Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for International Relations and Welsh Language – in the Senedd at 2:29 pm on 5 February 2020.
Thank you, Llywydd. Minister, last night, both of us attended a CollegesWales event to learn more about the upshots of Work Welsh. Again, hidden skills were acknowledged, not only within the workforce, but within the student body too. The majority of lecturers, students and apprentices noted that, in their view, they don't have any Welsh language skills or fundamental second language skills, and that they prefer to study through the medium of English only, which is disappointing.
Almost all of the students and apprentices will have attended schools in Wales, and Welsh would have been a compulsory element of their education. So, I welcome the coleg Cymraeg's proposals for further education and apprenticeships, and the work ongoing with Work Welsh, but there's a long way to go to overcome the impacts of the education system and a working environment that makes Welsh speakers shy in using the language. How will you measure the success of the scheme in FE and apprenticeships, and how long will long term be?