Page 107 - 《客語及少數族群語言政策》附錄_少數語言法律

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4. Post-compulsory education

If we are to invest time and money in individuals during the statutory education phase, it is essential that
we ensure that our young people continue to develop their linguistic skills throughout their education
journey in order to enter the workplace with the confidence to use the Welsh language.

As additional organisations come under duties in relation to the Welsh Language Standards
system, a growing bilingual workforce will be required to enable these organisations to meet
their language requirements. Career opportunities for young people with bilingual skills are
therefore expected to increase.

Over half of learners leave school at the age of 16 with the majority going on to either further
education, work-based learning or into work. Therefore post-compulsory education and training
providers have a key role to play in sustaining learners’ Welsh language skills to meet the
growing need for a bilingual workforce.

Further education colleges, with Welsh Government support, have taken steps to increase the
provision of Welsh-medium or bilingual post-16 education and training in recent years. Due to
the linguistic needs of our communities, some colleges have been more pro-active than others in
their planning of provision. However, there is potential to significantly increase the options
available to our students, which will require strategic planning and collaborative working by
every college.

The work-based learning sector has seen a consistent, but small increase in the number of
students learning bilingually or using some Welsh in their programmes of learning during recent
years.
Specific interventions are in operation in the higher education sector, with a clear focus on the
need to develop Welsh-medium provision.
There has been an increase in recent years in the number of students studying credits through the
medium of Welsh but there is potential for further progress.

A change of gear is needed for the post-compulsory sector within further and higher education and
work-based learning to expand the
Welsh-medium and bilingual offer. This will require recruiting more learners to continue some or
all their studies through the medium of Welsh, ensuring that there is a workforce equipped with the
necessary skills to teach through the medium of Welsh or bilingually; ensuring that

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