English: I say in response to David Melding that my colleagues make fun of me whenever I mention my degrees and using my degrees, so I've learnt to keep quiet about it - [Interruption.] Yes, the gowns were pretty exotic. [Laughter.] I started my career in what was the Allt-yr-yn, or colloquially known as the 'Altereen' campus in Newport. My experience in HE was only ever, and I think I've said to this Chamber before, on validation panels in FE, meeting FE colleagues and as a moderator. And that's about it. There was never any crossover teaching or working with colleagues - certainly nothing like the knowledge centre that you've suggested now, and, clearly, Allt-yr-yn campus is now a housing estate. It's now the waterfront and you've got the Nash campus base moving from Nash to the waterfront. I think that's a good example of how things should happen. The University of South Wales, as Professor Diamond recognised, is a very good example, if not of best practice - a very good example of how we should progress HE and FE links. I visited, in preparation for this debate and debates like it, Coleg y Cymoedd Ystrad Mynach in my constituency, and if you want to see it, there's a little video on Twitter all about the visit. What an array of activities that are taking place there. There are no classrooms in the video: there's a mechanics workshop, there's an aircraft cabin, and there's a working kitchen and restaurant. They are some of the things going on at Coleg y Cymoedd. That's the kind of experience that HE lecturers, I think, need to have as well and see some of those things that are going on. The Hazelkorn review, to which the Cabinet Secretary made a response last week, took a very welcome look at these issues. And as she said in her statement, the complexities involved in these matters, FE and HE, has led to unhelpful competition between education and training providers, with duplication or gaps and confusion for learners. And the Minister for lifelong learning, as I mentioned earlier at question time, said, when he visited the Children, Young People and Education Committee on 10 November, that he would like to see no border at all between FE and HE. I'd like to hear more about that in discussions, because I think it helps answer some of the questions in this debate and that are referred to in the amendment in the name of Jane Hutt. I welcome the fact that there'd be a body that would ultimately replace the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, which will play an important part in resolving some of the border problems between FE and HE, although in my question to the Cabinet Secretary earlier, she said she's got plans for this, but I asked about the short term: what's going to happen in the immediate future? She said, when she visited the Children, Young People and Education on 10 November, that there would be an expectation that the money that has been going to Higher Education Funding Council for Wales - that part of that is used to enhance the relationship between FE and HE, and she'd make that clear in her remit letter. When I asked her today, she said that she'd already made it clear in the interim remit letter, but that was issued in October. She made the statement to the committee in November, so I'd still like some clarity on that. And if the Minister could pursue some clarity on that, I'd be very grateful, because that would help us get some clarity as to what will happen while further consultation is going on regarding the funding body. But perhaps we need to go further and establish a post-16 education and training strategy for Wales, looking at FE and HE, work-based learning and adult community education. This is something that I hope will be at the forefront of the Welsh Government's thinking when it comes to the work of implementing the recommendations of Diamond and Hazelkorn. This is something that can happen. The Conservatives have brought forward this motion today. I've been critical of Darren Millar in the past, particularly - not his fault, but the UK Government's fault - their decimation, the UK Government's decimation, of the international student market in higher education. The picture in England is not much better in FE either, with the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Commons identifying a looming crisis in FE funding that was coming in England. So, I think work needs to be done at all levels in FE and HE, and I think the Welsh Government, commendably, are taking an approach that is addressing that issue. Hazelkorn provides us a golden opportunity for us to learn from those mistakes that are being made in England, and forge our own Welsh approach to a successful post-compulsory education regime that meets the needs of employers, providers and learners in the years ahead.
Welsh: Fe ddywedaf mewn ymateb i David Melding fod fy nghyd-Aelodau'n gwneud hwyl am fy mhen pan fyddaf yn sôn am fy ngraddau a defnyddio fy ngraddau, felly rwyf wedi dysgu cadw'n ddistaw yn eu cylch - [Torri ar draws.] Oedd, roedd y gynau yn eithaf egsotig. [Chwerthin.] Dechreuais fy ngyrfa ar gampws Allt-yr-ynn, a gâi ei alw ar lafar yn gampws 'Altereen' yng Nghasnewydd. Fel y dywedais wrth y Siambr o'r blaen, yr unig brofiad a gefais mewn addysg uwch oedd ar baneli dilysu mewn addysg bellach, cyfarfod â chydweithwyr addysg bellach ac fel cymedrolwr. A dyna ni. Nid oedd unrhyw addysgu'n gorgyffwrdd na gweithio gyda chydweithwyr - dim byd tebyg i'r ganolfan wybodaeth yr ydych wedi'i hawgrymu yn awr, yn sicr, ac yn amlwg, mae campws Allt-yr-ynn bellach yn ystad o dai. Dyna yw'r glannau bellach ac mae gennych sylfaen campws Nash yn symud o Nash i'r glannau. Rwy'n credu bod honno'n enghraifft dda o sut y dylai pethau ddigwydd. Mae Prifysgol De Cymru, fel y cydnabu'r Athro Diamond, yn enghraifft dda iawn, os nad o arfer gorau - mae'n enghraifft dda iawn o sut y dylem fwrw ymlaen â'r cysylltiadau rhwng addysg uwch ac addysg bellach. Wrth baratoi ar gyfer y ddadl hon a dadleuon tebyg, ymwelais â Choleg y Cymoedd Ystrad Mynach yn fy etholaeth, ac os ydych am ei weld, mae yna fideo bach ar Twitter am yr ymweliad. Am amrywiaeth o weithgareddau sy'n cael eu cynnal yno. Nid oes unrhyw ystafelloedd dosbarth yn y fideo: mae yna weithdy mecaneg, mae yna gaban awyren, ac mae yna gegin a bwyty gweithredol. Dyna rai o'r pethau sy'n digwydd yng Ngholeg y Cymoedd. Dyna'r math o brofiad y dylai darlithwyr addysg uwch eu cael hefyd, rwy'n meddwl, a gweld rhai o'r pethau sy'n digwydd. Edrychodd adolygiad Hazelkorn, yr ymatebodd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet iddo yr wythnos diwethaf, ar y materion hyn mewn modd defnyddiol iawn. Ac fel y dywedodd yn ei datganiad, mae'r cymhlethdodau sy'n gysylltiedig â'r materion hyn, addysg bellach ac addysg uwch, wedi arwain at gystadleuaeth ddi-fudd rhwng darparwyr addysg a hyfforddiant, a dyblygu neu fylchau a dryswch i ddysgwyr. Ac fel y soniais yn gynharach yn ystod y cwestiynau, dywedodd y Gweinidog dysgu gydol oes, pan ymwelodd â'r Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg, ar 10 Tachwedd, na fuasai'n hoffi gweld unrhyw ffin o gwbl rhwng addysg bellach ac addysg uwch. Hoffwn glywed mwy am hynny yn y trafodaethau, oherwydd credaf ei fod yn helpu i ateb rhai o'r cwestiynau yn y ddadl hon ac y cyfeirir atynt yn y gwelliant yn enw Jane Hutt. Rwy'n croesawu'r ffaith y ceid corff a fuasai yn y pen draw yn cymryd lle Cyngor Cyllido Addysg Uwch Cymru, corff a fydd yn chwarae rhan bwysig yn datrys rhai o'r problemau o ran y ffin rhwng addysg bellach ac addysg uwch, er ei bod wedi dweud, yn fy nghwestiynau i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn gynharach, fod ganddi gynlluniau ar gyfer hyn, ond gofynnais am y tymor byr: beth sy'n mynd i ddigwydd yn y dyfodol agos? Pan ymwelodd â'r Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg ar 10 Tachwedd, dywedodd y byddai disgwyl i'r arian sydd wedi bod yn mynd i Gyngor Cyllido Addysg Uwch Cymru - fod rhan o hwnnw'n cael ei ddefnyddio i wella'r berthynas rhwng addysg bellach ac addysg uwch, ac eglurodd hynny yn ei llythyr cylch gwaith. Pan ofynnais iddi heddiw, dywedodd ei bod eisoes wedi gwneud hynny'n glir yn y llythyr cylch gwaith interim, ond dosbarthwyd hwnnw ym mis Hydref. Fe wnaeth y datganiad i'r pwyllgor ym mis Tachwedd, felly rwy'n dal i fod eisiau rhywfaint o eglurder ar hynny. A buaswn yn ddiolchgar iawn pe gallai'r Gweinidog sicrhau rhywfaint o eglurder ar hynny, gan y byddai'n ein helpu i gael rhywfaint o eglurder ynglŷn â beth fydd yn digwydd tra bod ymgynghori pellach yn digwydd ar y corff cyllido. Ond efallai fod angen i ni fynd ymhellach a sefydlu strategaeth addysg a hyfforddiant ôl-16 ar gyfer Cymru, gan edrych ar addysg bellach ac addysg uwch, dysgu seiliedig ar waith ac addysg gymunedol i oedolion. Mae hyn yn rhywbeth y gobeithiaf y bydd yn flaenllaw ym meddwl Llywodraeth Cymru yn y gwaith o weithredu argymhellion Diamond a Hazelkorn. Mae hyn yn rhywbeth a all ddigwydd. Mae'r Ceidwadwyr wedi cyflwyno'r cynnig hwn heddiw. Rwyf wedi bod yn feirniadol o Darren Millar yn y gorffennol, yn enwedig - nid ei fai ef, ond bai Llywodraeth y DU - y modd y mae Llywodraeth y DU, wedi difrodi'r farchnad myfyrwyr rhyngwladol mewn addysg uwch. Nid yw'r darlun yn Lloegr yn llawer gwell ym maes addysg bellach ychwaith, gyda Phwyllgor Cyfrifon Cyhoeddus Tŷ'r Cyffredin yn nodi bod argyfwng ar y gorwel o ran y cyllid a oedd i ddod i addysg bellach yn Lloegr. Felly, rwy'n meddwl bod angen gwneud gwaith ar bob lefel mewn addysg bellach ac addysg uwch, ac rwy'n meddwl bod Llywodraeth Cymru, yn glodwiw iawn, yn mabwysiadu ymagwedd sy'n mynd i'r afael â'r mater hwnnw. Mae Hazelkorn yn rhoi cyfle euraidd i ni ddysgu o'r camgymeriadau sy'n cael eu gwneud yn Lloegr, a ffurfio ein hymagwedd Gymreig ein hunain tuag at gyfundrefn addysg ôl-orfodol lwyddiannus sy'n diwallu anghenion cyflogwyr, darparwyr a dysgwyr yn y blynyddoedd i ddod.