The National Centre for Learning Welsh is expanding its provision for the Childcare Workforce through a new pilot scheme designed to strengthen Welsh language skills across the sector and meet the growing demand for bilingual services.
With childcare a key priority for the new Welsh Government, the scheme will build on the Centre’s previous work with the sector. It will support the Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act by strengthening the foundations for creating the Welsh speakers of the future.
Since 2017, the Centre has provided Welsh language training for the Childcare Workforce, and more than 5,000 workers have already benefited from the provision.
With thousands more people employed in the sector across Wales, the Centre’s new pilot scheme will focus on increasing workforce capacity to provide childcare support through the medium of Welsh. The scheme will include:
Delivering a Learn Welsh programme for the workforce supporting students in further education colleges or through apprenticeships;
Appointing Learn Welsh tutors to work directly with childcare settings, including nurseries and individual childminders;
Appointing Learn Welsh tutors to work with Playworkers in Out of School childcare provision in specific areas;
Providing Learn Welsh training for ‘Flying Start workers’, who support young children and their families in targeted communities.
Deputy First Minister for Wales, with responsibility for childcare, Sioned Williams said:
We are delivering a transformational childcare offer that will be the most generous in the UK - giving every child the best start in life. Investing in childcare is one of the most powerful things we can do for our economy, for living standards, and for children's futures. We are working with providers and partners to expand Welsh-medium childcare as a core part of our universal offer, so more children can access it from their earliest years - strengthening the pathway into Welsh-medium education throughout Wales. Reaching at least one million Welsh speakers by 2050 and ensuring every child has the opportunity to become a confident Welsh speaker are central to this Government's vision. This new pilot scheme from the National Centre for Learning Welsh will build the Welsh language skills of our childcare workforce, helping to create the Welsh speakers of the future from the very earliest stage of their lives.
Jane O’Toole, Chief Executive Officer of Clybiau Plant Cymru Kids’ Clubs, added:
We warmly welcome this pilot, which will strengthen Welsh language skills across the Playworker Workforce and help more children and families use Welsh naturally through play. Out of School Childcare settings are well placed to make Welsh part of children’s everyday experiences. By investing in Playworkers and childcare professionals, this partnership will build sector confidence and capacity, supporting a Wales where Welsh belongs to everyone.
Dona Lewis, Chief Executive of the National Centre for Learning Welsh, said:
The early years are a crucial stage in a child’s language journey, and those working in the sector play a key role in nurturing and supporting the bilingual skills of the future. This new pilot scheme will draw on the Centre’s expertise in language learning and acquisition, along with its long-standing partnerships, to build capacity within the sector, ensuring more children and families have opportunities to use Welsh in their everyday lives.
