Barry College lays the foundations for learners with learning difficulties

This week sees the start of a new term for the first year of a range of Barry College courses that give school students with learning difficulties and disabilities a taste of College life.

As part of the Learning Pathways initiative, the College has introduced Foundation Skills courses in Construction, Hair & Beauty, Motor Vehicle and Child Care. The new courses add to the range of options it already offers to foundation schools in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Learners from Ashgrove, Erw’r Delyn and Maes Dyfan schools now have the opportunity to gain vocational OCN qualifications at Barry College, attending for just two hours a week. The courses give them an insight into College life as well as experience of the individual industries.

The Learning Pathways Motor Vehicle course is brand new to Barry College this academic year. Run in collaboration with Coleg Glan Hafran, it is proving extremely popular so far.

Barry College 14-19 Co-ordinator Stacey Long said: "We already offer ten vocational Learning Pathways options to a large number of schools across the Vale of Glamorgan and Cardiff, and we decided that students from local foundation schools should be given the same opportunities.

"Feedback from the learners suggests that they are running very successfully, and the Motor Vehicle course is off to a flying start!"