Insight - Issue 18

insight ISSUE 16, JANUARY 2021

Staff Recognition and Learner Award Results 2020 Meet the winners of this year's Staff Recognition and Learner Awards.

Staff in the spotlight This month we put the spotlight on Melanie Lloyd.

PLUS... all the latest good news stories from across ACT

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welcome Hello everyone.

Wow! As January passes in the blink of an eye, it feels we are already well and truly into 2021. I hope you all enjoyed your break over the Christmas and New Year period and were able to get some rest in. I know these are still strange and uncertain times we’re living through but the future is most definitely looking brighter with vaccines now being rolled out at pace.

As always, it’s vital that we continue to support one another and our learners, who rely on us, and also maintain our high standards of delivery to secure further funding from Welsh Government. While we don’t know for sure what lies ahead, as each month passes, we are confident we move closer towards some sort of normality again, as well as some exciting opportunities for ACT!

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important dates

Easter Lockdown 5th-9th April 2020

contents In the know

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Learner reward results

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Cooking with Lewis

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Celebrating success

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Getting to know senior management

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Role model session

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Christmas donations from ACT

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Welsh corner

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Respect

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Staff in the spotlight

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The book club

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Competition

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Welcome to our newest recruits

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know The Best Companies b-Heard Survey… coming soon!

Once again, we’ve signed up for the b-Heard survey which is run by Best Companies, who work with organisations like ours to measure, recognise and improve levels of workplace engagement.

The survey is a fantastic opportunity for you to have your say about our organisation. You can really help us to understand what we are doing well, and where we might be able to improve.

If we achieve the same overall Best Companies Index score as we did in the autumn, we’d be very close to getting into the top 10 best companies to work for in the UK – which would be an incredible achievement.

Your responses are completely anonymous so please be completely open and honest with your feedback.

You’ll receive your survey via email on 8th February and for every survey completed a £1 donation will also be made to City Hospice, Cardiff in memory of our colleague Mike Owen.

Wellbeing Friday’s

Zero Racism Wales

Annual Leave

As many of you know, Wellbeing Friday has resumed and will run weekly throughout this lockdown period. The initiative will be reviewed when restrictions ease. All staff will finish at Midday on Friday’s so please use this time to recuperate and recharge your batteries.

We have recently signed up to the Zero Racism Wales pledge as part of our ongoing commitment to ending racism.

Keep your eyes peeled as we will be sharing further details about our Leaders in Diversity journey over the coming months and our ongoing commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).

In the meantime, read more about Zero Racism Wales here.

Just a reminder for all staff to take their annual leave entitlement by 31st July 2021.

We appreciate planning for the future is difficult in these uncertain times but booking your annual leave will allow ACT to focus on recovering from the impact of the pandemic post August, and more importantly ensures you are taking much needed time off for your wellbeing.

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ACT Staff Learning & Development (LMS) Launch

Need someone to talk to?

We are really excited to announce that over the coming weeks we will be trialling our new LMS platform with a select pilot cohort. The group will feedback on the site and make suggestions on how we can improve and build on our efforts so far. The trial will happen throughout Feb ‘21, with a further rollout to other staff members (by department) scheduled for March ’21.

platform rather than face-toface. This will enable staff to engage with the platform at any time using either their laptop, tablet or smartphone.

Education Support are offering a free, confidential helpline 24 hours a day for anyone working in education.

As well as being able to dip in and out of the courses available, it allows staff to schedule their CPD around their own timetable.

You can find out more about this service at educationsupport.org.uk or calling the helpline direct on 08000 562 561.

The LMS will change the way we approach CPD, with training taking place in a virtual

Keep your eyes peeled for more information in the coming weeks!

Mike Owen – A happy, funny and kind man!

It is with great sadness and regret we inform you that our dear friend and colleague Michael Owen sadly lost his battle with cancer recently. Mike was a happy, funny and kind man who displayed absolute bravery, courage, determination and admirable resilience throughout his illness. He worked at ACT for over 7 years and will be greatly missed by everyone at ACT. A memorial page has been set up and we encourage you to share your memories and stories of Mike so we can celebrate his life and time together at ACT. You can access the page here.

If you are struggling with the loss of a loved one and need support you can contact the MetLife workplace bereavement support line at any time on 0800 917 0096.

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Thank you from Cardiff Foodbank

ACT Tutor shortlisted for Tutor of the Year at the Apprenticeship Awards Cymru 2021!

We are delighted to share Cardiff Foodbank recently reached out to thank us for the 39.3 kg of food and other items donated by ACT from October to December 2020. The food helped feed 3 individuals for three days! Well done everyone.

A massive congratulations to Karen Richards, Accounting Tutor & Co-ordinator, who has been shortlisted for Tutor of the Year in the Apprenticeship Awards Cymru 2021.

The awards reward individuals, learning providers, and employers who have excelled in contributing to the development of the Welsh Government’s Employability and Apprenticeship Programmes across Wales. An enormous round of applause to Karen for being shortlisted and we wish you all the best at the awards later on this year!

We're looking for foodbank delivery drivers Following the latest government restrictions, our ACT foodbank kitchen is back up and running and we need volunteers to act as delivery drivers. We are currently providing food in the Cardiff and Caerphilly area for our most vulnerable learners and members of the community, so if you would like to help, please contact Emma Page in Facilities.

Don’t forget you are entitled to 4 volunteering days a year with ACT, so why not put those days to good use!

We are delighted to report that our application for the Digital Exclusion Grant has been successful!

We will receive just over £150,000 from Welsh Government to enable us to buy Chromebooks and Mi-Fi devices for our digitally excluded Traineeship learners across ACT and our partners.

This is absolutely brilliant news as this grant ensures we can continue supporting and delivering to our most vulnerable learners!

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Learner Awards Results The awards are a brilliant opportunity for us to celebrate the successes and achievements of our exceptional learners and employers.

Those who have shown outstanding commitment, passion and drive to develop their skills and make a real difference to their organisation or employees. Now more than ever it’s important to recognise and show support for those who are going above and above to excel!

Business services Cari Edwards

Health & Social Care Cara Durante

Engagement Leah Denver

IT/ Digital Claudio Canzaniello

Hospitality & Facilities Mohamad Farhan

Schools Learner Lucas Caby

Marketing/ Media Lucy Hopkins

Hairdressing, Barbering and Beauty Louisa Payne

Traineeship Employer Reptile Cymru

Management/ Team Leading Linda Tilley

Automotive Kailum Callaghan

Finance Kathryn Rees

Animal care Rosa Da Cruz

Education & Development Juanita Cowdery

Hairdressing, Barbering and Beauty Eden Kemp

Childcare/ Playwork/CYP Samantha Owens Heathcare/Clinical health Sarah Jones

Care Alisha Lane IT Yahya Mader

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Employer Briton Ferry Childcare Employer Cardiff and Vale NHS Employer Ty Nant Special recognition Samantha Owens An enormous round of applause to the winners of our ACT Annual Learner Awards 2020.

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Cooking with Lewis...

Although ACT have been ahead of the curve and offering online blended learning for some time, the pandemic has forced many of us to adapt overnight to a totally new way of working.

Lewis Jones, our Catering Tutor/Curriculum Co ordinator has found all sorts of interesting approaches to engage learners during class time. One of these approaches includes online cooking tutorials, where learners cook alongside Lewis as they prepare nutritious and easy to cook meals together. Not only are the learners learning valuable practical lifelong skills in the kitchen, but they are also able to share the tasty results with their family.

videos and online resources met the producers of the classic toppings. These include buffalo mozzarella and the Pièce de résistance of a good Neapolitan pizza, San Marzano tomatoes, grown at the footsteps of Mount Vesuvius. Seeing how excited the learners were to then start making their pizza from scratch for their dinner made it all worth it.”

Even for the curriculum learning elements of his workshops, Lewis strives to provide a variety of learning opportunities. One popular class topic was ‘sushi’, which saw Lewis and the learners explore all there is to know about the subject. They took online tours of busy Japanese markets where the produce is sourced, learnt what it takes to be a sushi master, as well as the knives and tools used and the sustainability behind the fish.

Lewis commented, “The learners really enjoy the relaxed approach to the live sessions. Recently we explored cooking in the context of ‘Fire & Smoke’. The drama we created, from lighting the fire, through to cooking was always going to be engaging as who doesn’t enjoy a primitive style BBQ? Other live cooking sessions like exploring seafood and bread making have really helped add variety to the sessions too.

Lewis commented, “What was great was that the sushi topic took us on interesting tangents where we ended up looking at religion and geography. It allowed myself and the learners to explore sushi through many different avenues.”

We also did a session on how to prepare Neapolitan pizza from scratch. We looked at the history behind pizza - ’who knew a margarita was named after the Queen of Italy?’- and through some great YouTube

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Never take for granted a practical skill that can in turn be taught and passed on in live delivery however strange it may seem!

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Keen to ensure learners aren’t just glued to a screen all day in live lessons, Lewis has also provided focussed delivery where learners explore topics beyond catering as well as develop new skills. Some of this learning has included: upcycling rubbish at home into useful objects, Welsh photography challenges, healthy eating challenges combined with exercise and Black Lives Matter education.

However, like everyone, the pandemic has also presented challenges for Lewis but even these have resulted in some unexpected positive results!

“Working with two young children under three has been a challenge! Especially when my son Otto forces his way into a session.

Interestingly, it actually sparks the other learners to engage more - the wonders of children! Otto’s presence puts them at ease and this really helps in the virtual classroom.”

Reflecting on the past year and what it’s taught him, Lewis’ tip to other colleagues out there delivering on the front line is, “Never take for granted a practical skill that can in turn be taught and passed on in live delivery however strange it may seem!”

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celebrating success An enormous round of applause to the winners of our Staff Recognition Awards 2020!

A massive congratulations to all our nominees and finalists throughout 2020. We really appreciate all your efforts and hard work - you are all stars in our eyes!

For those of you who missed the awards, you can still watch them here.

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Staff Recognition awards 2020 A huge ACT-style congratulations goes out to the following employees/teams who have shown a tremendous commitment to their role, achieved excellent results and have gone the extra mile for our learners and stakeholders.

Apprenticeship Practitioner of the year Paige Smith

Delivery Team Support staff member of the year Helen Aldridge

Award for innovation during Covid-19 Alison Phillips

Manager of the year Angela Clifford-Hillman

Award for supporting Colleagues during Covid-19 Robert Peebles

Newcomer of the year Scarlett Davies

Award for supporting Learners during Covid-19 Debra Jones & Cate Harding-Jones

Schools Staff Member of the year Emily Arscott Support Staff Member of the year Ruth Taylor

Award for supporting the community during Covid-19 The Foodbank Team

Team of the year P&D Team

Core Values Champion of the year Alison Stone

Traineeship/MTS Practitioner of the year Mel Lloyd

Have you heard?

In this new audio world, podcasts have never been so popular.

Every issue of Insight, we’ll pick a work-based relevant show that we think you might like: How to Fail With Elizabeth Day Before the global coronavirus crisis, journalist Elizabeth Day had built up a loyal audience with her podcast series celebrating things that haven’t gone right. Every week, a new interviewee explores what their failures taught them about how to succeed better, and guests have included author Malcolm Gladwell, chef Tom Kerridge, entrepreneur ‘Deliciously Ella’ Mills, and former spin doctor to Tony Blair, Alastair Campbell. More recently, Day has produced some special episodes focusing on coronavirus with listeners sharing their stories, Alain De Botton on vulnerability, and Mo Gawdat on how to cope with anxiety. http://www.howtofail.podbean.com/

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Getting to know‌

senior management

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Who are you and what’s your role?

I am Tracey Spiller and I am the Strategic Lead for Skills, which involves overseeing both Essential Skills teams in Apprenticeships and Traineeships. There are 22 members of staff that do a fabulous job of supporting learners across both delivery areas. I am now also overseeing the new Curriculum Development team, which I am really excited about developing and taking forward in 2021.

Yes, we all meet up on Teams and Whereby but I miss seeing teams and colleagues in person, and just chatting about this and that as we pass in the building. Although I am not so sure I am missing the three flights of steps in OPH - my waistline is though and my daily steps are taking a hit!

What is your proudest moment at ACT? The proudest moments that first spring to mind are the awards that have been won: Team of The Year, individual delivery awards and nominations.

There are also so many other fabulous moments I can think of, and they all come back to learners achieving with such dedicated Tutor support despite all the odds. Successes in many cases have been just as great for the tutors as it has been for the learners. This past year, tutors have delivered out of their comfort zones and adapted their methods of delivery, along with their resources, to meet new ways of working.

This isn't easy, and I applaud the team for taking on the virtual world and still making a difference.

Recently, I have been extremely proud of the Curriculum team and the soft launch that was produced; it has just shown us what a valuable support they will be to practitioners moving forward. The standard of resources they are designing are extremely creative and interactive.

I can't wait for our learners to be able to use these.

How have you and your team adapted to Covid-19?

The Essential Skills (ES) teams have done an amazing job in reacting to all the changes, especially with short notice on many things.

Suddenly we were all working from home, delivering virtually and managing changing expectations from the Awarding Bodies and Welsh Government. Like everyone else at ACT, the ES Teams have just pulled up their sleeves, got on with the tasks at hand and carried on supporting their learners and ensuring their achievements. It has been a challenge but meeting up regularly on Teams and Whereby has proved so invaluable in keeping us just about sane! The Curriculum team came together in the midst of lockdown so you might have thought that it would be difficult to bond as a team straightaway. However, they have managed to do exactly the opposite of this and are really making remote working work for them.

Tell us something we wouldn’t know about you?

I have been really fortunate to experience living and working in both America and Australia.

Whilst in America (in my 20's, so not that long ago!) I Iived in Kansas, Detroit, LA, Florida and Indianapolis. This was an amazing experience.

Prior to starting at ACT (which was 3 years ago now) I lived and worked in Adelaide, South Australia, in a very similar role to the one I'm in now. I am happy to say that my family and I are fully settled in Wales now and I even enjoy the rain sometimes! I love that the coast is on my doorstep, the city a short drive away and that the Beacons are close too. For me, Wales has it all. I have a long way to go to perfect the language, and some days I would be happy just pronouncing the place names correctly!

But I do try...

What are your plans for the future of ACT? Despite such a challenging year, I am really excited about the opportunities that have presented themselves during the pandemic. It has shown us how flexible we can be with our learner offerings. Teams have shown how effective virtual delivery can be and are constantly coming up with new ways to support engagement and increase achievements for our learners.The curriculum team will complete a full delivery review in the summer and start supporting delivery areas with their resource building. As a result, there we will be exciting updates and releases as we move throughout the year, so watch this space…

What’s the biggest challenge your team faces?

Ongoing homeworking is a challenge for everyone and in all honesty, I miss seeing everyone.

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Role Model Session Scott Young, Cardiff City FC

As part of the Traineeship Programme, we are really excited to now be offering an additional alternative provision which provides learners with the opportunity to take part in a variety of fun and engaging extra-curricular activities outside of their normal programmes of study.

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The Traineeships programme is committed to promoting and nurturing positive health and wellbeing amongst its learners, and therefore all activities and projects are organised and created in line with the wellbeing wheel.

As part of our latest alternative provision session we are excited to share that influential Welsh football player and manager, Scott Young will be guest speaking. Scott will be providing a motivational presentation to our Traineeship learners who will benefit first-hand from hearing his unique story.

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Being a Rhondda based football player and manager throughout his career it is hoped that Scott’s appearance will connect with our learners and provide an important insight that will motivate and instil a sense of self belief to achieve at sport, work and in life.

Scott will be providing a motivational presentation to our Traineeship learners on 25th January who will benefit from hearing first hand his unique story Speaking about the sessions, Garod Griffiths, Peripatetic Cover Tutor, commented, “Each guest speaker we invite in can be matched to meet the learners’ specific routes. This provides a great opportunity to further develop and improve our learners’ skills and overall wellbeing. Our sessions help raise learner awareness of employability skills such as effective communication, team work, resilience, critical thinking, problem solving, setting clear and achievable goals, and dealing with failure by applying the correct mindset.

After each session, learners are encouraged to ask pre-prepared questions for the speakers, which further enhances the session experience.”

Over the years, the Traineeships team have made some really strong partnerships and links with outside organisations who are able to offer our learners exciting opportunities to learn new things and gain new experiences.

With the current pandemic, all alternative activities are taking place virtually, but the team are excited to be welcoming guest speakers and project workers into our centres in the future.

To date, Traineeships have worked with Youth Cymru to deliver projects on 'The Road Code' and 'How to be Internet Citizens'. They have also worked with New Dimensions to provide weekly fitness sessions for learners, as well as working with the 'Switched On Project' to raise awareness around substance misuse.

They have also worked with 'UK Parliament' to educate learners on our Government!

Alongside this, learners can also test their general knowledge in weekly quizzes and take part in Welsh Challenges that get them active.

Some upcoming online alternative provision sessions include: • The Welsh Fire Service - Awareness of fire safety • U K Parliament - Raising awareness of democracy in young people • Go Connect - Digital skills • B ig Ideas Wales - Employability & wellbeing led guest speakers Following the easing of lockdown restrictions, the additional alternative provision have plans to organise trips to the Senedd and the Houses of Parliament. With future plans to set up sports teams, in the hope that ACT football teams from different centres can play against one another for the ACT Cup! Exciting opportunities and times lie ahead!

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Christmas donations from ACT As you know, due to COVID restrictions, we were sadly not able to celebrate our annual Christmas Party this year. However, a number of staff came up with the lovely idea for us to spread some festive cheer in a different way. Instead, we supported those less fortunate in our communities who may be struggling. Here is an overview of the donations (totalling £3750) which were split amongst each our various routes and centres, via our Corporate Responsibility Group. It is fantastic to see how much impact we have made to so many!

ACT Schools - Caerphilly Our Caerphilly Schools learners created care packages which were bid for by staff and then donated to the homeless charity Llamau, along with an additional financial donation. Learners also chose and donated gifts, wrapped in handmade paper, to the Trussell Trust which helps support children less fortunate.

ACT Schools – Cardiff Our Cardiff Schools learners chose to donate care packages to the elderly at Shire Hall. A care home ACT share links to through placements offered to our post-16 learners.

Hadfield Centre Our Hadfield learners bought toys, treats, blankets and food to donate to Cardiff Dogs Home in support of all the lovely dogs they care for. In addition, they also donated toys and gifts to Boomerang, a charity aimed at making sure low-income families in the community receive gifts on Christmas Day.

Caerphilly Centre Our Caerphilly learners chose to share their donation of gift parcels between Llamau and local care homes.

Ebbw Vale Centre Our Ebbw Vale learners chose to donate to Ty Annog – a local supported housing scheme in Blaenau Gwent which helps vulnerable young people. We’ve had a number of learners attend ACT in the past, so it was fantastic to be able to show some support.

Bridgend Centre Donations were split amongst several charities including Sandville Charity (which provides art sessions for speech therapy), Llamau and Christmas hampers for the elderly in the community.

Barry Centre Donations were split between Bowel Cancer Wales (in honour of Mike Owen) and Latch Children’s Cancer Hospital.

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Aberdare Centre Our Aberdare learners chose to donate to a local foodbank as well as The Samaritans Purse Shoe Box Appeal collection in RCT OPH Traineeships The shared their donation between the Bowel Cancer Wales charity (in honour of Mike Owens) and also Women’s Aid who work closely with our learners.

OPH Operations A donation was split between Cerebral Palsy Cymru and the Hollie Gazzard Trust. Both donations were made via the BIG Give Campaign which resulted in both charities seeing our donations doubled.

Apprenticeships The team will be donating money to an undecided charity alongside an Apprenticeships charity challenge to raise additional funds. More details to follow soon.

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cornel cymraeg welsh corner Ap y mis / App of the month Daily workouts free

Daily workouts free

Since we can’t get to the gym right now, how about installing a bilingual fitness app? Daily Workouts lets you choose which areas of the body to target for 5 or 8 minutes at a time and if you follow the tip below, you can enjoy the App in Welsh! http://www.appsinwelsh.com/listing/dailyworkouts-free/

Gan nad ydyn ni’n gallu mynd i’r gampfa ar hyn o bryd, beth am ap ffitrwydd dwyieithog? Mae Daily Workouts yn gadael i chi ddewis ardal o’r corff i dargedu am 5 neu 8 munud ar y tro ac os wnewch chi ddilyn y tip isod, gallwch chi fwynhau’r Ap yng Nghymraeg!

How to use your iPhone in Welsh: • • • •

Select the Settings app on your home screen Then tap General > Language & Region.

Tap Add Language…, select ‘Cymraeg’ Then tap Done

Any apps that have been previously translated into Welsh will now open in Welsh!

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http://www.appsinwelsh.com/listing/dailyworkouts-free/ Sut i ddefnyddio eich iPhone yn Gymraeg: • Dewiswch yr ap Settings ar eich sgrin gartref • Yna tapiwch General > Language & Region.

• Tapiwch Select Language... , dewiswch 'Cymraeg' • Yna tapiwch Done Bydd unrhyw apiau sydd wedi'u cyfieithu i'r Gymraeg nawr yn agor yn Gymraeg!

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Is-deitlau Cymraeg Powerpoint Powerpoint Welsh subtitles Mae’r tîm cwricwlwm yma yn ACT wrth eu bodd yn chwilio am driciau i wneud ein bywyd yn haws.

Mae’r tip PowerPoint yma wrth Kameron yn wych i gynnal sesiynnau dwyieithog, hyd yn oed lle nad yw’r tiwtor yn siarad Cymraeg!

The Curriculum Team are always looking for tips and tricks to make our life easier. This Powerpoint tip from our Welsh specialist Kameron is great for helping make sessions bilingual - even where the tutor doesn’t speak Welsh!

https://sway.office.com/ O32LeJPNe9MfyDEM?ref=Link

https://sway.office.com/ O32LeJPNe9MfyDEM?ref=Link

Cyrsiau Sgiliath Sgiliaith courses Mae gan Sgiliaith amserlen lawn o gyrsiau ar gyfer aseswyr a thiwtoriaid o bob gallu ieithyddol sydd wedi anelu at godi hyder i ddefnyddio’r Gymraeg:

Sgiliaith have a full timetable of courses available for tutors of all Welsh abilities aimed at increasing confidence to use more Welsh in delivery:

https://drive.google.com/file/ d/1F7QUve4jBS2bG590EYzGDhmv8ck_XSc2/ view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/ d/1F7QUve4jBS2bG590EYzGDhmv8ck_XSc2/ view?usp=sharing

Caru Cymru Proud to be Welsh Mae’r gystadleuaeth Caru Cymru wedi symud ar-lein eleni. Mae’r categorïau wedi eu dosbarthu i’r Pencampwyr Cymraeg ac rydym yn gobeithio cael llawer iawn o geisiadau eleni gan ein bod ni gyd yn aros adre!

The Proud to be Welsh competition has moved online this year. All the Welsh Champions have had the draft categories and we are looking forward to receiving lots of entries this year since we are all staying in!

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Respect The overnight shift to remote learning has sparked numerous changes in our delivery approach across all of our qualifications.

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The process of improving the economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being of Wales by taking action, in accordance with the sustainable development principle, aimed at achieving the well-being goals.

The Future Generations Act

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The Wellbeing of Future Generations Act 2015 has been working to increase sustainability in the Public Sector and this includes education. As such, this will impact on our own delivery of qualifications going forward.

Whilst engagement and adaptation to ensure qualifications could continue to be delivered were the highest priority in 2020, the focus in 2021 is how we continue to refine and perfect this model in order to continue this mode of delivery moving forward.

The ongoing inclusion of the RESPECT cross-cutting themes is now as important as ever.

• Respect Yourself • Respect Others • Respect the Community

The Future Generations Act defines Sustainable Development in Wales as: “The process of improving the economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being of Wales by taking action, in accordance with the sustainable development principle, aimed at achieving the well-being goals.”

• Respect the Environment These themes encompass everything from wellbeing and mental health, checking in on colleagues, friends and neighbours, volunteering at food banks, sharing information or getting outside for exercise and trying a new skill.

The Act sets out five ways of working needed for Public Bodies to achieve the seven well-being goals. This approach provides an opportunity for innovative thinking, reflecting the way we live our lives and what we expect of our public services.

Sustainability of businesses, products and services is also incredibly important. Our exit from the European Union at the start of January, along with some extreme global weather conditions and a global pandemic have meant many initiatives such as the reduction of single use plastic have stalled or even reversed with the need for face masks, gloves and PPE. Indeed, others initiatives have totally taken off, with moving to homeworking reducing carbon footprints and more people growing their own vegetables.

We now have a range of RESPECT resources available on the ACT Respect, CSR & Community Benefits SharePoint for staff to access and familiarise themselves with.

There is an introduction to The Future Generations Act. In addition, there is a raft of essential information and resources related to all the ACT Respect Themes on the SharePoint. This includes a practitioner’s guide that is useful for new members of staff or even as a refresher for existing staff.

The Wellbeing of Future Generations Act 2015 has been working to increase sustainability in the Public Sector and this includes education.

As such, this will impact on our own delivery of qualifications going forward.

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STAFF IN THE

spotlight This month we put the spotlight on Melanie Lloyd who joined ACT in November 2017. Mel works as the Employability Tutor (Care) at our Bridgend Centre.

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Tell us a little bit about your role, and what your average day looks like.

I joined ACT Training in November 2017 as maternity cover for the Childcare route in Traineeships. In the last 3 years I have moved from Traineeship to Apprenticeship and back to Traineeships again. I am currently working in the Bridgend centre as the Childcare Tutor.

A typical day for me includes: bathing dolls, making formula feeds, changing nappies, making playdough, gloop and taking part in messy play activities with the learners. We also have lots of discussions around caring for children, the elderly and meeting other's needs.

What is the most rewarding part of your current role?

The most rewarding part of my job role is seeing learners achieve their short and long-term goals.

Also, helping them realise their natural strengths and abilities and building confidence through learning.

Tell us an interesting fact about yourself…

I don’t think I am a very interesting person.

However, my learners find it very amusing that I enjoy watching planes take off and land. The learners used to ring me when the planes were low flying over the Bridgend centre.

"When I am not working, I like a good chat on the phone, a glass of rose wine, spending time with my family and going out for a nice meal."

What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?

This may sound like a cop out but I honestly cannot say I have ever had a bad job. I have enjoyed all of them and appreciated the experiences and opportunities that I have gained. Some good and some bad, but they have all provided valuable life lessons for me.

How do you like to spend your time when you’re not working?

When I am not working, I like a good chat on the phone, a glass of rose wine, spending time with my family and going out for a nice meal.

What would be your top tip for colleagues?

Where is the best place you have travelled to?

My top tips for my colleagues would be to talk to each other more. Don't be too hard on yourself and always be grateful for the experiences and opportunities that fall into your life journey..

The best place I have travelled to has to be New York. The shopping in Woodbury Common was amazing and I do love a bargain.

A big thank you to Melanie for taking the time to answer our questions this month.

What was the last album you listened to?

The last album I listened to was the soundtrack to ‘A Star is Born’.

If you would like to feature in our Staff in the Spotlight section, or have a colleague you’d like to put forward, please e-mail Rachael Lewis.

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'The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse’

by Charlie Mackesy A book of hope for uncertain times. Enter the world of Charlie's four unlikely friends, discover their story and their most important life lessons.

Soothing balm for the soul in these turbulent, polarised times, former Spectator cartoonist Charlie Mackesy's tender illustrations have already become an online phenomenon. Now, his finest artwork has been gathered together in this beautifully produced volume, a book to treasure forever and a permanent reminder of the need for compassion and love in a world suffused with ignorance and hatred. ‘A wonderful work of art and a wonderful window into the human heart.’ Richard Curtis Find out more

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Last issue, our recommended read was ‘Atomic Habits’

by James Clear. Thank you to everyone who got on board with the book club, ordered a copy and read the book. Thanks to Vicky Gallioni for the review.

The Five Big Ideas

Atomic Habits is a great read, that is easy to pick up and refer back to as and when.

It starts with an introduction to the British Cycling team where small changes over a period of years led to some of the greatest cycling achievements. The book is about having a different approach to setting and achieving goals by changing your habits.

1. Habits are the compound interest of selfimprovement.

2. If you want better results, then forget about setting goals. Focus on your system instead.

3. The most effective way to change your habits is to focus not on what you want to achieve, but on who you wish to become.

The principles are:

4. The Four Laws of Behaviour Change are a simple set of rules we can use to build better habits. They are (1) make it obvious, (2) make it attractive, (3) make it easy, and (4) make it satisfying.

1. An atomic habit is a regular practice or routine that is not only small and easy to do, but is also the source of incredible power; a component of the system of compound growth.

5. Environment is the invisible hand that shapes human behaviour.

2. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don’t want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change.

3. Changes that seem small and unimportant at first will compound into remarkable results if you’re willing to stick with them for years.

Want to take part in our next book club?

Books are free for the first 50 staff who request a copy (first come first served basis) and could count towards your CPD hours (subject to suitability).

Request your copy by emailing bookclub@acttraining.org.uk by Friday 13th February.

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Win some delicious hand-made Fwdge!

We could all do with some joy in our lives right now, and the award-winning makers at Fwdge are offering just that with a chance to win ÂŁ15 worth of delicious handmade treats.

Made using the finest quality Welsh ingredients, every batch of creamy chocolate fwdge is made by hand in the Fwdge kitchen. All of their products are suitable for vegetarians, and they also have many delicious vegan and Gluten-free options available too. To be in with a chance of winning please answer the following question before 12th February 2021.

Which member of staff is currently shortlisted for Tutor of the Year in the Apprenticeship Awards Cymru 2021?

Click here to enter. The winner will be announced in the Weekly Roundup on 12th February.

Valentine's Day Offer

Fwdge are offering ACT staff 10% off at www.fwdge.com with the following discount code: LOVEFWDGE

10%

dis all Acount f o CT Staf r f

Vegan Dark Chocolate and Blood Orange.

A 70% dark chocolate base swirled with blood orange and rich cocoa. Made with coconut milk.

White Chocolate and Raspberry Classic white chocolate vanilla fwdge with a buttery cocoa base & sweet dried raspberry pieces.

All fwdge is handmade, so please order online by the 6th February to make sure it arrives in time for Valentine's Day. UK wide postal available and gift messages can be added on request. Discount does not apply to sale items or postage.

www.fwdge.com

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welcome to our newest recruits!

Catrin Bishop Junior Graphic Designer

Menna Thomas Hairdressing Tutor/ Assessor

Jamie Willetts ICT & Digital Assessorr

Farewell to‌ Kathryn Baker - Business Services Tutor

Pierre Codron - Schools based Counsellor

Pip Barrett - Essential Skills Tutor

Clive George - Maintenance Operative

Gino Basiletti - Systems Developer

Daniel James - Clinical Health Assessor

Amy Binnell - Essential Skills Tutor

Arren Roach - Graduate Developer

Lauren Cahill - People & Development Officer

Nav Vaughan - Financial Services Assessor

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This publication has been brought to you by the Marketing & Communications team.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this issue.

If you have suggestions, stories or ideas you’d like to share in future issues please do get in touch with Rachael Lewis, Communications Officer rachaellewis@acttraining.org.uk Your ideas and input are always welcome!