Mark Drakeford, cabinet secretary for finance and the Welsh language in the Labour government of Wales, has expressed alarm. He’s profoundly concerned with the increasing contingent of Welsh-speaking students who are seeking a university education in England and therefore leaving Wales to pursue their post-secondary education. This additional trend has the potential to undermine retention of Welsh language skills. It makes it more difficult to create a bilingual workforce in Wales, too.
Drakeford, who was the first minister of Wales, set out a key concern. He highlighted the importance of holding Welsh speakers in the country. He raised the need to protect Welsh language ability for students learning outside of Wales. This will better prepare them to make meaningful contributions to the local workforce and economy after graduation.
The Cadw Cyswllt (keeping in touch) scheme, run by Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, seeks to ensure that this happens. Overall it better allows Welsh-speaking students to flourish in their studies, even while living further from home. More importantly, it inspires them to remain deeply connected to their ancestral homelands.
For the 2023/24 academic year, the Welsh government provided £1.17 billion in loans and grants. This funding benefits Welsh students no matter whether they study in Wales or abroad. Of this total, £911 million was spent on loans which cover students’ tuition fees and their maintenance. Further, £264 million was allocated directly for these grants—living costs and disabled students’ support.
Recent statistics reveal that half of the pupils from Welsh-medium schools who began university this academic year chose to leave Wales for their studies. In fact, 50% stayed within Wales, with 49% choosing universities in England and 1% moving to Scotland. This information has set off alarm bells among educators and policymakers who are committed to maintaining the vitality of the Welsh language and culture.
A spokesperson for Plaid Cymru expressed disappointment over the situation, stating, “It is a pity to see so many students from Welsh-medium schools feel they have to leave Wales to study.” The party calls on the Welsh government to do more to market and promote educational opportunities as a Welsh success story. They want to make sure that students are able to pursue higher education in Welsh.
Drakeford reinforced his commitment to addressing these concerns, stating, “We want people who’ve been educated through the medium of Welsh to study wherever they choose, but to retain the Welsh language skills that they have, and to use those skills once they’ve completed their studies and to return to Wales.” Returning these graduates into the Welsh workforce is the critical part, he said.
Their Seren network, launched in 2015, is designed to boost the number of Welsh pupils from deprived backgrounds going to elite Russell Group universities. Yet in 2018, an independent review uncovered a major conflict. It highlighted an “inherent tension” between the aims of Seren and the broader aims of fostering and supporting higher education in Wales.
Drakeford added that even if students choose to look further afield than Wales, maintaining the existing Welsh language is extremely important. “They might well think about teaching in England or in other places. Because they have the [Welsh] language, it’s important to attract them back to Wales,” he stated.
Youth job creation Welsh Conservatives supported action to attract Welsh-speaking graduates back into the country’s economy. MS Samuel Kurtz questioned what measures are currently being implemented to achieve this goal, asking, “What work is being done at present to draw in students in universities in England back into Wales, to ensure that they enter the workforce here?”
Further, the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol has called for an end to poaching students away from universities. They are concerned that these universities provide a very limited pathway to advanced degree study in Welsh. Their statement drew attention to a “disturbing” trend that risks derailing work to develop a skilled Welsh-speaking workforce in all sectors.
The Welsh government maintains that it offers one of the most generous student maintenance support packages for full-time undergraduates in the UK. A spokesperson stated, “We offer the most generous student maintenance support package for full-time undergraduates in the UK, irrespective of whether a Welsh domiciled student chooses to study in Wales or elsewhere in the UK.”
