An innovative project being run by Pembrokeshire College is teaching students valuable life skills through the production and sale of art.

Students studying on the Bridging and Cornerstone courses at the college are being given the opportunity to develop a range of valuable life skills through a seven week project titled Pebbles Pembrokeshire. As part of the project, students spend one afternoon a week working together to create original paintings, prints, cards, wrapping paper and other products to sell to staff and students at the college.

The aim is for each new group to spend their first session at the beach where they can take inspiration from the natural beauty of the Pembrokeshire coastline. Through exploring shapes and textures away from the classroom, it is hoped that students will come back full of ideas on how to create art that people will want to buy.

Using art as the basis, the students also get involved with planning, budgeting, pricing, publicity, and developing a website to showcase their work, with students allocating themselves their own roles depending on their strengths and interests.

Heidi Baker, art lecturer at the college, commented: "While all the students create individual artwork during their seven weeks on the project, the most exciting part for me is seeing the group taking collective ownership of artwork with the ultimate aim of selling it. Sharing the experience of making means they are then able to share in the output. The art that we are creating is bringing students together and equipping them with a set of skills that will benefit them whatever their future direction."

As well as producing a range of paintings, cards and prints, each group will also choose to work with a specialist material to produce pieces that are unique to their group. This time, the group used silver to produce a range of beautiful pendants, future groups could choose to work with materials such as ceramic, fabric or wood. Moving forward it is hoped that Pebbles Pembrokeshire products will be available for sale online and in commercial outlets.

Upon completing the seven week programme, students gain an Entry Level 2 qualification in Running an Enterprise while all profits made from selling their creations go towards supporting future Pebbles projects.

The group would like to say a special thank you to local jewellery-maker Sara Lloyd-Morris who kindly fired the pieces for the students before they added the finishing touches of clasps and chains.

With the next group due to start after half-term, Heidi is looking for any local makers who would be prepared to donate an hour of their time to talk to the students about their enterprise to get in touch by email at [email protected]">[email protected].

The next group will be selling their products in the afternoon of Wednesday, December 11, at the college's Christmas Fair.

To find out more about the Cornerstone and Bridging courses at the college, call Admissions on 0800 9 776 788.