, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Virtually everything we'll discuss today works towards that goal.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Well, one of the well-being goals is Wales with a vibrant culture where the Welsh language prospers, so virtually everything we do in the department works to that end. What we want to see, of course, is that everyone in Wales feels that the Welsh language…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Work is ongoing at the moment to ensure that that changes. So, it won't be the position for too much longer. At the moment, a number of steps are taken before you get the pass. The first begins on the Welsh Government website, and that's available in Welsh of…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session: Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
I'm joined by Owain Lloyd and Bethan Webb, who are senior officials in the Welsh language division.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Thank you all very much. Thank you, Chair. Diolch yn fawr.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Okay. So, in relation to the framework, the framework is a very, very important part of the support that we're offering, but it isn't the whole picture and in addition to that, a significant amount of the funding from renew and reform is targeted at…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
There's quite a lot in that question.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Absolutely.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
So, on that specifically, I think you're alluding there back to the point that I made to Siân Gwenllian in her question around the reforms that are happening at a UK level through some of the lifelong learning funding mechanisms there. But, again, in Wales…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
I think the qualifications for the future work that Qualifications Wales is doing also will look at the broader offer of qualifications, if you like, which I think is a really important part of that discussion. And I think the reforms that we're bringing in…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
As I understand it, there's no intention to cut the courses in the way that the Member is implying, which I think is a really important point. I will seek further advice from officials on that point following the meeting, but my current understanding is that…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Well, I hope that the theme that we've been discussing throughout the course of the last 90 minutes is about how learners' safety is paramount. So, I think you can, I hope, take it from me that that is a key priority for us. My understanding is that those…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
The Careers Wales function sits elsewhere in the Government, but just on the point I've just made, I'm not suggesting that's the end of the story. One of the fundamental aspects of the new curriculum is to engage pupils in the broader context of the life that…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Okay. That's a very good question, if I may say. So, there are the ministerial responsibilities, but there is also how the civil service is organised to deliver policy. Huw Morris, who is with us today, is responsible for that conjoined function, if you…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
I'm not sure that is the complete picture, if I could put it like that. So, just to take a step back, obviously this is one of the issues that was a key area of consideration for the Diamond review, and as those recommendations are being implemented, we are…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
I don't have it in front of me at the moment, but I will certainly have a look at that.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Advice will be provided on the LCM once the discussions with the Westminster Government have been concluded. But, it's certain that some of the changes proposed in England under this Bill will have an impact here in Wales. What we have been doing—. Well, it's…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
I'm really pleased that we have got a clear programme for government commitment, to start with, to lifelong learning. It's a policy area where I want to make real progress over this Senedd term. Before I became a Minister, I spoke quite often about Wales…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Yes. I draw, to some extent, on the role I did in the last Senedd around this as well. In Wales, the European Union structural funds—the European regional development fund, for example, and the research programmes of Horizon, for example—have obviously played…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Well, Chair, I think the first thing I want to say here, really, is that it's well over two years, from memory, since the report was delivered to the UK Government. The level of uncertainty in the sector, I'm sure over the border, but certainly in Wales…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Well, it's been our practice when we've—. Well, the first thing to say is that Ministers have this year made a contribution to the teaching pay settlement, as Members of the committee will be aware. Obviously, the pay settlement in FE is currently being…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Yes, around the online blended offer, there is a lot more of that in the FE space historically anyway, but absolutely, that's one of the cohorts.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Of course. Well, there are two questions there, really: one is in relation to the assessment of the value from the £33 million. Just as, I suppose, an obvious point, the academic year's just started, there's a new cohort of learners, we aren't ourselves clear…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
It hasn't all been used yet. We will evaluate all of that. The whole renew and reform programme is a process of assessment, and then we share information with the system so that people can learn lessons from that.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
General scrutiny session with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Some were saying that they wanted the money so that they could spend it in the ways that they wanted to in order to support pupils, so all of these things are in the balance, in a way. So, the funding's already been allocated; that's the first thing to say…
