English: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. I welcome the consultation on the reforms to post-compulsory education and training. I do have some questions. I appreciate that you may not have a firm answer right now to some of them and, if that's the case, I'd like your assurance that the views of stakeholders will be sought on the points. I note the intention to create a new tertiary education and research commission for Wales, which will replace the existing higher education funding council. Can the Cabinet Secretary tell us what the comparative costs are for the existing council and the new commission, and will the creation of the commission lead to a reduction or increase in overall cost of overseeing post-compulsory education? Approximately how big will the commission be and to whom will it be accountable? If the commission doesn't fulfil its objectives, who will be responsible for this? Recent years have seen vocational training - what used to be called 'getting yourself a trade' - reduce in status while academic qualifications have been treated almost as the be-all and end-all. This has resulted in generations of gifted young people almost being thrown on the scrap heap or encouraged to study for courses that won't fulfil their potential because their skills and abilities don't lie in traditional academic areas. Although academic graduates are needed, it's the tradesmen who build our schools, hospitals, houses, and everything else and, without them, we have no buildings, no power, no roads - nothing. The lack of qualified tradesmen and women in Wales needs to be addressed by Wales training its own. I therefore welcome wholeheartedly the Cabinet Secretary's objective to ensure that vocational and academic training have equal value in our education system. In a work environment in which it is less and less likely that a person will leave school and then spend their working life either working in the same role or for the same employer, it's vital that people are given the ability to retrain or upskill, so that they can take advantage of new work opportunities. If the Cabinet Secretary can significantly improve access to training and education for people looking to improve or update their existing skills or learn new ones, I'll applaud her. I would like to see the Cabinet Secretary making provision to give advice and guidance to Welsh businesses that are conducting research and development to assist them exploit the patents they create, as well as assisting universities and colleges to improve the quality of their bids for research funding. I note that sixth-form provision may be covered by the new commission, but that sixth-form provision may not be included in the consultation. I understand your reasons for that, but, if sixth forms are going to be covered by the new commission, when will that proposal be put out to consultation if it is not included in this present one? Young people need to be able to choose the right sixth-form environment for them. Some will want a school sixth form, others will want to attend a sixth-form college. Can the Cabinet Secretary assure us that young people will continue to have the choice of studying at a sixth-form college or school sixth form? As regards the consultation itself, how have you publicised the consultation and how are you ensuring that the correct stakeholders have been notified of it? I welcome the consultation on the commission and the reforms being considered and I would encourage all interested parties to contribute to that consultation. Thank you.
Welsh: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd, a diolch i chi am eich datganiad, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Rwy'n croesawu'r ymgynghoriad ar y diwygiadau i addysg a hyfforddiant ôl-orfodol. Mae gennyf rai cwestiynau. Rwy'n sylweddoli efallai nad oes gennych ateb pendant ar hyn o bryd i rai ohonyn nhw, ac os yw hynny'n wir, hoffwn gael eich sicrhad y gofynnir i randdeiliaid am eu barn ar y pwyntiau hyn. Nodaf y bwriad i greu comisiwn addysg drydyddol ac ymchwil newydd i Gymru, a fydd yn disodli'r cyngor cyllido addysg uwch presennol. A wnaiff Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet ddweud wrthym beth yw'r costau cymharol ar gyfer y cyngor presennol a'r comisiwn newydd, ac a fydd y comisiwn yn arwain at ostyngiad neu gynnydd yn y gost gyffredinol o oruchwylio addysg ôl-orfodol? Pa mor fawr fydd y comisiwn fwy neu lai ac i bwy y bydd yn atebol? Os nad yw'r comisiwn yn cyflawni ei amcanion, pwy fydd yn gyfrifol am hynny? Yn y blynyddoedd diweddar gwelwyd hyfforddiant galwedigaethol - a oedd yn arfer cael ei alw yn 'cael gafael ar grefft' - yn gostwng mewn statws tra bod cymwysterau academaidd wedi eu trin bron fel yr ateb i bopeth. Mae hyn wedi arwain at genedlaethau o bobl ifanc dawnus sydd bron wedi cael eu taflu ar y domen neu eu hannog i astudio ar gyfer cyrsiau na fyddant o gymorth iddynt gyflawni eu potensial oherwydd nad yw eu sgiliau a'u galluoedd mewn meysydd academaidd traddodiadol. Er bod angen cael graddedigion academaidd, crefftwyr sy'n adeiladu ein hysgolion, ysbytai, tai, a phopeth arall a, hebddyn nhw, nid oes gennym unrhyw adeiladau, unrhyw ynni, unrhyw ffyrdd - dim byd. Mae angen mynd i'r afael â'r diffyg o ran crefftwyr cymwysedig yng Nghymru gan sicrhau bod Cymru yn hyfforddi ei rhai ei hun. Rwyf felly'n croesawu'n llwyr amcan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet i sicrhau bod hyfforddiant galwedigaethol ac academaidd yn cael eu hystyried â'r un gwerth yn ein system addysg. Mewn amgylchedd gwaith lle y mae'n llai ac yn llai tebygol y bydd rhywun yn gadael yr ysgol ac yna treulio ei fywyd gwaith naill ai yn gweithio yn yr un swydd neu i'r un cyflogwr, mae'n hanfodol bod gan bobl yn cael y cyfle i ailhyfforddi neu uwchsgilio, felly eu bod yn gallu manteisio ar gyfleoedd gwaith newydd. Os gall Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet wella mynediad at hyfforddiant ac addysg ar gyfer pobl sy'n awyddus i wella neu ddiweddaru eu sgiliau presennol neu ddysgu rhai newydd, byddaf yn ei chymeradwyo. Hoffwn weld Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn gwneud darpariaeth i roi cyngor ac arweiniad i fusnesau yng Nghymru sy'n ymgymryd ag ymchwil a datblygiad er mwyn eu cynorthwyo i fanteisio ar y patentau y maent yn eu creu, yn ogystal â chynorthwyo prifysgolion a cholegau i wella ansawdd eu ceisiadau am gyllid ymchwil. Rwy'n nodi ei bod yn bosibl y bydd y ddarpariaeth chweched dosbarth yn cael ei chwmpasu gan y comisiwn newydd, ond efallai na fydd y ddarpariaeth chweched dosbarth honno yn cael ei chynnwys yn yr ymgynghoriad. Rwy'n deall eich rhesymau am hynny, ond, os yw'r chweched dosbarth yn mynd i gael ei gwmpasu gan y comisiwn newydd, pryd y bydd y cynnig hwnnw yn cael ei gyflwyno mewn ymgynghoriad, os nad yw'n cael ei gynnwys yn yr un presennol? Mae angen i bobl ifanc allu dewis yr amgylchedd chweched dosbarth iawn iddynt hwy. Bydd rhai yn dymuno mynd i chweched dosbarth mewn ysgol, bydd eraill yn awyddus i fynd i chweched dosbarth mewn coleg. A all Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet ein sicrhau ni y bydd pobl ifanc yn parhau i gael y dewis o astudio mewn coleg chweched dosbarth neu yn y chweched dosbarth mewn ysgol? O ran yr ymgynghoriad ei hun, sut ydych chi wedi rhoi cyhoeddusrwydd i'r ymgynghoriad a sut ydych chi'n sicrhau bod y rhanddeiliaid cywir wedi cael gwybod amdano? Rwy'n croesawu'r ymgynghoriad ar y comisiwn a'r diwygiadau sy'n cael eu hystyried a byddwn yn annog pawb sydd â diddordeb i gyfrannu at yr ymgynghoriad hwnnw. Diolch.