How many education trainees are following the language competency certificate course this year?
Welsh-medium Initial Teacher Education (ITE) has an important role to play in realising the Welsh Government’s target of reaching a million speakers by 2050 and contributing to the commitments set out in the Welsh Government’s Welsh in Education Action Plan 2017-2021.
In 2017 the Welsh Government commissioned OB3 Research to undertake an evaluation of Welsh-medium provision in ITE. The evaluation found the provisions available via the Welsh Medium Improvement Scheme (WMIS) and the language competency certificate make a positive contribution to the development of the Welsh language skills of trainees and their competence to teach through the medium of Welsh, and that some elements of the provision should be retained as a principle within any future ITE provision. The full report - Evaluation of Welsh-Medium provision in Initial Teacher Education can be found at: https://gov.wales/statistics-and-research/evaluation-welsh-medium-provision-initial-teacher-education/?lang=en
The findings from the report are being considered in full as part of our ongoing reforms of ITE. My officials met with the ITE Partnerships on 5 November to hold initial discussions on how we move forward to support all our trainees to develop their Welsh language skills and competence to teach through the medium of Welsh. These discussions will continue over the coming months, and I hope to be in a position to confirm the arrangements for the WMIS and the language competency certificate from September 2019 onwards in the new year.
With regards to the number following the language competency certificate, we do not have the data for the 2018/19 intake, this will be available by February. In 2017/18 a total of 161 undertook the certificate, 75 primary trainees and 86 secondary trainees.
The Criteria for the accreditation of initial teacher education programmes in Wales published in March 2017 has reconceptualised ITE in Wales, requiring strong partnerships between initial teacher education institutions and schools, working in genuine partnership to provide a world class workforce of the future. The criteria also place a clear requirement on ITE Partnerships to include in their programmes the development of the Welsh language in the following two ways:
- Partnership provision in Welsh for those wishing to pursue careers in Welsh medium or bilingual schools.
- Partnership provision to improve Welsh language skills of all ITE students.
The accreditation process was undertaken by EWC, therefore, we do not hold detailed information about how the accredited partnerships will deliver their provision from September 2019. It is our understanding that the four accredited partnerships are still in the process of recruiting and planning their delivery in accordance with their approved plans. Therefore, the number of subject tutors providing Welsh-medium training in the four accredited partnerships is not currently available.
We recognise that Welsh-medium subject tutors within the ITE Partnerships make an important contribution to developing the skills of the trainees and we will continue to encourage and explore opportunities for even closer collaboration between providers and schools.
We are committed to developing a stronger and identifiable Welsh-medium ITE brand to ensure there is a sufficient workforce to provide Welsh-medium education.