In March 2021, the Welsh Government announced it would put in place a £65 million replacement for the Erasmus+ programme, and made that commitment part of our programme for government. I am pleased to inform the Chamber today that that promise is rapidly coming to fruition, and the first learners are already starting to feel the benefits.  

We in Wales loved the Erasmus+ programme a great deal. As an outward-looking nation, the values of international co-operation and exchange imbued in Erasmus are in harmony with our approach here in Wales, and the loss of that programme was keenly felt. That is why the Welsh Government's response was decisive and ambitious. It sent a clear message to learners and educators at home, and to partners across the world, that Wales is open, Wales is outward-looking as a nation and Wales embraces the benefits of cultural and educational exchange.

The Taith programme that we have now developed reflects that ambition and those values. It is reciprocal. The programme supports learners and their staff across all kinds of education providers—formal and non-formal. The response from providers across Wales so far has been fantastic, and I will give you the details of the first pathway now.