English: Thank you. I'm pleased to be able to take part in this debate. I won't go through the whole of the motion, because I believe that we've exercised much of that in previous debate, so I'll go through the amendments. I think it is a bit ironic for the Tories to say that they want people to fulfil potential, because our first amendment is something that may be threatened by that, because of the prospect of the precariousness of the future of Erasmus+, which has been a vital part of the education mix in higher education and further education for many years, and youth organisations and schools can also apply for Erasmus as well as adult learners. The skill enhancement potential is clear and Erasmus can offer invaluable experience of new ways of working and studying, allowing insight into different practices from across Europe and greatly improving employability and the prospects of those who participate. Last year, ColegauCymru secured £1.57 million of Erasmus+ funding for FE colleges and colleges remain committed to supporting European mobility for their learners and staff, despite the uncertainty of Brexit. And this funding will enable over 640 vocational learners, apprentices and staff from colleges across Wales to take part in that exciting training programme. For some students who come from very socially deprived backgrounds in Wales, this is a real life-changing experience for them. One childcare student who went to do a two-week work placement in Italy didn't even have a passport and had never travelled before on her own. So, in fact, if she hadn't have had that opportunity, she may never have had the prospect, then, of studying in another country and widening her horizons, which I think some of us in this room need to do more of. The UK Government have said, and I quote: 'The Government is committed to continuing the academic relationship between the UK and the EU, including through the next Erasmus+ programme if it is in our interests to do so.' How is it not in the interests of Wales to be a part of this programme? I don't know why they had even bothered to use that word. They can see, can they not, how important Erasmus is to the people of Wales? They would be foolish to end their involvement. With regard to our amendment 1, an apprenticeship should not only be considered an access point into one type of skilled employment, but an educational experience as well. And many apprentices do tell us, and they've told my office, that they would like the option and access to opportunities for other educational and skills engagement. And, particularly, young apprentices and those on foundation level apprenticeships tell us that at times they can feel disengaged and not part of the wider further education community. It's also crucial to maintain quality, and whilst the great majority of providers offer apprenticeships to a high standard, with a focus on the intended skills and work, some do not and some are better than others. I've said it before in this Chamber, and I'll say it again: we were told of one example where a young woman was in an apprenticeship at an architect's firm in Wales when it emerged that at some point during the apprenticeship a receptionist went off sick, she was sucked into being that receptionist and then never went back to doing the actual apprenticeship course she was there to do. So, I think that's criminal, really, that a woman was deprived of that experience. This speaks to a need to have a better, more formal and uniform process of ongoing engagement with apprenticeships, which could include all apprentices under the age of 21 being formally partnered with an FE college in order to secure appropriate support, including access to college days or off-site training/education for key skills or other education choices that the apprentice may want, and in partnership with FE colleges to ensure access to student voices within that further education situation. Time is tight, so our amendment 4: living costs and pay are one of the most significant barriers to apprenticeships and on-the-job skills training. While we in Plaid Cymru would like the Assembly to have powers over statutory wage levels, we don't. But in principle we should recognise pay as a significant barrier. The Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee, which I sit on, recognised this problem in a report delivered in 2018, where we said that a living support grant for apprenticeships, comparable to living support given to those remaining in full-time education, was needed. Currently the national minimum wage for all first-year apprentices, whether 16, 26 or 46 years of age, is £3.90 for every hour in work and training or study. That's £7,605 per year. How does this allow someone who may have financial commitments and wants an apprenticeship the ability to retrain? We don't think that that happens very well at the moment and we believe that this should be rectified to increase first-year pay to the corresponding minimum wage relevant to someone's age. There are many other points that we would have liked to have added to this motion, but we can't discuss that today. We should be looking at the Augar review for England so that we are encouraging more part-time study. I know that the Minister actually has worked really hard in this area and has improved those statistics. We'd also like to see degree apprenticeships expand further, understanding the need to match the numbers qualifying with skills needs, but this cannot be the only focus because it won't be sustainable. The last point I'd make is a point I made in questions to the Minister this week. It's about significantly looking into how we can address the brain drain here in Wales and how we can support and encourage people to stay in Welsh institutions so that we can encourage those institutions to thrive and to prosper for the future.
Welsh: Diolch. Rwy'n falch o allu cymryd rhan yn y ddadl hon. Nid wyf am fynd drwy'r cynnig cyfan, oherwydd credaf ein bod wedi mynegi llawer o hynny mewn dadl flaenorol, felly fe af drwy'r gwelliannau. Credaf ei bod braidd yn eironig fod y Torïaid yn dweud eu bod am i bobl gyflawni eu potensial, gan fod ein gwelliant cyntaf yn rhywbeth a allai gael ei fygwth gan hynny, oherwydd yr ansicrwydd posibl ynghylch dyfodol Erasmus+, a fu'n rhan hanfodol o'r cymysgedd addysg mewn addysg uwch ac addysg bellach ers nifer o flynyddoedd, a gall sefydliadau ieuenctid ac ysgolion ymgeisio am Erasmus yn ogystal ag oedolion sy'n dysgu. Mae'r potensial ar gyfer gwella sgiliau yn glir a gall Erasmus gynnig profiad gwerthfawr o ffyrdd newydd o weithio ac astudio, gan roi cipolwg ar arferion gwahanol o bob rhan o Ewrop a gwella cyflogadwyedd a rhagolygon y rhai sy'n cymryd rhan. Y llynedd, sicrhaodd ColegauCymru £1.57 miliwn o gyllid Erasmus+ ar gyfer colegau addysg bellach ac mae'r colegau'n parhau i fod yn ymrwymedig i gefnogi symudedd Ewropeaidd ar gyfer eu dysgwyr a'u staff, er gwaethaf ansicrwydd Brexit. A bydd y cyllid hwn yn galluogi dros 640 o ddysgwyr galwedigaethol, prentisiaid a staff o golegau ledled Cymru i gymryd rhan yn y rhaglen hyfforddi gyffrous honno. I rai myfyrwyr sy'n dod o gefndiroedd cymdeithasol difreintiedig iawn yng Nghymru, mae hwn yn brofiad sy'n newid bywyd. Nid oedd gan un myfyriwr gofal plant a aeth i wneud lleoliad gwaith am bythefnos yn yr Eidal basbort hyd yn oed ac nid oedd erioed wedi teithio ar ei phen ei hun cyn hynny. Felly, mewn gwirionedd, pe na bai wedi cael y cyfle hwnnw, efallai na fyddai erioed wedi cael cyfle i astudio mewn gwlad arall ac ehangu ei gorwelion, a chredaf fod angen i rai ohonom yn yr ystafell hon wneud mwy o hynny. Mae Llywodraeth y DU wedi dweud, ac rwy'n dyfynnu: Mae'r Llywodraeth wedi ymrwymo i barhau'r berthynas academaidd rhwng y DU a'r UE, gan gynnwys drwy'r rhaglen Erasmus+ nesaf os yw o fudd i ni wneud hynny. Sut nad yw er budd Cymru i fod yn rhan o'r rhaglen hon? Nid wyf yn gwybod pam roeddent hyd yn oed yn trafferthu defnyddio'r gair hwnnw. Gallant weld, oni allant, pa mor bwysig yw Erasmus i bobl Cymru? Byddent yn ffôl i roi'r gorau i'w hymwneud â'r rhaglen. O ran ein gwelliant 1, dylid ystyried prentisiaeth nid yn unig yn bwynt mynediad i un math o gyflogaeth fedrus, ond yn brofiad addysgol hefyd. Ac mae llawer o brentisiaid yn dweud wrthym, ac maent wedi dweud wrth fy swyddfa, y byddent yn hoffi cael opsiwn a mynediad at gyfleoedd i gymryd rhan mewn addysg a sgiliau eraill. Ac yn fwyaf arbennig, mae prentisiaid ifanc a'r rheini ar brentisiaethau lefel sylfaen yn dweud wrthym y gallant deimlo, ar adegau, eu bod wedi'u hymddieithrio a heb fod yn rhan o'r gymuned addysg bellach ehangach. Mae cynnal ansawdd yn hanfodol hefyd, ac er bod y mwyafrif helaeth o ddarparwyr yn cynnig prentisiaethau o safon uchel, gan ganolbwyntio ar y sgiliau a'r gwaith a fwriadwyd, nid yw rhai ohonynt yn gwneud hynny ac mae rhai'n well na'i gilydd. Rwyf wedi dweud o'r blaen yn y Siambr hon, ac fe'i dywedaf eto: dywedwyd wrthym am un enghraifft lle roedd menyw ifanc ar brentisiaeth mewn cwmni pensaernïaeth yng Nghymru pan ddaeth yn amlwg fod derbynnydd, ar ryw bwynt yn ystod y brentisiaeth, yn absennol oherwydd salwch, a chafodd ei thynnu i mewn yn lle'r derbynnydd ac ni ddychwelodd i wneud y cwrs prentisiaeth roedd hi yno i'w wneud. Felly, rwy'n credu bod hynny'n dramgwydd mawr, mewn gwirionedd, fod dynes wedi cael ei hamddifadu o'r profiad hwnnw. Dengys hyn fod angen proses well, fwy ffurfiol ac unffurf, o sicrhau ymgysylltiad parhaus â phrentisiaethau, a gallai gynnwys partneru pob prentis dan 21 oed yn ffurfiol â choleg addysg bellach er mwyn sicrhau cymorth priodol, gan gynnwys mynediad i ddiwrnodau coleg neu hyfforddiant/addysg oddi ar y safle mewn sgiliau allweddol neu ddewisiadau addysg eraill y gallai'r prentis fod eu heisiau, ac mewn partneriaeth â cholegau addysg bellach i sicrhau mynediad at leisiau myfyrwyr yn y sefyllfa addysg bellach honno. Mae amser yn brin, felly ein gwelliant 4: costau byw a chyflogau yw un o'r rhwystrau mwyaf arwyddocaol i brentisiaethau a hyfforddiant sgiliau yn y gwaith. Er y byddem ni ym Mhlaid Cymru eisiau i'r Cynulliad gael pwerau dros lefelau cyflog statudol, nid yw'r pwerau hynny gennym. Ond mewn egwyddor, dylem gydnabod bod tâl yn rhwystr sylweddol. Cydnabu Pwyllgor yr Economi, Seilwaith a Sgiliau yr wyf yn aelod ohono y broblem hon mewn adroddiad a gyflwynwyd yn 2018, lle dywedasom fod angen grant cynhaliaeth ar gyfer prentisiaethau, sy'n debyg i gynhaliaeth a roddir i'r rhai sy'n aros mewn addysg amser llawn. Ar hyn o bryd, yr isafswm cyflog cenedlaethol ar gyfer pob prentis blwyddyn gyntaf, boed yn 16, 26 neu 46 oed, yw £3.90 am bob awr o waith, hyfforddiant neu astudio. Dyna £7,605 y flwyddyn. Sut y mae hyn yn caniatáu i rywun a allai fod ag ymrwymiadau ariannol ac sydd am gael prentisiaeth allu ailhyfforddi? Ni chredwn fod hynny'n digwydd yn dda iawn ar hyn o bryd a chredwn y dylid unioni hyn i gynyddu tâl y flwyddyn gyntaf i'r isafswm cyflog cyfatebol sy'n berthnasol i oedran rhywun. Mae llawer o bwyntiau eraill y byddem wedi hoffi eu hychwanegu at y cynnig hwn, ond ni allwn drafod hynny heddiw. Dylem edrych ar adolygiad Augar ar gyfer Lloegr fel ein bod yn annog mwy o astudio rhan-amser. Gwn fod y Gweinidog wedi gweithio'n galed iawn yn y maes ac wedi gwella'r ystadegau hynny. Hoffem weld prentisiaethau gradd yn ehangu ymhellach, a deall yr angen i weld y niferoedd sy'n cymhwyso yn cyfateb i'r sgiliau sydd eu hangen, ond ni all hyn fod yn unig ffocws gan na fydd yn gynaliadwy. Y pwynt olaf yr hoffwn ei wneud yw'r un a wneuthum mewn cwestiynau i'r Gweinidog yr wythnos hon. Mae'n ymwneud ag edrych yn fanwl ar sut y gallwn fynd i'r afael â'r draen dawn yma yng Nghymru a sut y gallwn gefnogi ac annog pobl i aros yn sefydliadau Cymru fel y gallwn annog y sefydliadau hynny i lwyddo ac i ffynnu yn y dyfodol.