Cardiff and Vale College’s urbasba helps The Parkgate Hotel spa team prepare for the grand opening

The Beauty Therapy team at Cardiff and Vale College’s urbasba recently welcomed the spa team from Cardiff’s newest luxury hotel, The Parkgate, to help them prepare for the hotel’s grand opening.

In fact, it was more of a welcome back as six of The Parkgate Hotel spa team – Nicole Bosen-Rees, Lucy Farrant, Ella Hale, Abi Day, Meron Gessesse and Gabrielle Campbell are former CAVC Beauty Therapy students.

In the two weeks they spent at the College, the Beauty Therapists were taken through their Elemis product and treatment training. The training took place in urbasba, the College’s cutting-edge salon and spa, based in its City Centre Campus.

CAVC is also discussing the possibility of a partnership with The Parkgate to arrange work placement and industry opportunities for the College’s Level 3 Beauty Therapy learners.

Cardiff and Vale College Deputy Principal Sharon James said: “At CAVC we work in close partnership with employers across the board to ensure that the needs of industry are met. This work has become even more important than ever following the impact of the pandemic upon employers everywhere, including the hospitality industry.

“So, we were delighted to be able to work with the prestigious, luxury Parkgate Hotel to help the Beauty Therapists from its spa get ready for its high-profile opening and look forward to continuing to work with The Parkgate to provide real and not just realistic experiences for our learners.”

The Parkgate Hotel, with its breathtaking rooftop spa, is the latest addition to The Celtic Collection which includes Newport’s iconic Celtic Manor Resort, host venue for the 2010 Ryder Cup and 2014 NATO Summit.

The Parkgate Hotel Spa Manager Chloe Simpson said: “The Celtic Collection has enjoyed a long and fruitful partnership with Cardiff and Vale College and it was brilliant to have their exceptional training facilities even closer at hand for our new team at The Parkgate Hotel.

“The Spa at The Parkgate Hotel is one of the city’s finest and most exclusive wellness destinations and it was very important that our Beauty Therapists were fully trained up in the latest Elemis products and treatments ahead of our grand opening. We look forward to continuing to develop our strong ties with CAVC in the future.”