Welsh Language

Welsh at Coleg y Cymoedd

Croeso i Goleg y Cymoedd!

Meet the Team

Lois Roberts
Welsh Language Manager or staff) Tutor
What I do:

I manage the Welsh Language Team. The team is responsible for developing bilingual and Welsh-medium provision; protecting the rights of Welsh speakers and creating opportunities for learners and staff to retain and improve their Welsh skills.

Email: lois.roberts@cymoedd.ac.uk

Tel: 01443 810127

Alison Kitson
Work Welsh (for staff) Tutor
What I do:

I deliver the Work Welsh programme to College staff on various levels as well and provide informal opportunities for learners to learn Welsh.

Email: alison.kitson@cymoedd.ac.uk

Tel: 01443 810070

Gethin Gwyn
Work Welsh (for learners) Tutor
What I do:

My main responsibility is introducing the Welsh language to the workforce of the future, offering students a valuable bilingual qualification, so that we can offer a valuable bilingual customer care service.

Email: gethin.gwyn@cymoedd.ac.uk

Feel free to get in touch!

As a college located in Wales, we think it is important to celebrate our proud heritage and be proactive in helping our learners use their Welsh language skills both in and outside the classroom – whether they are fluent Welsh speakers or only know ‘tipyn bach’ (a little bit). Being able to speak Welsh is being increasingly valued as an additional skill in the workplace, so retaining your Welsh language skills can be real advantage for you in the future. So, what do you need to know about Welsh at the College? This booklet contains all the latest information.

Studying through the medium of Welsh or bilingually

There are certain things you can study through the medium of Welsh or bilingually (subject to viable numbers):

New bilingual options at Levels 2 and 3 in Childcare (funded by Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol)
New bilingual options at Levels 2 and 3 in Health and Social Care (funded by the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol)
New bilingual options at Levels 2 and 3 in Public Services (funded by the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol)
New bilingual options at Levels 2 and 3 in the field of Sport (funded by the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol)
A Welsh-medium Maths GCSE resit class
Bilingual Welsh Baccalureate groups at AS and A Level through the A Level Centre
A-level and AS level in Welsh (Second Language)
Welsh-medium Customer Care units called Cymraeg Gwaith across all vocational areas. These are for Welsh speakers and non-Welsh speakers alike.

Help and Support

So, what can we do at the College to help you maintain or improve your Welsh language skills or learn a little Welsh if you haven’t learned it before?

Membership of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol
Access to a host of resources provided by Coleg y Cymoedd and Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol
Glossaries of bilingual subject-specific terms
Opportunities for learners who speak Welsh to use and develop their language skills in an informal way by attending our online Welsh-medium activity club: Clwb Dreigiau’r Cymoedd
Opportunities for learners to learn Welsh through the National Centre for Learning Welsh
A calendar of Welsh language and Welsh-themed events throughout the year
An opportunity for Welsh speakers to be employed as Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol Welsh Ambassadors.

Your Language; Your Rights

The Welsh language belongs to you. Under the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011, you have the right to receive services and support through the medium of Welsh if you so wish. As a college, we would like to encourage you to make the most of these rights during your time with us. You have the right to the following:

Letters, forms and correspondence from the College in Welsh
Welcome booklets and prospectuses in Welsh
To apply for financial assistance in Welsh
A Welsh speaking personal tutor
Access to a counselling service in Welsh
Meetings related to complaints, disciplinary issues and support in Welsh

And, subject to the approval of your course’s awarding body, you have the right to:

Submit work in Welsh
Certificates in Welsh

Calendar of Welsh-themed events

Here at Coleg y Cymoedd we have a calendar of events to celebrate our Welshness. Here is a list of some of them. Join in the celebration on across the College!

16 September – Owain Glyndwr’s Day

15 October – Shwmae Sumae Day

7 December – Welsh Rights Day

11 December – Llywelyn the Last Day

3 February – Welsh Music Day

1 March – St David’s Day

27 February – 3 March – Welsh Week

29 May – 3 June – Urdd Eisteddfod

June – Ffiliffest

July – Parti Ponty

5-2 August – National Eisteddfod

Useful websites

Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol – The Coleg works across Wales to develop Welsh language medium opportunities for students. It funds Welsh medium lecturers and offers scholarships for students to study through the medium of Welsh. http://www.colegcymraeg.ac.uk/en/

Cysill and Cysgeir – a Welsh spellchecker and dictionary – available on all College computers under the folder ‘Cysgliad’. They’re also available on-line https://www.cysgliad.com/

Y Termiadur Addysg – Terminology for the world of education http://www.termiaduraddysg.org/

Welsh Government – all kinds of information about Welsh languages legislation and strategies https://gov.wales/topics/welshlanguage/

Selar – Latest Information and news about the Welsh contemporary music scene https://selar.cymru/

Wicipedia – The Welsh language version of Wikipedia https://cy.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hafan

Golwg 360 – A Welsh language weekly on-line magazine https://golwg360.cymru/

Menter Iaith Rhondda Cynon Taf – a local organisation in RCT that encourages local enthusiasm to use more of the Welsh language – they arrange all kind of activities for all ages. http://www.menteriaith.cymru

Menter Iaith Caerffili – a local organisation in the Caerphilly area that encourages local enthusiasm to use more of the Welsh language – they arrange all kind of activities for all ages. http://www.mentercaerffili.cymru/

S4C – The Welsh Language television channel – http://www.s4c.cymru/

National Centre for Learning Welsh – https://learnwelsh.cymru/

The Coleg Cymraeg creates training and study opportunities in Welsh and inspires
learners, students and apprentices to use the Welsh skills they have. We are
grateful to the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol for the investment and support.
You can read more about the work of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol here.