#careerswales — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #careerswales, aggregated by home.social.
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Swansea’s new Y Storfa hub draws praise as visitors embrace city centre one‑stop shop
The building, which opened on December 1 in the former BHS store on Oxford Street, has been “busy every day”, according to Swansea Council. The authority says visitors have praised its central location, bright design and the convenience of having multiple services under one roof.
Council leader Rob Stewart said the reaction had exceeded expectations.
Cllr Stewart said:
Members of the Mentro Allan social group say Y Storfa’s welcoming staff and central location make it an ideal meeting place.“We’re delighted that public and staff feedback from the early weeks at Y Storfa has been so positive. Public comments continue to be fantastic; our staff and partners love working here. It’s proving to be a real success.”
(Image: Swansea Council)Community groups using the space say it has already become a valued meeting point.
Jean Blair, from social group Mentro Allan, said:
“We really enjoy meeting here. Y Storfa has welcoming staff, plenty of comfortable space and is in a central location.”
The South Wales Miners’ Library, now based inside the hub, says the move has made it far easier for people to drop in.
Sian Williams, head of cultural collections at Swansea University, said:
“We’re much more accessible here and are delighted with the number of people who’ve called in and continue to do so. We’re open to everybody and it’s great to welcome a range of visitors.”
The council’s lifelong learning team says demand has surged since relocating.
Swansea University’s Sian Williams says the South Wales Miners’ Library is now “much more accessible” since relocating to Y Storfa.
(Image: Swansea Council)Judith Porch from Swansea Council’s lifelong learning team says Y Storfa is helping connect people by bringing multiple services together in one place.
(Image: Swansea Council)Service co‑ordinator Judith Porch said:
“With so many services being in one space, Y Storfa is connecting people. It’s great for supporting our learners — you can see how people are enjoying the experience. We’ve seen huge interest in our lifelong learning classes; our IT classes are now completely full.”
Frontline staff say the hub is already improving how residents access help.
Senior revenues and benefits officer Andrea Jones says Y Storfa is making it easier for residents to access several services in a single visit.
(Image: Swansea Council)Senior revenues and benefits officer Andrea Jones said:
“Y Storfa has made it easy for customers to access many services in one place. I had a customer who came in for a query about benefits who was then able to go straight to housing options. It makes it much more convenient being in the same location.”
The council says the numbers back up the positive feedback. December saw more than 670 new central library members — more than triple the usual monthly average — and children’s library loans have risen. The South Wales Miners’ Library, Citizens Advice, West Glamorgan Archive Service and Careers Wales all report increased footfall.
Visitors browse bilingual library sections at Y Storfa, where history and arts collections are now housed in the city centre hub.
(Image: Swansea Council)Cllr Stewart says the hub is already playing a role in boosting the wider city centre.
He said:
Staff at Y Storfa’s circular reception desk assist visitors with council services, library access and lifelong learning enquiries.“Thousands of people have already enjoyed what Y Storfa has to offer. They like its accessible and compelling mix of essential services. There’s been a significant uplift in visitors compared to previous locations used by the services based there.”
(Image: Swansea Council)Y Storfa forms part of Swansea Council’s £1bn regeneration programme and was delivered with support from the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns fund. The council says its location — close to car parks, bus routes and the newly reopened Park Street East car park — is helping draw people back into the city centre.
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#BHS #CareersWales #CentralLibrary #CitizensAdvice #Library #lifelongLearning #MentroAllan #OxfordStreet #PrincessWay #RevenuesAndBenefits #SouthWalesMinersLibrary #Swansea #SwanseaCouncil #SwanseaUniversity #WestGlamorganArchiveService #YStorfa
Ambitious redevelopment plans unveiled for the seafront site. -
Y Storfa opens in Swansea city centre as council services move from Civic
The facility is part of the authority’s £1bn regeneration programme and brings together a range of services under one roof, including the city’s Central Library, Housing Options, Housing Support, and the West Glamorgan Archive Service. Careers Wales, Citizens Advice Swansea Neath Port Talbot, and Swansea University’s South Wales Miners’ Library also have bases there.
Council leader Rob Stewart described Y Storfa as “a great city centre space for the people of Swansea to access services they use day in day out,” adding that it would “make the city centre an even better place to visit.”
Visitors gather at the main reception desk inside Y Storfa on opening day.
(Image: Swansea Council)The project has been funded in part by the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns programme, with construction led by Kier. Ian Rees, regional director for Kier Construction Western & Wales, said the company was “incredibly proud to see Y Storfa open its doors to the public, providing a vital community space right at the heart of the city centre.”
Wendy Williams of Careers Wales said the move would make it easier for residents to access free careers advice in a central location, while Caroline Newman of Citizens Advice Swansea Neath Port Talbot said the relocation would “improve accessibility and create opportunities for collaboration.”
Bilingual signage marks the entrance to the Children’s Library at Y Storfa.
(Image: Swansea Council)The library space at Y Storfa features modern furnishings and seasonal decorations.
(Image: Swansea Council)Staff members at the new Children’s Library inside Y Storfa, part of Swansea Central Library’s relocated services.
(Image: Swansea Council)Services available at Y Storfa
- 📚 Swansea Central Library
- 🏠 Housing Options and Housing Support services
- 📜 West Glamorgan Archive Service
- 🎓 Swansea University’s South Wales Miners’ Library
- 💼 Careers Wales advice centre
- ⚖️ Citizens Advice Swansea Neath Port Talbot
- Other council services relocated from the Civic Centre
Note: Registration offices and bereavement services remain at the Civic Centre until further notice.
The opening means there is now no public access via the front doors of Swansea Civic Centre. Council services previously based there have transferred to Y Storfa, although registration offices and bereavement services will continue to operate from the Civic until further notice.
The council says redevelopment plans for the Civic Centre are still being worked on and will be announced once finalised.
#archives #bhs #careersWales #centralLibrary #citizensAdvice #civicCentre #featured #housingOptions #housingSupport #library #oxfordStreet #princessWay #swansea #swanseaCouncil #swanseaUniversityMinersLibrary #westGlamorganArchiveService2 #yStorfa
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“I wouldn’t be in this position without her.” – Neath student takes first step towards legal career with careers adviser support
Through her school’s careers adviser, Rebecca Mogford, Beth discovered new options she hadn’t considered before.
Beth explained: “I told Rebecca that my interest was in law and I didn’t really want to go to university, but I was really open to college. So initially I thought I’d be doing maybe A levels and law would be one of the options.”
Rebecca helped Beth to research options and found that JCP Solicitors offered apprenticeships through CILEX (Chartered Institute of Legal Executives). She also encouraged Beth to attend an open evening to learn more.
Beth said: “I found the open evening really helpful because I was able to see what kind of environment I would be working in if I was successful. They even showed me step by step how my career route would look.”
After the open evening at JCP Solicitors, Beth felt confident she wanted to apply for the apprenticeship. Rebecca suggested ways to enhance Beth’s CV, such as practising touch typing, completing online courses, and learning the phonetic alphabet.
Beth explained: “Rebecca really did enhance my CV, which I then applied with, and they offered me an interview. I had an in-person interview and then within a week they gave me a start date. It all started from that meeting with Rebecca.”
Now, Beth works as an apprentice at JCP Solicitors. She spends four days a week in the business support team and one day a week at Gower College studying for her CILEX qualification. After that she hopes to progress to Level 5, with the long-term goal of becoming a solicitor.
Beth said: “I don’t think there’s much awareness about all the apprenticeships that are out there. I never knew I’d be able to do an apprenticeship in law. You’re earning while you’re learning and getting practical experience.”
Her sessions with Rebecca gave her the confidence to pursue her goal.
“I wouldn’t be in this position without her. She definitely built my confidence towards applying for this role.”
Beth’s story is just one example of how Careers Wales empowers young people to take confident steps toward their futures. In schools, careers advisers like Rebecca held over 80,000 guidance sessions with young people, supporting pupils like Beth to explore their career options.
Across Wales, young people were equipped with the tools and experiences they need for life beyond the classroom. More than 38,600 learners took part in group career-planning sessions and Careers Wales coordinated 1,704 employer-led activities—ranging from mock interviews to site visits—with secondary schools.
Last year alone, over 420,000 individuals used the Careers Wales website, with over 46,000 using the Career Match Quiz to discover jobs aligned with their skills and interests.
[Lead image: Careers Wales]