TWO LANGUAGES – TWICE THE CHOICE

Welsh-Medium and Bilingual Provision

Here at Pembrokeshire College we are committed to preparing our learners for the workplace in Wales and beyond.

We will therefore encourage and support you to use and develop your Welsh skills while studying with us. In doing so, you will maintain your Welsh and become more confident in using the language in both a vocational and social context.

The College is continuously developing its bilingual provision. Here is what we can currently offer you in Welsh:

  • Application, interview and enrolment process
  • Opportunities within the induction programme
  • WEST initial assessments
  • Communication and Numeracy Essential Skills
  • The tutorial programme and tutorials
  • Complete course assessment / assignments or elements of the course
  • Oral / practical / written assessments
  • GCSE Re-sit Maths
  • Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification
  • A-Level Welsh Second Language
  • Work experience placements
  • Using Welsh in classroom activities
  • Welsh skills development sessions to support employability

There are opportunities for learners who are confident and fluent in the language as well as opportunities for those who are less confident or are learning. By continuing to study your course entirely or partly through the medium of Welsh, you will develop your skills in two languages – Welsh and English – which will open doors for you when you leave the College.

Remember:

  • to tell us that you speak Welsh so that we can support you and provide you with a variety of Welsh opportunities
  • that you can win a financial award for completing work in Welsh
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Contact us:

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Welsh Support Available

If you don’t feel confident enough to study a course entirely through the medium of Welsh, why not study part of it through the medium of Welsh?

Support is available for learners and apprentices who study courses partly through the medium of Welsh in order to help them improve their oral and written language skills.

  • Welsh and bilingual learning materials and resources
  • Lists of bilingual terms and vocabulary
  • One-to-one support from Bilingual Support Tutors
  • Learning support and pastoral support
  • Support to improve Welsh skills
  • Cysill Welsh spell-checker on college computers
  • Terminology dictionaries
  • Apps to help with studying

We have a variety of Welsh Language enrichment options available for you including:

  • Welsh language opportunities in the college’s Freshers Fair
  • Join the Clwb Cymraeg
  • Y Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol events and activities eg. webinars and workshops
  • Being a Welsh Language Ambassador
  • Join the Urdd and compete in Urdd competitions
  • Cross-college Welsh language and culture celebration events eg. Shwmae Day, Santes Dwynwen’s Day, Welsh Music Day, St David’s Day, Urdd National Eisteddfod and sporting events
  • Workshops and guest speakers promoting bilingualism
  • Educational visits
  • The Urdd and Menter Iaith Sir Benfro activities

The Welsh Language Development Team will be happy to support you to participate in the college’s Welsh language opportunities.

The Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol works very closely with universities and Further Education colleges in Wales in order to develop Welsh-medium courses and resources for learners. The Coleg Cymraeg creates training and study opportunities in the Welsh language and inspires learners and apprentices to use their Welsh skills. We are grateful to the Coleg Cymraeg for the investment, guidance and support it provides. You can read more about the work of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.

Every year, learners have the opportunity to apply to be a Welsh Language Ambassador. The main aim of this role is to support the college to promote the Welsh language in specific areas and to help create opportunities for learners to use their Welsh whilst they study here. It also provides Ambassadors with increased opportunities to take part in more activities through the medium of Welsh.

These are our 2022/23 Welsh Language Ambassadors:

  • Bedri Akkaya, studying Level 3 Business
  • Mefin Hughes, studying Level 3 Music Technology
  • Gwenna Maycock, studying A-Levels
  • Jesse Ormond, studying Level 3 Sport
  • Ethan Sky, studying Level 3 Childcare
  • Ciaran Price, on the Apprenticeship Level 3 Clinical Healthcare
  • Jasmin Kumar-Davies, on the Apprenticeship Level 3 Clinical Healthcare

This is what Ethan Sky had to say about being a Welsh Language Ambassador in Childcare:

“Why do I want to be a Welsh Language Ambassador? Well, I would like to bring some Welsh into early years teaching through activities and games and to also support my own growth in the Welsh language as I am looking forward to seeing where this role takes me!”

There are educational, employability and social benefits of being able to speak two languages:

  • Gain a better understanding of the subject as you learn, for all intents and purposes, in both languages
  • Maintain linguistic skills that have already been nurtured in school
  • Develop cognitive skills
  • Develop employment skills as there is a demand for bilingual workers in all types of jobs
  • Provide an excellent foundation for any career
  • Increase opportunities and choices; it can open doors to all kinds of opportunities in the future
  • An opportunity to meet new people and be part of two cultures
  • Provide a bilingual service as a mark of quality
  • Scholarships for certain courses at the university

Your bilingual skills are extremely valuable and you should take advantage of the support we can provide you to develop those skills further.

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Dates to look out for:

  • Shwmae Day - 15 October
  • Welsh Language Rights Day - 07 December
  • Santes Dwynwen's Day - 25 January
  • Welsh Music Day - 10 February
  • St David's Day - 01 March
  • Urdd Gobaith Cymru's Message of Peace and Good Will - May

Learners' and apprentices' experiences of studying bilingually

“Although I have now come to the end of my time here at Pembrokeshire College, the experience of learning my trade here has been special. And I’m certain that I would not have enjoyed it so much, or completed my work to the standard I did without the opportunity to be able to study and complete my work through the medium of Welsh and English. For an individual like me who has received my education through the medium of Welsh throughout my life, the sudden change of studying everything in English was challenging. With my Welsh skills stronger than my English skills, and having received all my primary and secondary education through Welsh, it was difficult to learn through another language to some extent. When the college provided me with this great opportunity to study bilingually, I jumped at the chance immediately. I knew that studying and completing work in my mother tongue was going to improve my experience and standard of work enormously and I am very grateful to the college for their efforts in providing me with this opportunity as a learner."
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Ifan Phillips Electrical Apprentice
“As a second language learner, I was fortunate to be able to immerse myself in the Welsh language from the start of my studies at college. Alongside my A-levels, I was supported to complete the Baccalaureate bilingually and went on to win an award for this. The college is fortunate to have so many staff who speak Welsh and some who also teach. So, with events like Shwmae Day, it's wonderful to see the Welsh community come together. Learning Welsh at Coleg Sir Benfro has given me many opportunities for example taking part in a Podcast with Nick Yeo, reaching the final round of the Urdd Bobi Jones Medal Competition and opening the College's Atrium bilingually with Education Minister Jeremy Miles. With the support of my lecturers and the college's Welsh staff, I have started my career as a Bilingual Support Tutor at the college, to support other learners with my passion for the Welsh language.”
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Lily Meddings
Former A-level Learner
“When I heard that there was an opportunity for me to complete my qualification in Welsh I thought I would give it a go and see how I would get on. As I am a first language Welsh speaker I felt that it might help me to improve my Welsh and enable me to become more confident to use it in my workplace as I would learn new Welsh terms. I think that completing my college work in Welsh not only boosted my confidence but improved my vocabulary throughout the units I completed. It also made it much easier when communicating with other Welsh speakers at work. These included staff and patients on my ward. Many older individuals revert to their first language, so speaking Welsh was a huge bonus for them. As a result, I have also had a lot of support to complete my work in Welsh which has enabled me to do over half of the course in Welsh. While developing my Welsh it gives me the ability to communicate in two languages, orally and in writing."
Siân Thomas-Davies
NHS Apprentice
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