The Scheme has received the approval of The Welsh Language Commissioner under section 14 (1) of the Act, on 3 April 2014 Coleg Cambria has adopted the principle that in the conduct of public business in Wales, it will treat the English and Welsh languages on a basis of equality. This Scheme sets out how Coleg Cambria will give effect to that principle when providing services to the public in Wales. 1 1 INTRODUCTION Following the merger of Deeside College and Yale College on 1 August 2013 a new Welsh Language Scheme has been developed for the new merged college, Coleg Cambria. The name Coleg Cambria was carefully chosen as we are very committed to being “a college for Wales”, and immensely proud to be a truly Welsh institution in North East Wales. This is a strong feature in our Core Values and is demonstrated through the development of this Welsh Language Scheme. We are fully committed to champion bilingualism, Welsh culture and heritage. This Welsh Language Scheme is based on the original schemes of both Deeside College and Yale College but has taken into consideration the guidelines provided by the Welsh Language Commissioner on Welsh Language Schemes for FE Colleges, the Welsh-medium Education Strategy, the National Strategy on Bilingualism in FE and ColegauCymru’s recommendations on how to respond to the three strands of the Strategy. 2. COLLEGE PROFILE 2.1 Coleg Cambria is fully committed to promoting Welsh Language and culture. 2.2 It is one of the UK’s largest colleges employing more than 1,600 staff, with over 7,000 full time students and 20,000 part time learners, with international links covering four continents. 2.3 The college has six sites, three in Wrexham and the others at Connah’s Quay, Northop and Llysfasi, which include a 1000 acre farm, a state of the art animal care centre, two restaurants, a centre of excellence for Engineering, a public art gallery and Flintshire County Council Corporate Training Centre. 2.4 It offers learning from pre-entry to HNC and foundation degree for a range of students including full time, work-based learners, apprentices and part time community learners. 2.5 The college serves an area which includes three local authorities with a population of almost 400,000 which represents more than 12% of the population of Wales. 2.5.1 Flintshire Flintshire’s location, on the border in North East Wales, is unique, and it has an area that measures 438 square kilometres. The county prides itself in its flourishing industrial areas and the pattern of prosperous settlements which maintains its increasing population. According to the 2011 census, Flintshire serves a resident population of 146,940, with 19,343 Welsh speakers. Flintshire has one of the largest manufacturing sectors in the UK with a range of industries including Motor Vehicles, Food, Aerospace, Steel and Renewable Energy. This includes large multinational companies like Toyota, Airbus and Vion. The County also supports a broad range of service and retail industries. 2.5.2 Denbighshire Denbighshire is located in North East Wales and borders five other local authorities. According to the 2011 census, 90,527 people live in Denbighshire with 22,236 Welsh speakers; this represents 24.6% of the population aged 3 2 years and over. The distribution of the population varies significantly in the county with an urban strip by the seaside towns of Rhyl and Prestatyn and a mainly rural area in the rest of the county with many important local market towns, for example Denbigh, Ruthin and Corwen. Coleg Cambria serves the county’s inland rural area. Denbighshire’s economy has a varied range of sectors. The north of the county has blue chip employers like Honeywell and Tyco together with the tourist industry around the traditional seaside resorts where the Leisure industry continues to be one of the main employers. Further south, Denbighshire is mainly rural in nature with agriculture being a key sector. 2.5.3 Wrexham County Borough Wrexham is situated a few miles from the border with England and it’s a natural business centre for North Wales. Wrexham encompasses an area of 50,500 hectares and includes one of the largest towns in North Wales. According to the 2011 census, Wrexham has a population of 129,425 with 16,659 Welsh speakers; this represents 12.9% of the population aged 3 years and over. The Wrexham economy has been transformed over the past twenty years from being one which was dominated by heavy and traditional industries to the main focus of manufacturing, technology and services with companies like Kellogs, JCB, Moneypenny and Tritech situated there. 2.6 Although the college mainly operates in the areas of Flintshire, Denbighshire and Wrexham local authorities, learners travel from neighbouring counties to use the provision. Some travel from other counties in Wales like Gwynedd and Powys and others travel into Wales from adjacent counties in England. The college attracts students from three Welsh medium high schools namely Morgan Llwyd, Maes Garmon and Glan Clwyd together with many bilingual schools including Dinas Bran, Brynhyfryd and Ysgol y Berwyn. 2.7 It appears that the majority of the Welsh speaking students who attended Welsh medium education in Wrexham and Flintshire developed their language skills in school rather than at home or in the community. Learners who come from areas further west and those who attended bilingual schools, especially those from Denbighshire and Gwynedd, are more likely to use the language in various situations. Some students will be familiar and skilled having previously learnt in a bilingual environment; others will have experienced learning in a solely Welsh medium environment and won’t of necessity continue to pursue Welsh opportunities when presented in a bilingual context. 2.8 Most of the college’s learners have only experienced Welsh as a second language subject in pre-16 education. Some learners from over the border have no knowledge of Welsh whatsoever although they may be on study programmes where Welsh is a proven employability skill. 3 3 IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING / SERVICE PLANNING AND DELIVERY 3.1 Responsibility for implementation and monitoring 3.1.1 This Scheme has been prepared by the Corporate Communications & Bilingual Manager who reports on progress and issues to the Principal/Chief Executive who has overall responsibility for the monitoring of the Scheme. 3.1.2 The implementation and monitoring of the Scheme will be the responsibility of the Corporate Communications & Bilingual Manager. All managers at the college are required to promote bilingualism within their curriculum and functional areas. Progress on the actions in the Scheme and related issues are reviewed on a weekly basis. A Welsh and Bilingual Curriculum Development Group will be set up with the remit of formulating and implementing a Welsh-medium and Bilingual Curriculum Development Plan. Task and finish groups will be set up in functional and business support areas to address actions and issues relating to Welsh language developments. The college also has a Bilingual Teaching and Learning Group consisting of bilingual lecturers and tutors which meets once a term - its terms of reference include supporting the college’s commitment to the implementation of the Welsh Language Scheme; sharing good practice regarding bilingual classroom delivery; supporting and encouraging bilingual/Welsh initiatives and events across the college and raising the profile and highlight the success of celebrating Wales at the college. 3.1.3 Anyone wishing to contact Coleg Cambria regarding the content of the Scheme should contact the Corporate Communications & Bilingual Manager: Coleg Cambria, Grove Park Road, Wrexham, LL12 7AB Tel 01978 317320 E-mail: [email protected] 3.2 The Scheme’s Administrative Arrangements 3.2.1 A Bilingual Development Team (BDT) has been established to propose, discuss, develop and evaluate new ideas and activities, prioritising objectives to ensure the growth and development of bilingualism under the scheme. They will monitor the implementation of the Welsh Language Scheme across the six college sites and report findings at their weekly meetings. 3.2.2 All guidelines relating to the Scheme are published on the college intranet and on Moodle thus ensuring that staff and students understand that the needs of providing a bilingual service are considered when formulating new policies and initiatives. Regular training sessions will be provided to staff on any developments relating to Welsh and bilingual initiatives and policies. 3.2.3 New members of staff will continue to have a detailed induction to the relevance of the Scheme and their responsibilities relating to it. They will also follow a short Agored course in Using Welsh in the Workplace which includes an element of language awareness and references to the requirements of the Scheme. 3.2.4 The Corporate Communications & Bilingual Manager (CCBM) will regularly address the college’s strategic team meetings on matters relating to the requirements of the Scheme and is required to give an account of progress on projected outcomes as part of the college’s self-assessment procedures. The college will require all departments to incorporate the principles from the Welsh 4 Language Scheme within their plans and reports. The CCBM will attend Directorate meetings to update staff on issues and developments relating to bilingualism. All existing members of staff are also required to follow the Using Welsh in the Workplace short course according to their linguistic needs. The Scheme’s targets are also reflected within the college’s Annual Operating Statements and Strategic Plan. 3.2.5 The college has a Translation Unit and the translation service will continue to facilitate the implementation of the Scheme and promote bilingual teaching, study and administration.