Welsh Government

Enabling people to use the language at work, along with ensuring the public have access to high quality Welsh language services is essential if we are to achieve our goal of a million speakers.

The National Centre for Learning Welsh is responsible for providing strategic leadership to the Welsh for Adults sector. This role includes the development and provision of Welsh for Adults courses in the workplace, particularly for bodies that fall under the language standards regime.

The Welsh Government has worked closely with the National Centre to develop a plan for the additional money earmarked in the 2017-18 budget agreement with Plaid Cymru.

The Plan includes five strands:

• Information and advice for employers ‘Cymraeg Gwaith/Work Welsh’
• On-line welcome / reception courses ‘Croeso Cymraeg Gwaith/Work Welsh Welcome’
• Intensive courses ‘Dysgu Cymraeg Gwaith/Learn Work Welsh’’
• Courses for the early years workforce ‘Cymraeg Cynnar/Early Welsh’
• Residential courses to improve confidence and provide specialist terminology ‘Defnyddio Cymraeg Gwaith/Use Work Welsh’

Alun Davies, Minister for the Welsh Language, told Assembly Members:

“The goal of this Government is to have one million Welsh speakers by 2050. In line with our shared ambition with Plaid Cymru we are allocating an additional £3m to ensure the Welsh language is used more extensively and to encourage more people to speak it.

“This investment will enable the National Centre for Learning Welsh to provide practical support to bodies, putting them in a position to provide an outstanding bilingual service to the public and comply with the Welsh language standards.”

Efa Gruffudd Jones, Chief Executive of the National Centre for Learning Welsh, added:

“We welcome this additional funding which will allow the Centre to build on progress already made in the Welsh for Adults sector in recent months and further support the Government’s ambitions for the Welsh language.

“Putting learners first is at the heart of the Centre’s work and this funding will enable new opportunities for individuals who want to learn or improve their Welsh to do so with the support of their employers.

“The ‘Cymraeg Gwaith/Work Welsh’ courses will sit alongside existing provision and we look forward to working with partners, employers and the Government to deliver this new learning programme, which will feature innovative interactive elements.”

At the 13th meeting of the group, Carl Sargeant said the multi-agency group provided valuable insight into the needs of the Armed Forces community and ways in which service delivery might be improved.

Carl Sargeant said:

“We are committed to providing high quality services to the Armed Forces community in Wales. The Expert Group brings together people with detailed knowledge of issues which affect this community in a number of areas such as health, education and housing.

“Our meetings generate positive discussion between all members and I am keen to continue this, identifying issues of interest to the Armed Forces Community that we can address collaboratively.”

Communities and Children secretary Carl Sargeant has today announced funding for the projects which include the creation of a new 3G facility adjacent to the existing stadium at Parc Eirias in Colwyn Bay which will create or safeguard 17 jobs; the development of commercial property in Swansea which will enable the creation of 40 jobs; demolishing a derelict pub in Tredegar to allow the building of 28 new affordable homes; and providing supported accommodation for up to 8 homeless people each year in Caernarfon.

The money from the Vibrant and Viable Places programme is a mixture of newly allocated funding and the reallocation of underspent funds from other projects. 

The Cabinet Secretary said:

“This additional £3.7 million is a big boost to these twenty five regeneration projects across Wales which will make a very real difference to their local communities.

“As well as improving important local services and facilities, the funding will create jobs and traineeships, boost the housing supply and create environments in which small businesses can flourish.

“These projects are an excellent example of how regeneration funding is supporting important improvements that will benefit whole communities.”

The expansion, which will see the specialist in financial services technology retain 34 high-value jobs in Wales as well as creating 26 new jobs, is backed by £527,000 business finance from the Welsh Government.

The focus for the investment and expansion will be the continued development of FINKit®, a new comprehensive cloud-based platform launched last year and set up specifically to enable banks and financial services organisations to transform and accelerate the delivery of their digital services to customers.

The new jobs will support the existing FINKit® development team as it continues to design, build, test, and service this new platform. FINKit® delivers bank-grade security and is geared towards helping banks innovate more rapidly and cost-effectively and interact with their customers via smartphone, tablet, PC, digital TV, smartwatch, or any other digital medium. 

Economy Secretary Ken Skates said:

“Fintech is an area of huge growth potential, and attracting investment into this sector is a key focus for both the ICT and financial and professional services sector strategies.

“That Monitise has chosen to reinforce its team in Nantgarw, rather than create these new jobs in London or its other locations, is evidence of the expertise and experience to be found in the growing fintech ecosystem in Wales.”

Will Jones, MD Europe at Monitise Group, said: “There is an impressive pool of technology talent in Wales, and in particular in the Cardiff area. We are pleased to be able to support the continued growth of the industry here as we expand the team of pioneers working on FINKit to empower banks to provide better, more innovative products and services for their customers.”

A Welsh Government spokesperson said:

“We welcome the Supreme Court Judgment today which means that the UK Government must seek parliamentary approval in the form of a Bill before it can trigger Article 50 to leave the European Union.  It is vital that the UK Government develops an approach to negotiations which reflects the interests of Wales and the UK as a whole – an approach to which the Prime Minister has already publicly committed.    

“The judgment preserves and recognises the importance of the Sewel convention whereby Parliament will not normally legislate on areas devolved to Wales and devolved governments without their consent.  

“The Welsh Government will continue to work closely with the UK Government, and the other Devolved Administrations, through the Joint Ministerial Committee process to influence the overall UK position.  Our aims are to preserve single market access for business and to protect Welsh jobs and investment, along with the rights of workers.”