The Tafflab Project has concluded

Thank you

— from the trustees of Tafflab

When the Tafflab project was first envisaged it was to close an identified gap in enterprise education in further education, to provide financial support and expert mentoring to bring business ideas to fruition. Initially, the project, which commenced in 2014, was funded by the RSA with mentors drawn from the RSA Fellows and working with three valleys colleges - Coleg y Cymoedd, Coleg Gwent and the College, Merthyr Tydfil.

At the point of completing ten years of the project in 2025, the Tafflab trustees decided to undertake a review. The trustees were delighted to reflect that Tafflab really did pioneer a mix of education professionals, successful business people, and a supportive funding regime to really change how enterprise education was viewed and delivered. Over the period of the project many of the Tafflab awardees developed successful business that continue to thrive.

The enterprise activities at the colleges have expanded hugely in the period that the project has been running. If a college student had a business idea, they can be fully supported within the college to develop it and there are funding streams and mentors available to provide support. The Welsh Government has also developed a number of ways for experienced professionals to work with colleges through a range of mentoring schemes and have developed a large pool of people on both a paid and a voluntary basis.

As a group of trustees, we decided that a measure of success was that if we were starting out in 2025, there would be no need for Tafflab because of what is now available in each college. As a result, the trustees decided that the 2025/26 academic year would be the last year of Tafflab. The trustees would like to sincerely thank all of the awardees, the college staff and the mentors who have given their time and effort to make the project such a success.

The enterprise teams at the college will continue to offer opportunities in the spirit of Tafflab.

With gratitude, the trustees of Tafflab Rod Ashley, Dr. Jane Croad, Karen Phillips Dr. Meirion Morgan, Dr. Kathy Seddon, Peter Wright