From Classroom to Career: Coleg Menai Learners Connect with Industry Experts at Enrichment Event
Coleg Menai Business and Travel and Tourism students benefit from building connections with national and local business at a recent event, learning real-world skills from industry experts.
The enrichment event, at Coleg Menai’s Bangor Campus, combined a Bank of England Youth Panel with a Big Idea Wales Role Model Talk.
Hosted by Ian Derrick, the Bank of England’s Agent for Wales, the Youth Panel gave learners a greater understanding of the role of the central bank and its policies. It also helped the Bank of England’s aims of reaching a broader set of stakeholders, by engaging in more dialogue with young people across the UK, and gathering policy-relevant intelligence from young people.
The Coleg Menai Youth Panel focused on the north-west Wales labour market. Amy Faulkner and Tendai Chipangura, Educational Analysts at the Bank of England, expertly facilitated the discussions, providing learners with experience of a professional panel situation and giving them the chance to express their views.
Ian Derrick said: “All of the students were really engaged and helpful, providing us with their thoughts on their ability and challenges in accessing part time work as part of their course requirements, and prospects for full time work locally once they finished their studies.”
Tendai Chipangura added: “Hearing directly from young people in north-west Wales is essential to our UK-wide work at the Bank of England. By engaging with learners in their local communities, we gain insights that help inform our understanding of the economy, while encouraging young people to take part in conversations about their future.”
Big Ideas Wales is a Welsh Government programme that encourages young people to develop enterprise skills. The role models are a diverse network of Welsh entrepreneurs and business owners who inspire young people by sharing their personal business journeys.
Local entrepreneur and Big Ideas Wales Role Model, Ffion Jones talked to learners about her experiences as a sole trader of the Llandygai-based nail and beauty salon Ciwticwls. The learners had a chance to ask questions and got some top tips from Ffion about setting up and running your own business.
Guto Jones, Business Lecturer at Coleg Menai, who organised the event said: “Learning from the real-world is vital for our business, and travel and tourism learners. The various enrichment events we hold throughout the academic year are just some of the ways our learners get to network with and learn from industry professionals, helping them gain confidence and skills that will prepare them for their future careers.”