Senior Ceredigion councillors have backed the early stages of plans to establish a centre for the provision of vocational education at the Lampeter university campus.
In a report before the September meeting of Ceredigion County Council’s Cabinet, members were provided with an update on developments in relation to the Lampeter Campus and asked to back authority for officers to continue working with partners to further develop proposals.
In January 2025, the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) announced that undergraduate courses would no longer be taught at its Lampeter campus, with the remaining humanities courses being taught at its Carmarthen campus from September 2025.
Shortly after the announcement, council officers and those from UWTSD began discussions on the future of the campus and began to develop the concept of a hub for vocational education to meet the needs of Ceredigion’s post-16 learners.
A report for members said: “CCC and UWTSD (including Coleg Ceredigion) are working in partnership to establish a centre for vocational education. Exploratory work is currently being completed. Agriculture is one of the cornerstones of Ceredigion’s economy, yet there are currently no post-16 agriculture-related courses.”
More recently, Ceredigion County Council successfully applied for funding from Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns loan to enable the purchase of Llettytwppa, adapting a traditional working farm into a hub for agricultural education, with Level 2 and 3 courses in agriculture starting this September.
It was proposed that the strategic acquisition of the farm “will form part of a regionally significant educational hub that will provide hands-on, practical training in various agricultural and environmental disciplines,” the report said.
“From the outset, the principles of sustainable food production will be a central theme so that learners fully understand the principles so that they can implement them in their future practice.”
The report added: “The aim is to provide the sector with an ongoing supply of a highly skilled and qualified workforce. The campus provides opportunities to develop workshops and teaching spaces for a range of vocational courses to meet the needs of the local economy. Wales does not currently have a recognised centre for the development of heritage and artisan skills.
“It is proposed that a number of courses would be developed to include these skills. Partners are currently working on a vision for a ‘Wales Centre for Heritage, Artisan and Rural Skills’.”
It said the campus also “has the potential to support new sports, recreation and local wellbeing provision,” and that discussions have already taken place with a number of sporting associations who are interested in working as partners to develop a “regionally and nationally significant Sports Academy”.
It also said the Arts Centre on the Lampeter campus could also be developed “for cultural creative and social activities,” and the campus library “provides opportunities to develop and enhance wider library provision in the town”.
Members backed a recommendation that officers be authorised to collaborate with partners, such as the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) and Coleg Ceredigion with the aim of establishing a centre for the provision of vocational education on the UWTSD Lampeter Campus.
