The national conversation about the journey to becoming a Welsh speaker has begun at a major conference attended by 200 delegates, held jointly by the Welsh Government and the National Centre for Learning Welsh.
The aim of the conference—which featured guest speakers from Poland, Norway and Canada, alongside experts from Wales—was to explore how to create one clear learning pathway to becoming a Welsh speaker, supporting learners of all ages.
Mark Drakeford, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Welsh Language, opened the event, outlining the aims of the new Welsh Language and Education Act. The Act will support the Welsh Government’s Cymraeg 2050 strategy and its target of one million Welsh speakers.
A new way of describing Welsh-language skills, based on the international CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages), will sit at the heart of the Act.
The National Centre for Learning Welsh already uses the CEFR. All its courses, available at various levels, from beginner to confident speaker, are aligned with the framework.
Experts from the Centre shared their experiences of using the CEFR and of creating a successful system that has helped drive significant growth in the number of adults learning Welsh—18,330 in 2023–2024, the highest number ever recorded.
International specialists discussed their experiences of applying the framework in different contexts, including education and the workplace, emphasising close collaboration and the benefits of using shared descriptors to describe linguistic skills.
Mark Drakeford, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language, said: “It's important we remind ourselves that bilingualism and multilingualism are the international norm. In the context of the United Kingdom, Wales may appear unusual, but as a bilingual nation, we are very much in the global mainstream.
“We have already seen many successes for our language—more adults than ever before are learning Welsh, and a quarter of children in Wales attend Welsh-medium schools.
“But we must do more to ensure a thriving future for the Welsh language. The new Act will provide a structure for purposeful planning, with the CEFR as a silver thread running throughout—creating, for the first time ever, a lifelong Welsh-learning pathway.”
Dona Lewis, Chief Executive of the National Centre for Learning Welsh, said: “It was a privilege to welcome so many of our partners to the conference to discuss establishing a single, clear learning pathway for lifelong Welsh learning.
“The Centre’s aim is to create Welsh speakers who enjoy using the language in their everyday lives, and the conference gave us a valuable opportunity to share our experiences of the CEFR, as well as our expertise in language learning and acquisition.
“Using a dedicated framework offers a unique opportunity to support the language journey of individuals of all ages, and we look forward to continuing to work with the Government and all our partners to realise the ambition of the Act.”
Image: Broadcaster, Betsan Powys, Joseph Smith, Strategic Resourcing Manager, Natural Resources Wales, Gwawr Taylor, University Secretary and Director of Welsh Language, Aberystwyth University, Lowri Bunford-Jones, Director of Planning and Development, National Centre for Learning Welsh.
