Work commenced in 2010 on a new £40m campus based in Parc Nantgarw, Nantgarw, at the time the largest single investment in Further Education in Wales. Built on almost 8 acres of land opposite existing Aerospace, Construction and Engineering buildings, the project was financed through £27.8m Welsh Government and £6.7m European Regional Development Fund.
Opening its doors to the first cohort of learners in September 2012, [3] the Nantgarw Campus is one of the most modern Further Education campus buildings in Wales.
Redevelopment of Aberdare Campus In December 2013. [4] Coleg y Cymoedd announced intentions to build a new £20 million campus in the heart of Aberdare town centre and replace its existing facility at Cwmdare. Coleg y Cymoedd's intention is to regenerate the currently derelict 2.7-acre site to serve up to 800 learners, incorporating industry standard facilities to further enrich the education, skills and training offered at the old campus. The building was completed in 2017 [5] and was 50 percent funded by the Welsh Government as part of the 21st century schools program.
Creation of Motor Vehicle Training Facility at Ystrad Mynach Campus
In July 2014, [6] Coleg y Cymoedd announced a new motor vehicle training facility planned for its Ystrad Mynach campus [link to news article]. The £2.1 million facility would replace the college's existing facility based at the Rhymney campus. The new centre is planned to include maintenance, diagnostics and testing workshops.
Creation of Railway Facility at Nantgarw Campus
Coleg y Cymoedd commenced in September 2014 a new course programme in partnership with McGinley Support Services to deliver Rail Apprenticeships at its Nantgarw campus. A purpose built facility will be built at the Nantgarw campus to accommodate learners for September 2015 onwards. [7]
Creation of Sporting of Excellence Centre at Nantgarw Campus
In March 2021, building work commenced at Nantgarw campus to build a £5.1m Centre of Sporting Excellence, opposite the existing 2012 campus main building. It is scheduled to be completed by June 2022. Funded entirely by Cymoedd, the centre will consist of a two-storey building featuring a sports hall, fully equipped gym and classroom teaching facilities, primarily used by sport students. However, a lot of other courses will have access to these facilities.
Cynon Valley is a former coal mining valley in Wales. It lies between Rhondda and the Merthyr Valley and takes its name from the River Cynon. Aberdare is located in the north of the valley and Mountain Ash in the south. From 1974 to 1996, Cynon Valley was a local government district.
Ystrad Mynach is a town in the Caerphilly County Borough, within the ancient county of Glamorgan, Wales, and is 5 mi (8.0 km) north of the town of Caerphilly. The urban area has a population of 19,204, and stands in the Rhymney Valley. Before the Industrial Revolution and the coming of coal mining in the South Wales Coalfield the valley was rural and farmed. It lies in the community of Gelligaer.
Yale College, Wrexham is now part of Coleg Cambria.
Abercynon, is both a village and a community in the Cynon Valley within the unitary authority of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. The community comprises the village and the districts of Carnetown and Grovers Field to the south, Navigation Park to the east, and Glancynon to the north.
The South Wales Valleys are a group of industrialised peri-urban valleys in South Wales. Most of the valleys run north–south, roughly parallel to each other. Commonly referred to as "The Valleys", they stretch from Carmarthenshire in the west to Monmouthshire in the east; to the edge of the pastoral country of the Vale of Glamorgan and the coastal plain near the cities of Swansea, Cardiff, and Newport.
Aberdare railway station is a railway station serving the town of Aberdare in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is the terminus of the Aberdare branch of the Merthyr Line, 22½ miles (36 km) directly north of Cardiff Central. Passenger services are provided by Transport for Wales.
Nantgarw is a village in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, near Cardiff.
Coleg Gwent is Wales' largest further education college at various locations in the former county of Gwent, South Wales.
Coleg Sir Gâr is a further education college in Carmarthenshire, Wales, with five campuses across the county.
The College Ystrad Mynach is a former college of further education based in Ystrad Mynach in Caerphilly county borough, Wales. It had over 13,000 students ranging from school leavers to adult mature students. It taught mainly vocational courses from entry level to Degree.
Lewis Boys School, Pengam is a comprehensive school, founded in 1729 in the parish and village of Gelligaer and, later, moved to the nearby village of Gilfach, in the Rhymney Valley in South Wales. It was founded and funded by a legacy of Sir Edward Lewis of Gilfach Fargoed in the Parish of Gelligaer, a knight, landowner and captain of industry who died in 1728. It became comprehensive during the 1970s.
Mountain Ash Comprehensive School, known as MACS, is a comprehensive school near the town of Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is a mixed-sex school with approximately 950 pupils, including about 90 in the sixth form. The school was formerly known as Mountain Ash Grammar School and is located near the former Dyffryn Colliery.
Aberdare High School was a comprehensive school in Aberdare, Wales.
Coleg Morgannwg is a former further education college located at four main campuses across Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. In 2013, Coleg Morgannwg merged with Ystrad Mynach College to become Coleg y Cymoedd.
Seion, Cwmaman is a Welsh Baptist church, originally established in 1859. The chapel closed in 2013 but the church still meets at another location in the village.
The CCB Centre for Sporting Excellence was opened in May 2014. The CCB Centre for Sporting Excellence in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly, Wales, is a sports facility located in and run by Caerphilly County Borough Council, South Wales. The Centre's facilities include a FIFA 2 star 3G Football Pitch, an IRB 22 ratified 3G Rugby Pitch, 2 conference rooms, a strength and conditioning room, medical & first aid rooms, a community room, 2 grandstands; 1 on each pitch and 2 balconies overlooking both pitches for performance analysis purposes.
Jonathan Morgan is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. During his career, he made over 70 appearances in the Football League for Cardiff City. He retired from playing at the age of 26 and later became a teacher. In 2022, he was appointed principal of Coleg y Cymoedd.
