Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Alyn & Deeside Meeting Room, County Hall, Mold, CH7 6NA

Contact: Sharon Thomas 01352 702324  Email: sharon.b.thomas@flintshire.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Appointment of Chair

Nominations will be sought for a Chair for the meeting.

Decision:

That Councillor Ian Roberts be appointed as Chairman for the meeting.

Minutes:

The Member Engagement Manager sought nominations for a Chair for the meeting.  Councillor Ian Dunbar’s nomination for Councillor Ian Roberts was duly seconded and supported by the Committee.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That Councillor Ian Roberts be appointed as Chairman for the meeting.

2.

The Late Councillor Stella Jones

Minutes:

The Chairman took the opportunity to pay tribute to the late Councillor Stella Jones who had been a valuable member of the Lifelong Learning Overview & Scrutiny Committee.  He spoke about the way in which Councillor Jones had served her community well and asked that the Committee observe a moment’s silence in her memory.

3.

Declarations of Interest (including Whipping Declarations)

Decision:

None were received.

Minutes:

None were received.

4.

Coleg Cambria (Presentation)

To receive a presentation from Mr. David Jones OBE, Principal and Chief Executive of Coleg Cambria.

Decision:

That the presentation be noted and Mr. Jones formally thanked for his contribution.

Minutes:

The Chairman welcomed Mr. David Jones OBE, Principal/Chief Executive of Coleg Cambria to the meeting and congratulated him on his OBE award in the New Year’s Honours List.

 

In reflecting on his recent award, Mr. Jones said that this would not have been possible without the valuable contribution made by local people, particularly those in Deeside.  He spoke about links between Coleg Cambria and other partners such as the Council, which was of particular importance given the financial challenges affecting all.  Despite a reduction in funding for Coleg Cambria, front services had been maintained, and the annual report was due to be received at the Annual General Meeting on 6 February 2015, which Members were welcome to attend.

 

In his presentation, Mr. Jones provided information on the scale of Coleg Cambria as the second largest college in Wales, with sites based across Flintshire, Wrexham and Denbighshire.  Each of the three Councils were represented on the governing body - with Councillor Tony Sharps representing Flintshire - and was chaired by Mr John Clutton, the Council’s former Director of Education.  The range of support and extra-curricular activities at Coleg Cambria had been reflected as one of the key strengths within the Estyn report.

 

Key indicators were split between three categories using the Red/ Amber/Green status approach, with targets regularly reviewed and increased where Green had been achieved.  Whilst there was a reduction in the number of learners aged 16-18 across the three counties, it was important to recognise that AS/A Levels were not the only offers available to young people, with many opting for vocational courses and apprenticeships.  In discussing outcomes and value-added indicators, Mr. Jones highlighted the importance of taking into account the progression of individual learners.

 

Information was given on the approach to tackle substance abuse, which was viewed as a major problem across society affecting schools and colleges, and the need to work together to target issues of behavioural standards of young people at a young age.

 

As part of an update on the Connah’s Quay Sixth Form Centre, the Committee was informed that contractors were due to start work in the next four weeks and that the partnership facility would offer choice and support to learners in a convenient location.

 

On Welsh medium provision, Mr. Jones reported on partnerships with a number of schools and the development of bilingual programmes for local businesses which had received positive feedback.

 

On the Deeside Enterprise Zone, Mr. Jones stated the importance of protecting what was already in place with continued investment from Welsh Government (WG) and that funding from WG to support the road infrastructure would help to encourage new businesses.

 

Councillor Ian Dunbar asked about links between the Sixth Form Centre with requirements in the Deeside Enterprise Zone.  Mr. Jones referred to a collaborative approach with the Joint Committee on developing the Sixth Form Hub in Connah’s Quay and utilising key individuals within schools to help build links with the Enterprise Zone.  The aim to secure funding for an  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

Coleg Cambria Presentation Slides pdf icon PDF 2 MB