Welsh learners at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board are celebrating after receiving top marks for their language skills.

A group of health care staff have received their Welsh language certificates after completing a unique course offered by Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.

The TSI is a recognised and accredited qualification by the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol and the WJEC which has been developed in order to enable applicants to acquire a certificate evidencing their Welsh language skills and ability to work through the medium of Welsh.

The course, which has been rolled out as a pilot scheme within the health board, also aims to boost the ability to communicate confidently and professionally in Welsh, in written and verbal form in order to respond to the needs of the local population.

Macmillan project manager, Andrew Owen, who is the first person outside the higher education sector to ever complete both parts of the Welsh Language Skills Certificate, says learning the language has not only improved his communication with Welsh colleagues but also with those outside the workplace.

He said: “Learning the language has enabled me to speak to people in the town in their first language and also colleagues within the hospitals.

“I’m really pleased to receive this certificate and I would like to thank our Welsh language tutor Ceri for all her support through our Welsh lessons – she is a great teacher and extremely passionate about what she does.”

Sharon Moore, a nurse practitioner in the Pre-op Assessment Unit at Ysbyty Gwynedd said improving her language skills has enabled her to speak with Welsh patients in their first language.

She said: “It has been really beneficial for me to have the opportunity to attend Welsh lessons through the health board.

“I see Welsh speaking patients who are coming for their assessments prior to surgery so it’s important to me that I can speak to them in their first language so it makes them feel more comfortable.”

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