Cardiff’s horticultural apprentices showcase gardening skills learnt in France

Posted by Now Cardiff on Dec 18, 2012

Three young horticultural apprentices, who travelled to Cardiff’s twin city of Nantes in France to gain new skills and experiences, have presented their findings to project partners.

Anthony Davies, Joshua Thatcher and Magdalena Szczerbinska spent three weeks with the Nantes Parks Department Beaujoire as part of the Cardiff Council Parks and Gardens Horticultural Apprenticeship Scheme, funded by the European Leonardo da Vinci Programme.

Cabinet Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture, Cllr Huw Thomas said: “We are extremely proud of the Council’s horticultural apprenticeship scheme which continues to provide young people with opportunity to learn valuable skills in an outdoor environment, utilising the city’s excellent parks and green spaces.

“This event will showcase what they have learnt and how the scheme has benefitted their studies as well as demonstrating how positive and credible the scheme is, having been awarded European funding.”

The event which took place on Wednesday 12, December at the Bute Park Education Centre also gave family members of the apprentices and the Heritage Lottery Fund, the major funder of heritage skills in Wales, the opportunity to discover what the group learnt during the work experience placement, including looking at the various differences and similarities between the two cities Councils and parks departments, vehicles and mechanisation, organisation and horticultural methods. They will also demonstrate some ideas that Cardiff could possibly implement here.

The apprentices undertook several French language tutorials in preparation for the placement improving language skills in addition to horticulture.

They worked with gardeners in the Jardin des Plantes, the Grand Blottereau park and the Beaujoire flower gardens.

Cardiff Council was successful in securing over 12,500 Euros from the Leonardo da Vinci Programme to develop the exchange programme for the Parks Services horticultural apprentices.

The Nantes exchange scheme has been a highly valuable part of the horticultural apprenticeship training programme which has the benefits of improving their horticultural skills and assisting in contributing to the apprentice’s curriculum for their studies in horticulture.

Jennifer Stewart, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund Wales which is supporting a range of heritage skills work based placements, said: “This scheme has provided invaluable experiences and opportunities for the apprentices. It’s great to see Anthony, Joshua and Magdalena so passionate about developing the skills they need to take Wales’ heritage forward.

“In a tough job market it’s more important than ever that we invest in training placements to provide job-seekers or career changers with the practical skills and confidence they need to get jobs within the heritage sector. Such is the demand for these opportunities we have invested further in our Skills for the Future programme which is now open to new applicants until 31 January 2013.”

The Leonardo da Vinci Programme is part of the European Commission’s Lifelong Learning Programme which supports education and training across Europe. It also provides opportunities for UK vocational education and training.

Cardiff Council’s horticultural apprenticeship scheme aims to develop skills through an in-house programme of practical training, combined with day release study. The scheme addresses the current skills gap in the industry and contributes to promoting career development and retaining a highly skilled workforce in the Parks Service.

As part of the programme, the apprentices benefit from a diverse range of activities and operations associated with horticulture including plant production and propagation, plant identification, conservation and tree management and fine turf.

The fastest growing firm in Cardiff is…

Posted by Now Cardiff on Oct 3, 2012

Williams PM Electrical Limited, a Cardiff-based mechanical and electrical contractor, has been crowned the fastest-growing business in Cardiff.

Formed in 2009, the company employs highly skilled electricians, experienced in all aspects of domestic and commercial electrical work.

The main core of business is focused within the social housing sector, covering most regions throughout Wales. It also has a reasonably sized commercial section, carrying out projects up to £1.5m in refurbishment, rebuild and new build projects.

The business started with 25 employees and now employs a staggering 110 staff.

Williams PM Electrical was presented with its award by category sponsors, Cardiff Council, in front of 450 business people at the prestigious Fast Growth 50 Awards 2012 held in Cardiff.

The Wales Fast Growth 50 initiative, which was started 14 years ago to recognise the best of Welsh indigenous business, showcases companies that are making a real difference within their sectors and, more importantly during the current economic climate, are creating jobs within their local communities.

The 50 Welsh companies featuring on this year’s list will have collectively created 9,400 jobs since they were started, which is an incredible achievement.

Paul Lewis, Director of Williams PM Electrical, said:  “We are highly honoured to have won this prestigious award. The past three years have been very challenging for us and we as a company have overseen many obstacles. We would like to show our gratitude to all our staff for their hard work throughout this period and thank all our clients for their continuing support. We hope we can continue in this manner for many years to come and look forward to new challenges ahead.”

Executive member for Finance, Business and Local Economy Cllr Russell Goodway said: “I’m delighted to see Williams PM Electrical win the fastest growing firm in Cardiff accolade, as part of the Fast Growth 50 Awards.  The current climate for our businesses is very challenging and Williams PM Electrical are showcasing great success in these difficult times.

“Following from the recent Nesta report showing that Cardiff has one of the highest percentages of high growth of any city in the UK, it demonstrates that Cardiff is a great place to do business.  Fast growth firms need a platform to build upon their success and Cardiff is providing that to our businesses with great results.  The Fast Growth 50 initiative is a constant reminder of the entrepreneurial potential that exists within Cardiff and the rest of Wales, with growth performance by innovative businesses, which is as good as any to be found across the regions of the rest of the UK.”

For more information on the this year’s Fast Growth 50 Awards and all the winners, please visit www.fastgrowth50.com

Tickets for derby day at the Millennium Stadium on sale

Posted by Now Cardiff on Sep 14, 2012

Tickets for Wales’ double-header derby day at the Millennium Stadium will go on public sale today (Friday 14 September) at 12noon.

The festival of rugby will see the Newport Gwent Dragons face the Scarlets and Cardiff Blues take on the Ospreys in back-to-back clashes on Saturday 30 March, for the first of a new annual rugby initiative at the home of Welsh sport.

Rugby fans can get their tickets from midday priced at £10 for U18s, £25 for adults and £50 for a family of four (2 adults, 2 children) via WRU.CO.UK at Ticketmaster (08442 777 888) or Ticketline UK (02920 230130).

The event, launched jointly by the Welsh Rugby Union and Regional Rugby Wales, will bring the Blues and Dragons RaboDirect Pro12 ‘home’ games against their regional rivals to the iconic stadium for the next four seasons.

Season ticket holders for the Blues and Dragons will be given free entry to the Millennium Stadium for the annual rugby extravaganza.

The WRU has promised a carnival atmosphere for the unique event with details of a full spectrum of match day entertainment coming soon, while almost 1,000 fans have already pre-registered to book their places at the iconic venue.

“Tickets for the Millennium Stadium’s inaugural double-header derby day are on sale now and fans will get to see two regional rugby derby matches, played back-to-back, all on just one attractively priced ticket,” said Gerry Toms, Stadium Manager.

“The event promises to be a fantastic festival of rugby entertainment and we hope all fans will wear their regional colours and support their teams in their droves at the first event on Saturday 30 March.”

As well as WRU’s official ticketing outlets WRU.CO.UK, Ticketmaster and Ticketline UK tickets will be available from the four regions in coming weeks; details to be announced in due course. All season ticket and box holders from the Cardiff Blues and Newport Gwent Dragons will be allocated prime reserved seats at the Millennium Stadium please contact the WRU in the first instance.

On behalf of the four regions, Stuart Gallacher, Chief Executive of Regional Rugby Wales, said:“We’re delighted to be working with the Welsh Rugby Union to bring a new derby day to Wales’ national stadium, which showcases the commitment and success of the four regions to producing and supporting so many talented players in Wales.”

Cardiff named as one of top cities in UK for business growth

Posted by Now Cardiff on Sep 14, 2012

Recently published research by NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) has revealed that Cardiff has the second highest concentration of high growth firms out of the 62 UK cities it analysed.

High growth firms, or ‘gazelles’ as are they are commonly known, make up just seven per cent of all UK businesses, but in Cardiff the figure is an impressive 11 per cent. This equates to 35 companies who are all vital to the local economy as high growth firms generate around half of all new jobs and are particularly resilient during a recession.

Gazelles were defined in the research as those firms having achieved an annual employment growth of 20 per cent of more per annum between 2007-10.

Because they make a disproportionate contribution to economic growth, it is important that any city economy features a high percentage of high-growth firms.

In Cardiff the sector providing the largest amount of gazelles was business services, followed by the construction and hotel and restaurant sectors.

Business Services is a large sector within the UK economy, with about 23 per cent of all firms and 15 per cent of employment falling into this category. It also includes legal firms, accountants, architects and engineering consultants, management and business consultants, advertising, technical testing, market research, recruitment companies, security businesses and cleaning businesses.

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Cardiff Story “opens doors” to mark heritage event

Posted by Now Cardiff on Sep 11, 2012

This September many of Cardiff’s historical and important buildings will open their doors for a special event that celebrates Wales’ history.

Open Doors is Wales’ biggest celebration of architecture and heritage and for the month of September a host of events will give people the opportunity to explore buildings, take part in walks, talks, visit historical sites and view exhibitions.

Cardiff Council will show its support by opening the doors to a number of council properties including the Mansion House, City Hall and the Barrage Control Room.

Alongside these special tours, The Cardiff Story Museum has organised a number of free events.

On the evening of September 18 Dr Glenn Jordan (Butetown History and Arts Centre) and Colin Heyman (Cardiff Reform Synagogue) will deliver a short talk about the Hineni exhibition, explaining how the project was put together. The Hineni Exhibition is an oral history and photographic project, which tells the life stories of 60 members of the Cardiff Reform Jewish community.

Cardiff public libraries are the focus of attention in events taking place on Saturday September 22 and Saturday September 29.

A unique talk delivered by Cardiff library staff will take a trip through the last 150 years of libraries in the city. Learn about the Carnegie buildings, find out some backroom secrets and hear how libraries have adapted to 21st century demands. Talks will take place on both Saturdays at 11am and again at 2pm.

Visitors can also take a fascinating guided tour of The Cardiff Story Museum to explore the Victorian Grade II listed building which was originally built as Cardiff’s first public library. They will be able to see the famous tiled corridor and discover the stained glass windows at the top of the spiral staircase.

The tour will include information on how the museum was created, how the galleries were put together and more about the future plans of the museum. Tours will take place on Saturday September 22 and 29 at 12 midday and again at 3pm.

Places for all these events can be booked by calling 029 2078 8334.

Cabinet Member for Sport, Culture and Leisure, Cllr Huw Thomas, said: “Open doors provides an unique opportunity for people to explore their local heritage.

“The Old Library, which houses the Cardiff Story, is a fascinating building – not only for the great collection exhibited as part of the museum but also for its wonderful architecture, including the famous tiled corridor.

“The talks are an added bonus to getting behind the scenes of the museum.”