An address by Jeremy Miles MS, Minister for Education and Welsh Language relaunching the Language Policy and Planning Postgraduate Certificate at the University of Wales, Trinity St David.
An address made at the Llŷn and Eifionydd National Eisteddfod, 11 August 2023
I’ve now been at the National Eisteddfod for a few days.
I’ve seen many thousands of people enjoying themselves in Welsh.
I’ve seen many people who are new to our language join the wonderful Welsh language space that the Eisteddfod creates.
And that reminds me once again that we’re talking about people when we talk about language. Language is a people thing above all else.
Cymraeg is central to our culture and central to the identity of the people of Wales. It connects us, unites us and enriches us. Cymraeg: it belongs to us all, whether we speak it or not.
So I’m delighted to announce something today that intersects two aspects of my portfolio: Welsh language policy and education. Today marks an important development in our academic landscape, the relaunch of the Postgraduate Certificate in Language Policy and Planning at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
I extend my appreciation to the university for its vision. I commend you for scanning the horizon and creating provision to meet future language planning policy needs.
For the Welsh Government, building language planning capacity among public policy makers is a priority during the 2021 to 2026 period. The certificate you are launching today, certainly contributes to this.
The impact of the certificate will stem from the fact that it offers both academic and practical experiences. I hope those experiences will give the students an understanding of key concepts, both at the national and international level, of course I do. But I also expect that to contribute to concrete activity that will contribute to creating a prosperous future for our language.
Furthermore, the certificate will appeal to people already working in language planning across public and third sector organisations. It could create a cadre of new skilled professionals and attract language officers, policy developers, and more.
The international spirit of the certificate and I see that here for myself today, will enable them to be ambassadors for our language and culture to the wider world.
Our ambition for our language shall be achieved by working together, and with the graduates of the certificate. We want is a Wales where our language and our people thrive, bearing in mind all the while of course that language is a people thing. Thank you very much, I hope to see your vision bear fruit over the coming years.