CAVC celebrates the achievements of its Higher Education learners at special graduation ceremony

Cardiff and Vale College has held a special graduation ceremony to celebrate the achievements of its Higher Education students.

Every year, thousands of learners come to CAVC to gain the skills and qualifications they need to progress in their chosen career paths. Many of them take the College’s unique range of career-focused degree or degree-level courses to immerse themselves in subjects they feel passionate about to gain the skills and qualifications to help them change or progress their future careers.

One such learner graduating this year was Bahader Hussain, who graduated with a CIPD Associate Diploma in People Management. Previously, Bahader had enrolled a number of colleagues on courses at the College and heard great things from them, so he decided to try it himself.

“The structure of the course the approach taken suited me much better than the typical self-directed route some CIPD offerings come with,” he said. “The teaching in the Business Centre, including the faculties and the direct business experience enriched the teaching through practical and relevant examples and experience which helped bring the material to life.”

After spending many years working in the automotive industry, including as an Audi Master Technician, Steven French came to work in CAVC’s Automotive Department as a teacher. Wanting to use his years of experience and expertise as a lecturer, Steven decided to take his PGCE with the College.

“Studying the PGCE through CAVC felt like the natural next step,” Steven explained. “It allowed me to continue working within the automotive department while developing a much deeper understanding of teaching, learning and how to support learners from a wide range of backgrounds and ability levels.

“The teaching and support throughout the course were excellent. What I particularly valued was that the course was not simply about theory – it encouraged me to constantly reflect on my own teaching practice and think about how the theory could actually be applied in a real classroom and workshop environment.

“The lecturers challenged me to look at teaching differently and to think much more carefully about things such as differentiation, assessment, learner engagement and inclusive practice. Even with years of experience in the automotive industry, there was an enormous amount for me to learn about education itself.”

Steven finished his course with a Distinction.

“The course has had a huge impact on my current role,” he said. “I feel much more confident not only in what I teach, but in how and why I teach it. My industry background allows me to bring real workshop experience into the classroom, while the PGCE has given me the educational knowledge to turn that experience into effective learning. I think the combination of the two has made me a far more rounded lecturer.

“It has also opened the door to further progression within education. I now have a recognised teaching qualification alongside my automotive qualifications and experience, which gives me a really strong foundation for whatever direction my career takes in the future.”

He would recommend taking the Higher Education route at the College.

“One of the things I really value about CAVC is the variety of people who come through the college,” Steven explained. “Further education can give people opportunities at so many different stages of their lives, whether they are leaving school, completing an apprenticeship, changing career or, like me, returning to education later in life.

“I think my own experience shows that learning does not have to stop when you leave school. You can have an established career and still challenge yourself, develop new skills and achieve something you are genuinely proud of.”

CAVC Principal Sharon James-Evans said:

“Seeing our students graduate with Higher Education qualifications they wanted to achieve together with the skills they have picked up along the way makes me and my all of my colleagues at the College extremely proud. Many of them have returned to education after a period of time away and that challenge in itself cannot be underestimated – it shows how much dedication and commitment it takes to achieve and they have done that.

“Our graduates are leaving us talented and educated people and I have no doubt that they will go on to achieve their goals. I look forward to hearing all of their success stories over the coming years.”