Ned wins national prize for financial skills

Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor student Ned Pugh has won a national accolade for developing his financial skills.

Ned, from Llwyngwril, has received The Worshipful Livery Company of Wales (WLCOW) Financial Numeracy Improvement Award.

The 21-year-old is in the second year of the BTEC Level 3 Enhanced Engineering course, studying at the Pwllheli and Dolgellau campuses.

He won the WLCOW award after significantly improving his numeracy and maths skills while at college, using his number-crunching prowess to support his own enterprise of cleaning and detailing cars.

Ned also had a little help from the ‘Money Saving Expert’ Martin Lewis, albeit indirectly, after he completed MSE’s free Academy of Money course to help him with his personal finances.

Having developed his numeracy skills from a GCSE ‘C’ grade when he first started at Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor, Ned is now on target for a Distinction in the Level 3 Enhanced certificate in General Engineering, which includes units in Engineering Science and Mathematics.

Engineering lecturer Emlyn Evans said: “Ned is a model student. His work ethic and effort is of the highest standard and this is sustained in all the 18 units he has studied on the course.

“I know Ned would not consider himself a candidate for an award, but he really is deserving of the accolade. He brings a smile with him to every lesson regardless of any obstacles he has had to overcome over the past two years, and he has applied himself to every task given to him, showing the highest degree of competence.”

Fflur Rees Jones, Assistant Principal of Coleg Menai and Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor, said: “Ned has worked really hard to develop his numeracy skills. As a college we are very proud of Ned’s achievement and wish him well with his future studies.”

After completing his GCSEs at Ysgol Tywyn, Ned progressed onto a Level 2 Engineering course at Coleg Meirion Dwyfor’s CaMDA campus, studying the City and Guilds Engineering, Digital Literacy and Application of Numbers.

He then enhanced his practical engineering skills by studying Level 2 Fabrication and Welding. During this time, Ned grew in confidence and developed his numeracy and mathematics skills, allowing him to enrol on the BTEC Level 3 Enhanced Engineering course.

He now hopes to move on to a Higher Education apprenticeship next year, having applied to study the Level 4 Higher National Certificate (HNC) in General Engineering at the Dolgellau campus from September.

Ned said: “I have enjoyed my journey so far. The staff at Coleg Meirion Dwyfor have been very supportive throughout all the courses I have completed. I have been able to grow my engineering skills and my confidence each step of the way.”

Ned plans to use the money from the WLCOW award for a new laptop to aid his career ambitions.

He said: “My current plan is to find a local apprenticeship in the field of engineering. The award will help me greatly to fund a new laptop which will help me with continued studies and a future role as an engineer.

“I have also applied for the continued progression to study the HNC at Coleg Meirion Dwyfor in Dolgellau next year, so an apprenticeship and a day release would serve me well next year.”

Applications are now open for the HNC General Engineering September 2024 intake.

Emlyn Evans, the program leader for the Level 4 HNC at Dolgellau, said: “We are currently working with employees from the local industry such as Transport for Wales (Machynlleth Engineering Depot), Nuclear Decommissioning Agency (NDA) at Trawsfynydd, The Hut Group, Towyn, and Metcalfe Catering Equipment, Blaenau Ffestiniog, to help the students to develop their skills as engineers of the future.

“On the course the apprentices are currently studying Engineering Design, Engineering Science, Engineering Mathematics, Engineering Project, Engineering Management, Production for Engineering, Workshop Machining Skills and Computer-Aided Engineering to gain the Level 4 HNC Qualification.”

• If you have any questions about any of the engineering courses offered by Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor, please contact Emlyn Evans, evans12e@gllm.ac.uk To learn more about the engineering courses on offer at Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, or to apply, click here.