Coleg Sir Gâr and Coleg Ceredigion Board Minutes - Thursday 12 December 2024

Coleg Sir Gâr

Minutes of the Coleg Sir Gâr Board Meeting held at 2:00 pm on Thursday, 12th December 2024, in room A218, Pibwrlwyd Campus.

Present:

Mr John Edge (Chair)
Mrs Abigail Salini (Vice-Chair)
Ms Erica Cassin
Mr Alan Smith
Ms Jacqui Kedward
Mr Mike Theodoulou
Dr Andrew Cornish (Principal)
Mr Rhys Taylor
Mr Louis Dare (CSG Staff)
Mr John Williams (CC Staff)
Ms Hannah Freckleton (2024/2025 Student Union President)

College Management:

Mrs Amanda Daniels (Vice Principal Curriculum, Skills and Quality)
Mr Ralph Priller (Chief Operating Officer)
Mrs Vanessa Cashmore (Vice Principal Planning, Learners and Communication)

In attendance:

Mr Damion Gee (Company Secretary and Clerk to the Board)
Mr Martin Davies (Translator)

Guests:

Professor Elwen Evans KC (Vice-Chancellor, UWTSD)
Ms Sarah Clark (University Secretary/Clerk to the Council, UWTSD)

The Clerk confirmed that the meeting was quorate.

The meeting commenced at 13:51.

Agenda item

Main discussion points

Action/decision

Meeting Governance

24/23/1.1

Apologies for absence and declarations of interests

Apologies for absence were received from Ms Tracy Senchal, Mrs Sharron Lusher, Mr Huw Davies, and Mr Ben Francis.

24/23/1.2

Approval of the restricted and unrestricted minutes of the last Meeting: 17th October 2024

The Board CONFIRMED the RESTRICTED and UNRESTRICTED minutes of the Coleg Sir Gâr Board meeting held on Thursday, 17th October 2024, as an accurate record.

24/23/1.3

Matters relating to Coleg Ceredigion

There were no matters relating to Coleg Ceredigion outside of the information being presented at the meeting.

24/23/1.4

Matters arising and Action points not covered elsewhere on the agenda.

CSG CC Board Rolling Action Plan

There were no matters arising.

The Committee noted that all actions within the applicable timescale had been undertaken.

24/23/1.5

Minutes of the Coleg Ceredigion Board meeting: 17th October 2024

(Information only)

The Board RECEIVED and NOTED the minutes of the Coleg Ceredigion Board meeting held on Thursday the 17th October 2024.

Matters for Discussion and/or Approval

24/24/2.2

Audit 23/24

(i) Overview

(ii) KPMG External Audit Report (Information & Financial Statements support)

(iii) Mazars Internal Audit Annual Report & opinion

In support of the Financial Statements, the Board RECEIVED and CONSIDERED the

External Auditor Report 2023/24. It was NOTED that the Financial Statements were subject to external audit and the report presented confirmed the audit outcomes. A positive audit report and no significant issues were identified.

The Board RECEIVED and CONSIDERED the Internal Audit Annual Report for 2023/24. It was NOTED that:

The Internal audit function is a critical and independent financial control within the organisation, focussing on key areas determined by the audit plan/strategy.
The annual report summarised the activities for the year and provided a judgement as to whether the organisation had effective controls and governance in place during the year.
The report was positive, with no material issues being identified.
A detailed analysis underpinning the audits was presented to and scrutinised by the Audit and Risk Management Committee, who were happy with the results.

The Board were made aware of the excellent comments from KPMG and Mazars, the external and internal auditors, commending the College’s finance team. They commented how responsive, helpful and organised the team was and were excellent to work with.

24/24/2.4

Estates Report

The Board RECEIVED the Estates Report. It was NOTED:

MIM Update:

Welsh Education Partnership (WEPCo) Stage 1 pack (Concept Design and Considerations) has been submitted to the Welsh Government on the 25th of November 2024.
Stage 1 information will also inform the College’s Outline Business Case (OBC), that will be submitted by the 9th of January 2025.
Following approval, WEPCo Stage 2 (Detailed Design Contractor Selection and Planning Permission) will formally commence sometime during March/April following WG approval of the OBC (although in reality preparation work is an ongoing process).
Stage 2 outputs will then inform the Full Business Case (FBC) submission.
The College is working with David Swallow Consulting in relation to the OBC. All is on track for submission in early January.
The MIM Oversight Committee met for the first time on 22nd November 2024 to review activity to date. The considerable progress made was positively received and endorsed.
Due to timings another Board Meeting is unable to be held before the OBC submission deadline.

The Board APPROVED the Outline Business Case and its submission by the 9th January 2025. This approval was on the basis that the Stage 1 pack and OBC are in line with the SOC and NPR including the financials.

24/24/2.6

Strategic Plan 2025-2030

The Board RECEIVED and CONSIDERED the latest draft of the Strategic Plan 2025-2030. It was NOTED:

Version 7 was presented to the Board for Approval.
Student, staff, and union engagement has been completed, and feedback has been inputted. Following this feedback, a small number of changes were made, which were explained to the board.
The strongest features of the Wellbeing and Future Generations Act have been highlighted in the plan and linked to strategic priorities.
The focus will be incorporated into the operational plan, which will be based on this strategic plan.

The Board AGREED and APPROVED the Strategic Plan 2025-2030 presented to the Board.

24/24/2.7

Principal’s Report

The Board RECEIVED and CONSIDERED the Principal’s Report. It was NOTED:

The College and University’s senior teams met earlier in the week to discuss the group and how the group structure should work and start developing a joint strategy. The topic of a joint Board and Council meeting to develop this Joint strategy and objectives was discussed.
There has been a great deal of activity in Strategic Development, including:
Continuing development of Medr
Continuing development of the Directorate of Tertiary Education (TED) within the Welsh Government
Ministerial visit to Aberystwyth Campus
Visit of Director of Education in Carmarthenshire to Graig Campus
Four Nations Colleges Alliance Meeting in Belfast
Meetings with Ceredigion County Council Officers / Senedd developments
Medr and TED are working closely together. TED sets the national priorities and national policy with Medr implementing TED priorities – how it does that depends on Medr. Started to look at regulation and what that might look like for FE – early indications suggest that institutions will have a risk profile, made up of a number of criteria including Governance.
Ministerial Visit to Aberystwyth Campus is the first visit to Aberystwyth Campus for over 15 years. The UWTSD VC attended and the Minister spoke to learners and staff and visited ESOL, Catering, Performing Arts, Childcare, Media and Social Care.
The College spoke with the Minister about
FE Finances
Skills Development
Learner progression
Review of Post-16 in Ceredigion
Owain Lloyd, the newly appointed Director of Education for Carmarthenshire visited the Graig campus. There was good dialogue between the LEA in Carmarthenshire and the College on a number of matters including: -
ALN transition
14-16 learning pathways, including the advent of VCSEs
Student Transport
The new build at Pibwrlwyd
The College has had several Estyn visits:
The first visit was our link visit – an annual event where Estyn is with us for three days. The visit went very well, and our link inspector, Mark Evans, was impressed overall with the college and our learners. There is no formal feedback other than verbal.
There have been other REMIT visits. These are themed visits that Estyn undertakes as a result of the Welsh Government asking them to investigate areas of work. These included Welsh Language, Additional Learning Needs (ALN), Learner Behaviour and Independent Living Skills (there is a further visit for this area in the New Year).
All visits to the college went very well, and each inspector provided positive feedback. There is no formal feedback other than through national reports compiled by Estyn when their remit work is completed.
Coleg Sir Gar / Ceredigion Medallist list for WorldSkills UK and Skill Build National Finals 2024

Competition	First name	Last name	Organisation	Award Achieved
Beauty Therapist	Elara	Jones	CSG/CC	Bronze
Culinary Arts	Caitlin	Meredith	CSG/CC	Bronze
Restaurant Service	Shannon	Brown	CSG/CC	Bronze
Foundation Skills: Health and Social Care	Evanna	Lewis	CSG/CC	Silver

The Board Congratulated all learners who went to Manchester and Milton Keynes to represent themselves and the College. They all did exceptionally well to reach the national finals.

24/24/2.8

Update from the Vice-Chancellor of the UWTSD

The Board RECEIVED a verbal update from the Vice-Chancellor of the UWTSD.

Matters for Approval*

24/25/3.1

Board and Committee Recruitment

The Board RECEIVED and CONSIDERED information on Board and Committee recruitment. It was NOTED:

The Committee was requested to approve the recommendation from the interviewing panels and Search and Governance Committee of the following Board and Committee members:
Audit and Risk Management Committee Co-opted Members
Term: 4 years renewable once
Recommended candidates:
Stephen Davies
Rachel Williams
Board Members
Term: 4 years renewable once
Recommended Candidates:
Angharad Lloyd Beynon
Estelle Hitchon
Sophie Wint
Jeanne Childs
The Search and Governance Committee, subject to approval above, have allocated Governors to the following Standing Committees:
Learners and Standards – Angharad Lloyd-Beynon & Jeanne Childs
Resources, Resilience and Partnerships – Estelle Hitchon & Sophie Wint

The Board RATIFIED the recommendations and APPROVED the appointments put forward for Co-opted members of the Audit and Risk Management Committee and members of the Board of Governors.

24/25/3.2

RR&P Committee ToRs and Work Plan 2024/2025

The Board RECEIVED and APPROVED the RR&P Committee ToRs and Work Plan for 2024/2025.

24/25/3.3

S&G Committee ToRs and Work Plan 2024/2025

The Board RECEIVED and APPROVED the S&G Committee ToRs and Work Plan for 2024/2025.

24/25/3.4

Remuneration Committee Terms of Reference 2024/2025

The Board RECEIVED and APPROVED the Remuneration Committee Terms of Reference for 2024/2025.

24/25/3.5

A&RM Committee ToRs 2024/2025

The Board RECEIVED and APPROVED the A&RM Committee Terms of Reference for 2024/2025.

24/25/3.6

RR&P Committee Annual Committee Report 2023/2024

The Board RECEIVED and APPROVED the RR&P Committee Annual Committee Report for 2023/2024.

24/25/3.7

S&G Committee Annual Committee Report 2023/2024

The Board RECEIVED and APPROVED the S&G Committee Annual Committee Report for 2023/2024.

24/25/3.8

A&RM Committee Annual Committee Report 2023/2024

The Board RECEIVED and APPROVED the A&RM Committee Annual Committee Report for 2023/2024.

24/25/3.9

L&S Committee Annual Committee Report 2023/2024

The Board RECEIVED and APPROVED the L&S Committee Annual Committee Report for 2023/2024.

24/25/3.10

Equality and Diversity Report 2024

The Board RECEIVED and APPROVED the Equality and Diversity Report 2024.

Matters for Information**

24/26/4.1

Committee Report of the Learners & Standards Committee meeting held on 7 November 2024

The Board RECEIVED for INFORMATION the Committee Report of the Learners & Standards Committee meeting held on the 7th November 2024.

24/26/4.2

Committee Report of the Resources, Resilience & Partnerships Committee meeting held on 14 November 2024

The Board RECEIVED for INFORMATION the Committee Report of the Resources, Resilience & Partnerships Committee meeting held on the 14th November 2024.

24/26/4.3

Committee Report of the Audit & Risk Management Committee meeting held on 21 November 2024

The Board RECEIVED for INFORMATION the Committee Report of the Audit & Risk Management Committee meeting held on the 21st November 2024.

24/26/4.4

Committee Report of the Search and Governance Committee meeting held on 27 November 2024

The Board RECEIVED for INFORMATION the Committee Report of the Search and Governance Committee meeting held on the 27th November 2024.

24/26/4.5

Learner Sponsorship Requests

(i) Learner sponsorship guidance
(ii) Email templates
(iii) Learner sponsorship decision tree
(iv) Selection criteria

The Board RECEIVED for INFORMATION clarification on the process and criteria utilised for assessing and undertaking decisions for sponsorship requests received from students.

24/26/4.6

Welsh Language and translation in committee meetings

The Board RECEIVED INFORMATION on the use of Welsh Language and translation services, specifically within Board and Committee meetings. This was presented in Welsh. It NOTED:

Translation services currently available in the following meetings: Board, Learners and Standards Committee, Resources, Resilience and Partnerships Committee and Audit and Risk Management Committee.
The Search and Governance Committee felt that having translation standards in Board meetings was vital.
It has been noted that translation services are not being regularly utilised within Committee meetings.
All decisions are required to align with the Welsh Language Standards.
The thoughts and opinions of Board members should be sought on using the Welsh Language and translation services.
Establishing the best ways to promote the Welsh Language within the Governance framework of the College.

Plan:

All Board members will be sent a poll to gauge their thoughts and opinions on the Welsh language and translation services within Board and Committee meetings (guidance will be taken from Helen Griffith (Director of Bilingualism) to ensure that all correspondence and actions are aligned to the Welsh Language Standards).
A Governor task and finish group to be set up led by the Welsh Language Link Governor to discuss the Governor’s feedback and liaise with staff on potential options.
An action plan will then return to the Board for discussion and approval on the best way to proceed.

The UWTSD University Secretary proposed an annual review, which would keep this in line with UWTSD policies.

24/26/4.7

Jimmy Staveley Judo Success

The Board RECEIVED INFORMATION on Coleg Sir Gâr’s elite athlete Jimmy Staveley, solidifying his place on the international judo stage by clinching gold at the prestigious EJU Open European II Judo Championships 2024. Held in Venray, Netherlands, in November, the event brought together top-tier competitors from 17 countries, making Staveley’s victory all the more remarkable. Jimmy’s success is a testament to his dedication and the invaluable support he has received from Coleg Sir Gâr, whose commitment to nurturing talented athletes has been instrumental in his development and achievements. The Board congratulated Jimmy Staveley on his success.

Any Other Business

24/27/5.1

There was no further business.

Declarations of Interest

24/28/6.1

To confirm any conflicts of interest that may have arisen during the meeting.

No further Declarations of Interest were received during the meeting.

Date of the next meeting

24/29/7.1

Date of the next meeting

Thursday, 20th February 2025, in the Boardroom at Graig Campus starting at 16:00.

Coleg Ceredigion