English: Can I thank Darren Millar for that series of questions, and for his in principle support for the reform agenda that we have before us? Darren, like me, understands that the status quo is not an option, and some of the problems and commentary that Darren has just made about some of the challenges that face students are one of the driving factors behind the reform. We need a system that is truly listening to student voice, that recognises that simply seeing students as traditional 18-year-old school leavers is not appropriate any more, and we need to develop a system of post-compulsory education that recognises that people will come in and out of education throughout their lives and their careers as we adapt to an ever-changing economy. Students will need the flexibility to be able to study, sometimes full time, or sometimes part time, alongside working or, perhaps, caring responsibilities. The whole focus of creating a single body to oversee this entire sector gives us the opportunity to be able to establish such a system, and I welcome his support for it. If I could turn to some of the specific issues that he raises, Darren, like you, I think we have to acknowledge that, despite many debates in this Chamber and many speeches by Ministers, Cabinet Secretaries and, indeed, opposition politicians, academic and vocational routes through education are still not regarded as equally valuable. That is something that I regret very much. Evidence suggests that learners - young learners, especially - and their parents are not always receiving the best information and advice to steer them towards learning and career choices that are right for them. That was one of the strongest messages that we had as a result of our learner consultation: young people are saying, 'We're not getting the advice that we need to be able to make those choices.' Again, one of the rationales behind this reform is to say that these courses, these pathways into employment, into learning and studying, are of equal status. Depending on what your aspirations are, what your career ambitions are, then there is no single right way or wrong way, or better way or less good way of achieving that. Again, that's one of the rationales behind this reform. But we have to get information right; we have to get it right for young people, and we have to get it right for older people who may be facing career changes or may be looking for new opportunities as a result of redundancy or a change in life circumstances. I think it's fair to say that, perhaps, we have not developed this as much as we would like, and it's something that is a constant source of conversation between myself and the Minister, as well as the Cabinet Secretary for the economy, as we look at employability programmes and economic development in the round. We will need to do further work in this area to get the offer right, because if we listen to students and young people, they're not getting it at the moment. We have to be honest about that, otherwise there's no point in carrying out the consultation if we're not prepared to take on board what people are telling us. Access, of course, is at the heart of our student support reforms. That's why we will be unique in the UK when we will offer pro rata support for part-time learners in higher education. For those who are in the further education field, we have maintained our commitment to the EMA, to the education maintenance allowance that allows children and young people from a poorer background to access financial support in the FE sector. Looked-after children, of course, will be eligible for the highest level of maintenance support that this Welsh Government will offer: in excess of £9,000 to allow them to study at a higher education level. The bigger challenge, I believe, for us, is to ensure more looked-after children have the opportunity to apply for that maintenance grant. That goes back to the action across the education department to support looked-after children in their education, because I want more of them to be able to access that maintenance grant. We also have a support system for disabled students, which has recently been independently reviewed, and that review has found it to be a very successful scheme that is really helping those people with a disability to go on into higher education. It is my intention that, as a result of these reforms, it should be easier for students to be able to switch courses, carry credits forward, have a blended nature to their study - part time, full time, depending on their circumstances. With regard to the coleg, as you know, I think the coleg Cymraeg has done a great job in broadening access to higher education courses through the medium of Welsh. I believe that the principle of extending that to FE and work-based learning, so that people have the opportunity to undertake their learning and their training in Welsh is particularly crucial in certain sectors where we have a dearth of professionals. Only recently, in the additional learning needs debate, we talked about a whole raft of professionals that need Welsh language skills that we don't currently have at the moment. It's absolutely crucial that we develop the role of the coleg in line with our PCET reforms and I believe that they are attuned. But I have to say, Deputy Presiding Officer, I'm very grateful for the way in which Darren Millar has engaged in this. Like me, he has high ambitions for this particular part of our education and training sector, and I look forward to continuing to work with Darren on the technical consultation, which will be released in the new year. I'm a Minister who is keen to get on with things, and we will try and make progress as quickly as possible, but recognising this is a significant set of reforms and we need to get them right.
Welsh: A gaf i ddiolch i Darren Millar am y gyfres hon o gwestiynau, ac am ei gefnogaeth mewn egwyddor i'r agenda o ddiwygio sydd gennym ni gerbron? Mae Darren, fel finnau, yn deall nad yw'r sefyllfa sydd ohoni yn ddewis o gwbl, ac un o'r ffactorau sydd wedi ysgogi'r diwygio yw rhai o'r problemau a'r sylwadau y mae Darren newydd eu gwneud am rai o'r heriau sy'n wynebu myfyrwyr. Mae angen inni gael system sy'n gwrando'n wirioneddol ar lais y myfyrwyr, sy'n cydnabod nad yw'n gymwys bellach ystyried myfyriwr fel rhywun sy'n gadael ysgol yn draddodiadol yn 18 mlwydd oed. Mae angen inni ddatblygu system addysg ôl-orfodol sy'n cydnabod bod pobl yn gallu mynd i mewn ac allan o addysg gydol eu hoes a'u gyrfaoedd wrth inni addasu i economi sy'n newid yn barhaus. Bydd angen hyblygrwydd ar fyfyrwyr i allu astudio, weithiau'n amser llawn neu weithiau'n rhan amser, yn gyfochrog â'r gwaith neu, efallai, gyfrifoldebau gofalu. Mae'r holl ganolbwyntio ar greu un corff i oruchwylio'r sector cyfan hwn yn rhoi cyfle inni allu sefydlu system o'r fath, ac rwy'n croesawu ei gefnogaeth ef i hynny. Os caf i droi at rai o'r materion penodol sy'n cael eu codi ganddo, Darren, fel chithau, rwyf i o'r farn ei bod yn rhaid inni gydnabod, er gwaethaf llawer o'r dadleuon yn y Siambr hon a llawer o areithiau gan Weinidogion, Ysgrifenyddion y Cabinet ac, yn wir, wleidyddion y gwrthbleidiau, nad yw llwybrau academaidd a galwedigaethol drwy addysg yn cael eu hystyried yr un mor werthfawr â'i gilydd. Mae hynny'n rhywbeth sy'n ofid mawr i mi. Mae tystiolaeth yn awgrymu nad yw dysgwyr - dysgwyr ifanc, yn arbennig - na'u rhieni bob amser yn cael yr wybodaeth na'r cyngor gorau i'w tywys nhw tuag at y dewisiadau addysg a gyrfa mwyaf priodol iddyn nhw. Dyna oedd un o'r negeseuon cryfaf a gawsom ni o ganlyniad i'n hymgynghoriad â dysgwr: mae pobl ifanc yn dweud, 'Nid ydym yn cael y cyngor sydd ei angen arnom i wneud y dewisiadau hynny.' Eto i gyd, un o'r seiliau rhesymegol y tu ôl i'r diwygio hwn yw dweud bod y cyrsiau hyn, y llwybrau hyn i gyflogaeth, i addysg ac astudiaeth, o'r un gwerth â'i gilydd. Gan ddibynnu ar eich dyheadau, eich uchelgeisiau gyrfaol, yna nid un ffordd gywir neu anghywir, neu un ffordd well neu waeth, sydd o gyflawni hynny. Eto i gyd, dyna un o seiliau rhesymegol y tu ôl i'r diwygio hwn. Ond mae'n rhaid inni gael yr wybodaeth yn iawn; mae'n rhaid inni gael hynny'n iawn ar gyfer pobl ifanc, a rhaid inni ei chael yn iawn ar gyfer pobl hŷn sydd efallai yn wynebu newidiadau yn eu gyrfa neu efallai eu bod yn chwilio am gyfleoedd newydd o ganlyniad i golli eu swyddi neu newid yn amgylchiadau eu bywyd. Rwy'n credu ei bod yn deg dweud, efallai, nad ydym wedi datblygu hyn i'r graddau y byddem wedi ei hoffi, ac mae'n rhywbeth sy'n ffynhonnell gyson o drafodaeth rhyngof i a'r Gweinidog, yn ogystal ag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr economi, wrth inni edrych ar raglenni cyflogadwyedd a datblygiad economaidd yn gyffredinol. Bydd angen inni wneud rhagor o waith yn y maes hwn i wneud y cynnig iawn, oherwydd os gwrandawn ni ar fyfyrwyr a phobl ifanc, nid ydyn nhw'n cael hynny ar hyn o bryd. Mae'n rhaid inni fod yn onest am hynny, fel arall nid oes unrhyw bwynt inni gynnal yr ymgynghoriad os nad ydym yn barod i ystyried yr hyn y mae pobl yn ei ddweud wrthym. Mae hygyrchedd, wrth gwrs, wrth wraidd y diwygiadau cymorth i fyfyrwyr. Dyna pam y byddwn ni'n unigryw yn y DU pan fyddwn yn cynnig cymorth pro rata ar gyfer dysgwyr rhan-amser mewn addysg uwch. I'r rhai sydd yn y maes addysg bellach, rydym wedi cynnal ein hymrwymiad i'r lwfans cynhaliaeth addysg, sy'n caniatáu i blant a phobl ifanc o gefndir tlotach gael cymorth ariannol yn y sector addysg bellach. Bydd plant sy'n derbyn gofal, wrth gwrs, yn gymwys i gael y lefel uchaf o gymorth cynhaliaeth y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei gynnig: dros £9,000 i'w galluogi i astudio ar lefel addysg uwch. Yr her fwy i ni, rwy'n credu, yw sicrhau bod mwy o blant sy'n derbyn gofal yn cael cyfle i wneud cais am y grant cynhaliaeth. Mae hynny'n mynd yn ôl at y camau gweithredu ar draws yr adran addysg i gefnogi plant sy'n derbyn gofal yn eu haddysg, oherwydd rwy'n awyddus bod mwy ohonyn nhw'n gallu cael gafael ar y grant cynhaliaeth hwnnw. Mae gennym hefyd system cymorth i fyfyrwyr anabl, a adolygwyd yn annibynnol yn ddiweddar, a chanfu'r adolygiad hwnnw ei fod yn gynllun llwyddiannus iawn sy'n helpu'r bobl hynny ag anableddau i fynd ymlaen i addysg uwch. O ganlyniad i'r diwygiadau hyn, fy mwriad i yw y dylai fod yn haws i fyfyrwyr allu newid cyrsiau, cario credydau ymlaen, a chael dull cyfunol o astudio - rhan-amser, amser llawn, gan ddibynnu ar eu hamgylchiadau. O ran y coleg, fel y gwyddoch, rwyf i o'r farn fod y coleg Cymraeg yn gwneud gwaith rhagorol yn ehangu hygyrchedd i gyrsiau addysg uwch drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg. Credaf fod yr egwyddor o ymestyn hynny i addysg bellach ac addysg sy'n seiliedig ar waith, fel bod cyfle i bobl gael eu haddysg a chael eu hyfforddi trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg, yn arbennig o hanfodol mewn rhai sectorau lle mae prinder gweithwyr proffesiynol. Dim ond yn ddiweddar, yn y ddadl ar anghenion dysgu ychwanegol, roeddem yn sôn am lu o weithwyr proffesiynol y mae angen sgiliau iaith Gymraeg arnyn nhw ar hyn o bryd nad oes gennym ar hyn o bryd. Mae'n gwbl hanfodol inni ddatblygu swyddogaeth y coleg yn unol â'n diwygiadau PCET ac rwy'n credu eu bod mewn cytgord. Ond mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud, Dirprwy Lywydd, fy mod yn ddiolchgar iawn am y modd y mae Darren Millar wedi chwarae ei ran yn hyn. Fel finnau, mae ganddo uchelgais mawr ar gyfer y rhan arbennig hon o'n sector addysg a hyfforddiant, ac rwy'n edrych ymlaen at barhau i weithio gyda Darren ar yr ymgynghoriad technegol, a fydd yn cael ei ryddhau yn y flwyddyn newydd. Gweinidog wyf i sy'n awyddus i fwrw ymlaen â phethau, a byddwn yn ceisio gwneud cynnydd cyn gynted ag y bo modd, ond gan gydnabod mai cyfres sylweddol o ddiwygiadau yw hon ac mae angen inni eu cael nhw'n iawn.