New foreign language teachers in Wales to be trained on innovative programme
The Welsh Government has announced that modern foreign languages will be offered as a new secondary subject on its post-graduate certificate in education (PGCE), delivered by The Open University in Wales.
Beginning in September 2025, students on the two-year PGCE programme can now study for the certificate with modern foreign languages as a secondary subject. Programme graduates receive full qualified teacher status (QTS), allowing them to teach in a school.
Two-hundred and seventy-five students are currently registered on the OU in Wales’ programme, which involves 302 partner schools across Wales in every region. Some students are already employed at partner schools (salaried route), while others work elsewhere and are taking their first steps into education (part-time route).
Since 2020, the OU in Wales’ PGCE has been available for a range of other secondary subjects, as well as primary school teaching, and can be studied in English or Welsh. On the salaried route specifically, 50% grant funding is available for English medium study at the secondary level, and 100% funding is available for Welsh medium study.
Cabinet Secretary for Education, Lynne Neagle (pictured above) said:
“Teaching is a fantastic profession, and this extension of the PGCE programme by the Open University and the flexibility in the way it is delivered will allow more people to embark on this wonderful career. I hope this new and exciting course offer inspires future teachers to explore this profession and also raises the profile of modern foreign languages.”
Director of the OU in Wales’ PGCE programme, Dr Sarah Stewart said:
“Since 2020, our PGCE programme has gone from strength-to-strength, and the introduction of modern foreign languages will open the door to more people who have considered teaching as a career. Increasingly, future teachers are seeing the benefit of studying flexibly over two years, allowing them to combine the course with work and family commitments. This has all been possible thanks to our staff and students, not to mention the great relationship we have with the Welsh Government, Wales’ education sector, and schools in every part of the country.”
Gemma Zeeman from Cardiff has completed her PGCE with the OU in Wales, and recently attended a graduation ceremony at Newport’s ICC.
Gemma said:
“I chose to study the PGCE at the OU because the part-time course was utterly life changing. I’m not sure I could have managed it in a year. To give me the balance and have time with my daughter was exactly what I needed.”