On Friday 10 July we held The Future is Sweet — an engagement and recognition event for our secondary partners across Wales.
The idea was simple. We wanted to reflect on the journey Sweet has been on, set out clearly where we are going next, and take the time to celebrate the centres who deliver this work brilliantly, week in and week out.
Our story, and Welsh ambition
We opened with where Sweet came from — the origins, the growth and the impact the resources have had since. We linked that to Welsh greats and entrepreneurs as examples of ambition and innovation, because raising aspiration is exactly what the qualifications are for. If we are asking learners to think bigger about their own futures, it helps to point at people who did.
Centres sharing what works
The best-practice panel was the part we were most looking forward to. Centres shared their own success stories: how they deliver, how they get learners engaged, and the outcomes that followed. Just as usefully, they talked about the challenges they hit and how they worked through them.
Nothing we write in a scheme of work carries the same weight as a teacher explaining how they actually made it land in their own classroom.
What is next for Sweet
We then set out our view of the future: the move to Skills for Life and Skills for Work, the role of education in employability and lifelong learning, and how the developments ahead will support centres, teachers and learners through the transition.
We also introduced our new branding, and what it stands for.
Centres of Excellence
The day closed with recognition. Our Centres of Excellence awards celebrate outstanding teaching and delivery, effective use of the Sweet resources, strong learner engagement and outcomes, and long-term partnership.
