Dros 800 o Fyfyrwyr yn Graddio... mewn…

Heddiw, cymerodd dros 800 o fyfyrwyr lefel gradd o bob rhan o Ogledd Cymru ran mewn seremoni raddio rithwir gan gael cyfle i raddio'n ffurfiol a dathlu'u llwyddiannau er gwaethaf cyfyngiadau'r pandemig.

Eleni, er na allodd rheolwyr, tiwtoriaid a staff cefnogi Grŵp Llandrillo Menai ddathlu gyda'u graddedigion yn y ffordd arferol mewn seremoni ysblennydd yn Llandudno o flaen teulu a ffrindiau, fe wnaethon nhw'n dal anelu at roi'r Seremoni Raddio orau bosibl i bron i fil o fyfyrwyr... o gyfforddusrwydd a diogelwch eu cartrefi.

Yn y seremoni, a gafodd ei ffilmio a'i golygu gan gwmni proffesiynol sydd wedi ennill gwobrau, dathlwyd llwyddiannau cannoedd o fyfyrwyr cyrsiau Gradd Anrhydedd, Gradd Sylfaen, HNC ac Ôl-radd o dri choleg Grŵp Llandrillo Menai – Coleg Llandrillo, Coleg Menai a Choleg Meirion-Dwyfor Cafodd holl raddedigion 2021 eu henwi'n unigol yn ystod y seremoni, ynghyd â graddedigion o'r seremoni a gafodd ei gohirio'r llynedd.

Oherwydd y cyfyngiadau amlwg, eleni fe greodd y Grŵp wefan bwrpasol ar gyfer y Seremoni Raddio i ychwanegu ychydig o hwyl i'r digwyddiad. Roedd hyn yn cynnwys cyfleoedd i'r graddedigion ennill gwobrau fel cacennau i'w rhannu gyda'u teulu a'u ffrindiau yn ystod y seremoni, i logi gwisg academaidd gan y cyflenwyr arferol, i rannu eu profiadau o astudio yng Ngrŵp Llandrillo Menai, ac i osod hunluniau ar 'Wal Enwogrwydd' y wefan. Wrth dynnu hunluniau, roedd hyd yn oed yn bosibl i'r myfyrwyr ddefnyddio Instagram i roi cap graddio ar eu pennau!

Mae'r nifer sy'n astudio ar lefel prifysgol wedi cynyddu'n gyson bob blwyddyn. Heddiw, mae gan y Grŵp tua 1,200 o fyfyrwyr Addysg Uwch yn astudio ar 50 o lwybrau gradd gwahanol, gyda dros 400 o fyfyrwyr yn graddio pob blwyddyn, nifer gydag anrhydedd dosbarth cyntaf.

Wrth gyfarch y graddedigion, dywedodd Dafydd Evans, Prif Weithredwr Grŵp Llandrillo Menai: "Mae cael cymhwyster Addysg Uwch yn garreg filltir bwysig yn eich bywydau ac yn un y byddwch yn ei chofio am byth. Cymerwch amser i fwynhau'r foment hon, oherwydd rydym ni'r staff yn gwybod am yr ymdrech a'r pwysau y mae astudio ar y lefel hon yn ei olygu. Heddiw rydych chi'n destun balchder mawr i'ch teuluoedd, eich ffrindiau a'ch cyflogwyr."

Mae gan un o'r graddedigion, a ddechreuodd weithio'n rhan amser yn McDonald's ar ôl gadael yr ysgol ac sy'n awr yn gweithio ym maes rheoli ystadau ac asedau, ddau achos i ddathlu: ennill gradd anrhydedd dosbarth cyntaf ac ymuno â'i wraig fel myfyriwr graddedig, wedi iddi hi raddio o Goleg Llandrillo ddwy flynedd yn ôl.

Dyfarnwyd gradd BSc (Anrh) mewn Rheoli ym maes Adeiladu i Colin James-Davies o Abergele ar ôl iddo gwblhau ei astudiaethau'n llwyddiannus ar gampws Coleg Llandrillo yn Llandrillo-yn-Rhos.

Dechreuodd weithio yn y bwyty bwyd cyflym yn syth ar ôl gadael yr ysgol. Gweithiodd ei hun i fyny i fod yn rheolwr cyn gadael i ddechrau ar yrfa newydd mewn Asiantaeth Eiddo er mwyn cael gwell cydbwysedd rhwng bywyd a gwaith. Ar ôl sawl blynedd yn y maes hwn, penderfynodd ddychwelyd i addysg gan gyfuno'i swydd â chwrs rhan-amser er mwyn gwella ei gyfleoedd gyrfaol.

Ar ddiwedd ei ail flwyddyn yn y coleg, cafodd swydd fel Rheolwr Prosiectau gyda thîm eiddo Cyngor Sir Conwy. Yna cymerodd flwyddyn allan i ganolbwyntio ar ei swydd newydd cyn dychwelyd i Goleg Llandrillo'r flwyddyn ganlynol. Yna... digwyddodd y pandemig. Fel yr esboniodd Colin:

"Pan ddechreuodd y pandemig yn 2020, ro'n i'n aros i fynd 'nôl i'r coleg i wneud fy nyddiau astudio, ac fel llawer o bobl eraill roedd yn rhaid i mi weithio o adref. Ar ddechrau'r cyfnod clo cyntaf hwn mi symudon ni i dŷ newydd, mi gawson ni gi bach a'n babi cyntaf! Ym mis Medi, mi ddychwelais i Goleg Llandrillo i ddechrau fy nhrydedd flwyddyn gan weithio o bell drwy gael darlithoedd ar Google Hangout.

"Drwy gydol fy nghyfnod yn astudio yng Ngholeg Llandrillo cefais gefnogaeth ardderchog gyda fy nyslecsia ac roedd gen i dîm arbennig o diwtoriaid. Roedd y dosbarthiadau bychan a'r gallu i astudio'n hyblyg o fantais fawr i mi. Roedd fy nhiwtoriaid ar gael bob amser a digon o adnoddau ar gael i'm helpu.

"Dilynodd fy ngwraig gwrs gradd yng Ngholeg Llandrillo hefyd gan astudio am ddwy noson yr wythnos, ac mae'r ddau ohonom yn llawn canmoliaeth i'r profiad. Dyma'r ateb delfrydol i unrhyw un sydd am astudio a gweithio ar yr un pryd.

"Yn ddiweddar dw i wedi symud i weithio gyda thîm arall yn y cyngor lleol, a newydd ddechrau ar swydd newydd fel Swyddog Technegol ym maes Rheoli Ystadau ac Asedau. Rhan o'm dyletswyddau ydi helpu i reoli eiddo'r awdurdod, ac mi ga i gyfle hefyd i weithio tuag at gymwysterau sydd wedi'u hachredu gan y diwydiant.

"Oni bai am diwtoriaid gwych Coleg Llandrillo a chefnogaeth arbennig fy ngwraig, fyddwn i ddim lle ydw i heddiw."

Graddiodd Eva Voma, 19 oed o Fangor, oddi ar y cwrs Peirianneg HNC ar gampws Coleg Menai yn Llangefni. Ar y cwrs bu i Eva feithrin sgiliau a gwybodaeth eang, gan ddysgu pob math o brosesau sy'n codi'n aml ym maes peirianneg. O ganlyniad, doedd hi ddim yn teimlo allan o'i dyfnder pan ddechreuodd ar ei gyrfa newydd yn y sector. Yn ddiweddar, cafodd swydd gyda ISC, cwmni rhyngwladol sy'n darparu offer diogelwch i weithio ar uchder.

Dywedodd Eva, “Mi wnes i gofrestru ar y cwrs i ddatblygu fy sgiliau a'm gwybodaeth. Dw i rŵan am barhau i ddysgu, ac yn barod i ysgwyddo mwy o gyfrifoldebau yn y gweithle. Yn y pen draw hoffwn ganolbwyntio mwy ar y maes dylunio peirianneg. Mi wnaeth y coleg fy helpu'n arw gyda fy sgiliau Cynllunio gyda Chymorth Cyfrifiadur (CAD). Dw i'n hynod o falch am hyn oherwydd mae'n sgìl dw i'n gallu ei drosglwyddo ac mae wedi bod yn ddefnyddiol iawn i mi yn y gwaith.”

Cafodd William Prys-Jones o Gaernarfon Radd Anrhydedd Dosbarth Cyntaf mewn Rheoli ym maes Twristiaeth. Yr hyn sy'n gwneud hyn yn fwy rhyfeddol yw ei fod wedi bod yn cyfuno'i astudiaethau eleni â'i swydd fel Llywydd Addysg Uwch Undeb Myfyrwyr Grŵp Llandrillo Menai.

Cychwynnodd William ar ei daith academaidd drwy astudio cwrs Lefel 2 ym maes Teithio a Thwristiaeth yng Ngholeg Menai. Wedi iddo gwblhau'r cwrs hwn yn llwyddiannus aeth ymlaen i astudio cwrs Lefel 3. Yna aeth i Goleg Llandrillo i wneud cymwysterau Lefel 4 a Lefel 5 (Gradd Sylfaen) cyn ennill gradd BA (Anrh) Lefel 6 yn ddiweddar. Eleni hefyd cafodd ganmoliaeth yn y gystadleuaeth 'Next Tourism Generation'!

Graddiodd Hannah Jane Denyer o Brestatyn o'r cwrs BSc (Anrh) mewn Plismona ac Ymchwilio i Droseddau ar gampws y coleg yn Llandrillo-yn-Rhos. Daeth i'r coleg i ddechrau i wneud y cwrs BTEC dwy flynedd mewn Gwasanaethau Cyhoeddus, cyn mynd ymlaen i ddilyn y cwrs gradd mewn Plismona.

Dywedodd: "Dw i wedi gwir fwynhau fy nhair blynedd yn astudio am y radd. Erbyn hyn dw i'n Gwnstabl Arbennig gyda Heddlu Gogledd Cymru ac yn mwynhau'r profiad o ddysgu mwy am yr heddlu. Mae'r cwrs hwn wedi rhoi'r sylfaen orau i mi lwyddo yn fy ngyrfa yn y dyfodol ac mae fy nhiwtoriaid wedi fy arwain drwy'r holl broses. Mae cynnwys y cwrs yn wych, a chan fod y dosbarthiadau'n llai mae mwy o gyfleoedd i gael arweiniad. Dw i'n drist fod y tair blynedd wedi mynd heibio mor gyflym."

Mae gan Lucy Sharp, 21 oed o Ddolwyddelan ddau reswm i ddathlu: nid yn unig mae hi wedi cael gradd BA (Anrh) mewn Cyfryngau Creadigol a Chyfryngau Darlledu, ond yn ystod y cwrs fe gafodd gyfle i dreulio ychydig wythnosau'n gweithio ar set y gyfres deledu 'I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!’

Mae Grŵp Llandrillo Menai'n parhau i ymestyn ei bortffolio o gyrsiau Addysg Uwch, yn annibynnol ac mewn partneriaeth â sefydliadau Addysg Uwch eraill. Yn ogystal â'r rhaglenni gradd anrhydedd a'r diplomau cenedlaethol uwch traddodiadol, mae'r coleg wedi bod yn flaenllaw wrth ddatblygu a hyrwyddo Graddau Sylfaen a chyrsiau galwedigaethol arloesol ac unigryw.

Mae'r Ganolfan Brifysgol gwerth £4.5 miliwn ar gampws y coleg yn Llandrillo-yn-Rhos, a adeiladwyd mewn partneriaeth â Phrifysgol Bangor, yn darparu cyfleusterau addysgu a dysgu wedi eu teilwra i fyfyrwyr Addysg Uwch mewn un canolfan bwrpasol, yn hytrach nag mewn lleoliadau gwahanol ar draws y campysau.

I gael rhagor o wybodaeth am raddau neu gyrsiau Addysg Uwch sydd ar gael yng Ngrŵp Llandrillo Menai, ffoniwch y tîm Gwasanaethau i Ddysgwyr ar 01492 542 338.

Gwefan: www.gllm.ac.uk

E-bost: generalenquiries@gllm.ac.uk

Although Grŵp Llandrillo Menai’s managers, tutors and support staff were unable to celebrate with their graduates in the usual way at a grand ceremony in Llandudno in front of families and friends due to the pandemic, they still aimed to give nearly a thousand students the best Graduation Ceremony experience possible…from the comfort and safety of their own homes!

The outstanding achievements of hundreds of Degree, Foundation Degree, HNC and Postgraduate students from Grŵp Llandrillo Menai’s three colleges – Coleg Llandrillo, Coleg Menai and Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor - were celebrated during the virtual ceremony, professionally filmed and edited by an award-winning film company. The ceremony recognised each of the graduates, individually naming all of the graduates from 2021 together with those from last year’s postponed ceremony.

Taking into account the obvious limitations, this year the college group built a dedicated Graduation website to add a little fun to proceedings. This included opportunities for graduates to win prizes including cakes for their families and friends to enjoy during the ceremony, to hire academic dress from the usual suppliers, to share their experiences of studying with Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, and to upload selfies onto the website’s ‘Wall of Fame’. There was even a filter for Instagram which put a graduation cap on a graduate’s head when in selfie mode!

The number studying on university-level courses has increased steadily year-on-year. Today, the Grŵp has around 1,200 Higher Education students studying on 50 different degree courses, with over 400 students graduating each year, many with First-Class Honours.

Addressing the graduates, Dafydd Evans, CEO of Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, said: “Achieving a Higher Education qualification and graduating is a big milestone in your lives which you will always remember. Reflect and enjoy the moment, because we as staff know how much effort, stress and pressure goes into studying at this higher education level. Today you are the pride of North Wales and the toast of your families, your friends and employers.”

One graduate who started working part-time at MacDonalds after school and is now working in estate and asset management, had double cause for celebration: gaining a first-class honours degree and joining his wife as a graduate, after she completed her degree two years earlier at Coleg Llandrillo.

Colin James-Davies from Abergele was awarded a BSc (Hons) Construction Management degree after successfully completing his studies at Coleg Llandrillo’s Rhos-on-Sea campus.

He started work at the fast food restaurant straight after school, working his way up to the position of manager before leaving for a new career in estate agency for a better work-life balance. After several years within this field, he decided to juggle his job role with a return to education on a part-time basis to advance his career prospects.

At the end of his second year of studies, he secured a role within Conwy County Council as a Project Manager within the property team. He then took a year out to focus on his new role before planning to return to Coleg Llandrillo the next academic year. Then…the pandemic hit. Colin explained more:

“During 2020 whilst awaiting to go back to college on day-release, I like many others started working from home as the pandemic began. It was at the start of this first lockdown that we got our first puppy, moved house and had our first baby! In September I returned to Coleg Llandrillo to start my third year, working remotely via Google Hangout lectures.

“During my whole degree experience at Coleg Llandrillo I received fantastic support for my dyslexia and had a brilliant team of tutors. I benefitted from small class sizes, flexible studying, very accessible tutors and access to all the recourses I could ask for.

“My wife did her degree at Coleg Llandrillo over two nights a week and we both couldn't recommend it enough. For anyone looking to study but not give up work, it's the perfect solution.

“I have recently moved teams within the local council and have just started my new role as Estate & Asset Management Technical Officer where I will be helping to manage the authorities’ properties and much, much more, including working towards further industry-accredited qualifications.

“I wouldn't be where I am today without Coleg Llandrillo's amazing tutors and my amazingly supportive wife.”

Eva Voma, 19, from Bangor, graduated from the HNC Engineering course at Coleg Menai’s Llangefni campus. Eva gained a wide breadth of knowledge from the course, learning a raft of engineering processes that frequently arise within the world of engineering, so that she didn’t feel out of depth after starting her new career within the sector. Eva recently got a job with International Safety Components (ISC), a leading global provider of height safety equipment.

Eva said: “I initially enrolled on the course to increase my knowledge and skill set, and I now aim to further my learning, take on more responsibilities in the workplace, and eventually focus more within the design engineering field. College helped a lot with my CAD (Computer-Aided Design) skills, which I am very pleased about, as it is a transferable skill and it has been very handy at work.”

William Prys-Jones from Caernarfon was awarded a First-Class Honours for his BA (Hons) Tourism Management degree. This is all the more remarkable considering that he has been juggling his studies with the demands of his role as Grŵp Llandrillo Menai’s Higher Education Student Union President this year.

William started his academic journey in Travel & Tourism at Level 2 at Coleg Menai, successfully completing that course before moving onto Level 3. He then joined Coleg Llandrillo, completing both his Level 4 and Level 5 (Foundation Degree) qualifications, before recently gaining his BA (Hons) degree (Level 6). He was also commended in this year’s ‘Next Tourism Generation’ competition.

Hannah Jane Denyer from Prestatyn graduated from the BSc (Hons) Policing and Criminal Investigation course at the college’s Rhos-on-Sea campus. She initially attended college to complete the two-year BTEC Public Services course, before deciding to progress on to the Policing degree course.

She said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed my three years studying for the degree. I have become a Special Constable with North Wales Police, enjoying first-hand experience of what the police is all about. I believe this course has given me the best chances of achieving in my future career and my tutors have guided me through the whole process. This course covers great content, and the smaller class sizes means there is more opportunities for guidance. I am sad the three years are over so soon.”

21-year-old Lucy Sharpe from Dolwyddelan had two reasons to celebrate: not only did she gain her BA (Hons) Creative and Broadcast Media degree, but she also spent a few weeks working on the set off ITV series 'I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!’ during her studies.

Grŵp Llandrillo Menai continues to expand its portfolio of Higher Education courses, both independently and in partnership with Higher Education institutions. As well as the more traditional honours degree programmes and higher nationals, the college has been at the forefront in developing and promoting innovative and unique Foundation Degrees and vocational courses.

The £4.5million University Centre Coleg Llandrillo (UCCL) at the college’s Rhos-on-Sea campus, which was built in partnership with Bangor University and is the base for nearly 1,000 learners, provides Higher Education students with bespoke teaching and learning facilities in one dedicated centre, rather than in different locations across the campus.

For more information on Higher Education courses available at Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, contact the Learner Services team on 01492 542 338.

Web: www.gllm.ac.uk

Email: generalenquiries@gllm.ac.uk