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The Routes into Languages project is a consortium of universities working together with schools and colleges to promote the study of languages.
The Routes brand and the activities associated with Routes into Languages are managed by the University Council of Modern Languages (UCML), a sector-wide association representing modern languages in the United Kingdom.
Routes into Languages (RiL) was an initiative funded between 2006 and 2016 by the Higher Education Funding Council for England to promote the take-up of languages through cooperation between universities, schools and colleges in England. It was managed by the University of Southampton working with nine regional networks across the country. By the end of the funding period, this consortium network of 67 universities across England was working with some 2,300 schools and 87,000 young people, with a focus on those from less advantaged backgrounds.
From 2016, some of the original Routes consortia continued working with local schools, running a range of regional events and a highly successful Student Language Ambassador scheme. They operated under the custodianship of Universities UK International (UUKi) which worked with stakeholders within the modern languages community to transfer the ownership of the Routes brand and consortia to a sector-wide HE modern languages body. [1]
Routes into Languages Cymru, [2] in Wales, is currently funded by a group of Welsh Universities, the four Welsh regional education consortia, and the British Council. Routes Cymru supports the uptake and visibility of modern languages in schools across Wales and is organised around two hubs located in the Schools of Modern Languages at Cardiff University and Bangor University. To date, its focus has been on delivering and supporting schools-based activities intended to generate enthusiasm and interest in modern languages, above all in the secondary school sector, also moving to digital support and online promotion.
This article provides an overview of education in Wales from early childhood to university and adult skills. Largely state funded and free-at-the-point-of-use at a primary and secondary level, education is compulsory for children in Wales aged five to sixteen years old. It differs to some extent in structure and content to other parts of the United Kingdom, in the later case particularly in relation to the teaching of the Welsh language.
North Wales is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia National Park and the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley, known for its mountains, waterfalls and trails, wholly within the region. Its population is concentrated in the north-east and northern coastal areas, with significant Welsh-speaking populations in its western and rural areas. North Wales is imprecisely defined, lacking any exact definition or administrative structure. It is commonly defined administratively as its six most northern principal areas, but other definitions exist, with Montgomeryshire historically considered to be part of the region.
Politics in Wales forms a distinctive polity in the wider politics of the United Kingdom, with Wales as one of the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom (UK).
The National Grid for Learning (NGfL) was a UK government-funded gateway to educational resources on the Internet. It provided a curated collection of links to resources and materials of high quality. The NGfL was established to support schools in England, while separate grids were created for schools in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) is the national membership organisation for the third sector and volunteering in Wales. Its aim is to work towards 'A future where the third sector and volunteering thrive across Wales, improving wellbeing for all'.
Plaid Ifanc is the youth and student wing of Plaid Cymru, a political party in Wales.
The Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) is the Welsh Government Sponsored Body responsible for funding the higher education sector. It is to be replaced by the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research from April 2024.
The media in Wales provide services in both English and Welsh, and play a role in modern Welsh culture. BBC Wales began broadcasting in 1923 have helped to promote a form of standardised spoken Welsh, and one historian has argued that the concept of Wales as a single national entity owes much to modern broadcasting. The national broadcasters are based in the capital, Cardiff.
Literature Wales, formerly named the Academi, is the Welsh national literature promotion agency and society of writers, existing to promote Welsh-language and English-language literature in Wales. It offers bursaries for writing projects, runs literary events and lectures, and provides financial assistance for creative mentoring and other literary-based ventures. The organisation also selects the National Poet for Wales, and manages competitions including Wales Book of the Year, the Cardiff International Poetry Competition, and the Rhys Davies Short Story Competition.
The Regional Broadband Consortia were created in the United Kingdom in the year 2000 to secure lower prices for broadband connection services for schools by aggregating demand across a region and entering into region wide contracts. They were established under the auspices of what was then known as the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) National Grid for Learning (NGfL) programme.
LLAS was a staff development centre based at the University of Southampton which provided services to academic staff across the UK teaching Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies in higher education. Its first incarnation was as a subject centre of the Learning and Teaching Support Network (2000-2004), then a subject centre of the Higher Education Academy (2004-2011). Its second incarnation was as an enterprise unit of the University of Southampton.
The Taith Joint Board is a legally constituted joint committee of the six north Wales county authorities for the purpose of developing and implementing actions and strategies for transport in north Wales. It was formally established on 31 March 2004. Prior to that date it was an informal consortium of the six north Wales counties. Taith had originally been the Transport Sub-Committee of the North Wales Economic Forum and adopted the "Taith" name and style in 2002. Although Gwynedd is a member of Taith, the former Meirionnydd district of Gwynedd is included in the mid Wales "TraCC" transport consortium which covers Powys and Ceredigion also. The boundaries of the transport consortiums in Wales were formalised by "The Regional Transport Planning (Wales) Order" of the National Assembly for Wales in 2006. Apart from Taith and TraCC there are two other transport consortiums in Wales - SEWTA and SWWITCH
Trac Cymru is a Welsh folk development organisation and registered charity which promotes and develops the music and dance traditions of Wales, both within Wales and beyond, and advocates on behalf of the traditional arts with public bodies and other organisations. trac strategically develops the folk music and dance scene of Wales by kindling interest, nurturing talent and presenting the very best of Wales’ folk musicians across the world. You’ll find trac working in schools, community settings, on festival fields and at international showcase events, helping to ensure that the traditional arts of Wales continue to enrich lives regardless of age, background, race or language. Activities include a range of annual courses in song, dance and instrumental playing for all ages and abilities: the Big Experiment Arbrawf Mawr, Gwerin Gwallgo and Gwerin Iau. trac also works with the professional sector, providing training for performers, and promoting Welsh traditional music and artists in the UK and abroad, as well as commissioning new artistic work. Trac is supported by the Arts Council of Wales. The organisation was founded by Stephen Rees, Danny KilBride, Phil Freeman, and Ceri Rhys Matthews of Fernhill.
A library consortium is any cooperative association of libraries that coordinates resources and/or activities on behalf of its members, whether they are academic, public, school or special libraries, and/or information centers. Library consortia have been created to service specific regions or geographic areas, e.g., local, state, regional, national or international. Many libraries commonly belong to multiple consortia. The goal of a library consortium is to amplify the capabilities and effectiveness of its member libraries through collective action, including, but not limited to, print or electronic resource sharing, reducing costs through group purchases of resources, and hosting professional development opportunities. The “bedrock principle upon which consortia operate is that libraries can accomplish more together than alone.”
Autism Cymru was Wales' national charity for autism with offices in Cardiff, Wrexham, and Aberystwyth. The charity was established in May 2001 through an initial 3-year grant provided by The Shirley Foundation. The founder chair of the Trustees was Dame Stephanie Shirley of the Shirley Foundation.
The North Wales Metro is a rail and bus transport improvement programme in north Wales. Styled as a "Metro", it is conceptually a multi-modal system with a combination of bus, heavy rail, and light rail services. It was initially focused on linking major settlements and employment areas of the north-east of Wales with the North West of England, with its hubs located in Wrexham, Chester and Deeside, although the programme has since expanded, with proposals extending to Anglesey in the north-west of Wales. The existing Borderlands line forms a core rail component of the network, where projects to increase connections, integrated access, and service frequency between Wrexham, Deeside and Liverpool are centred upon. The proposals were put forward in 2016 as is part of Welsh Labour's plan for north Wales. Labour has pledged to open the system by 2035. The proposals were included in the 2018 Wales & Borders franchise contest. It is the second of the three regional metros proposed by the Welsh Government to go ahead, after the South Wales Metro, and before the Swansea Bay and West Wales Metro. The project is described to be in its initial phases.
The Cardiff Capital Region is a city region in Wales, centred on the capital city of Wales, Cardiff, in the southeast of the country. It is a partnership between the ten local authorities of Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend County Borough, Caerphilly County Borough, Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Monmouthshire, Newport, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Torfaen, and Vale of Glamorgan, local businesses in southeast Wales and other organisations. The regional city deal is funded by the UK Government and Welsh Government. The Cardiff Capital Region includes the cities of Cardiff and Newport, and most of the South Wales Valleys, with the region being coterminous with the area defined as South East Wales.
Welsh devolution is the transfer of legislative power for self-governance to Wales by the Government of the United Kingdom.
In December 2021, the Welsh Labour government and Plaid Cymru signed a three-year co-operation agreement, where the two parties agreed to work together in 46 policy areas. The agreement is not a coalition or confidence and supply agreement; Plaid Cymru remain in opposition but can appoint advisers to offices of the Welsh Government.