ColegauCymru is pleased to confirm that the successful Cymraeg Gwaith scheme, which develops the Welsh skills of lecturers, education practitioners and assessors in further education colleges, will continue into its seventh year.
The scheme, funded by the National Welsh Language Learning Centre, now supports 400 staff across 11 colleges annually and contributes to the ambitious Welsh Government target of reaching one million Welsh speakers by 2050.
The scheme is funded by the Welsh Government and has been developed by the National Centre for Learning Welsh. The Cymraeg Gwaith in Further Education and Higher Education schemes are coordinated by the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol in partnership with ColegauCymru. From 1st April 2023, the management and coordination of the scheme will be carried out directly by Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol. The service provided to the FE sector will be unaffected as a result of this change and it will be an opportunity to better integrate FE across the work of the Coleg.
Discussions are underway to continue to develop the provision in a strategic way, with a focus on a continuation of the Cymraeg Gwaith+ scheme, learner events and Siarad speaking schemes tailored to match specific sectors.
There was also success in the new pilot scheme, Cymraeg Gwaith+, which is also funded by the Centre. This scheme helps to increase the confidence of staff to use their Welsh skills in the workplace. The second cohort of Cymraeg Gwaith+ staff is currently completing their 10-week course we are planning on increasing this project as well as developing new ideas from April 2023. The success of the Cymraeg Gwaith+ scheme, and upcoming improvements will focus on developing the confidence of lecturers in order to be able to use these skills with learners in the colleges which are in line with our wider aim of providing Welsh and bilingual learning opportunities in the post-16 sector in Wales.
Chief Executive of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, Dr Ioan Matthews, said
"We are proud to see the continued success of the Cymraeg Gwaith scheme supporting further education staff to develop their language skills. The plan also encourages more opportunities to use the language in practical ways in the workplace.”
ColegauCymru Chief Executive David Hagendyk added,
"It's an exciting time for improving the Welsh language skills of staff in the sector, with the Cymraeg Gwaith scheme gaining additional momentum every year. Even though ColegauCymru will no longer be responsible for management of the scheme, we will continue to be an active member of the Coleg’s Post-16 Strategic Board and to playing our part in ensuring further education learners have the opportunity to study through the medium of Welsh.”
ColegauCymru is committed to continuing to work closely with our partners to ensure every possible opportunity to use the Welsh language in our further education colleges. The ColegauCymru Work Welsh Scheme Project Manager, Nia Brodrick, will be moving over to the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol from 1st April 2023.
Further Information
Nia Brodrick, Cymraeg Gwaith Project Manager
Nia.Brodrick@ColegauCymru.ac.uk
Lucy Hopkins, Communications Manager
Lucy.Hopkins@ColegauCymru.ac.uk
