I have had four extremely valuable days of work experience with the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol in their office in Carmarthen. I had the opportunity to get a taste of every element of the organisation's work, by having meetings and receiving presentations from different individuals, and fostering new skills by completing tasks as well.
I chose the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol as an organisation in order to complete my work experience as I felt it would give a broad overview of the types of jobs and the various work available in organisations related to the Welsh language. At the moment, I am in my final year studying Welsh at Aberystwyth University. Doing my work experience with the Coleg opened my eyes to the kind of career I could follow in the future and showed that it is possible to do all kinds of jobs in all kinds of fields, with a degree in Welsh.
During my period of work experience, I had several very valuable conversations from different members of the organisation's team. It was interesting to see the diverse range of roles they had, and to realize that, although they all worked for one organisation, the responsibilities of each of them were completely different.
One of the Coleg's main roles is to collaborate with various ambassadors, in schools, universities and further education colleges. I realized the enormity of the work they do in order to try and promote the Welsh language within the world of education and encourage students and prospective students to choose to study their degree courses through the medium of Welsh. It was great to see that they emphasize the value and importance of the Welsh language for young people, through events such as careers fairs, and by making fun presentations in schools.
It is amazing that there are so many scholarships from the Coleg to offer to young people. Along with the Main Scholarship and the Incentive Scholarship, the Coleg also has a range of additional scholarships for specific students, in order to support their studies through the medium of Welsh. Undoubtedly, I can testify as a student, that every penny counts when you are at university, and these scholarships would offer the extra boost needed to be able to spend on resources to support your degree studies, and of course to secure a little extra money to be able to enjoy and socialize too!
I am extremely grateful for the opportunity I had to work with different individuals from the Coleg and gain a wide insight into the work of the organization during my work experience period. I received a warm welcome from everyone, and they were more than happy to discuss their roles and responsibilities thoroughly. This week has given me a taste of working life in a professional organisation and has broadened my understanding of the work of the Coleg Cymraeg, and of the possible career paths I could follow in the future!