Healthcare Apprentice selected as Welsh Language Ambassador

Hanna is pictured here in her uniform. She is smiling at the camera.

28 February 2025

Hanna Griffiths, an NHS healthcare apprentice at Glangwili Hospital, in Carmarthen, has been selected as a Welsh Language Apprenticeship Ambassador by Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.

Her role, as a Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol Apprenticeship Ambassador, is to promote bilingualism in the workplace and to encourage others to do their apprenticeship bilingually by creating content on Coleg Cymraeg's social media platforms.

Hanna is in her second year of her Level 2 Clinical Healthcare Qualification which she is doing through the medium of Welsh, with the support and encouragement of Lucy Breckon and her tutors from Pembrokeshire College. With Welsh being her first language, Hanna finds it important to use Welsh every day, especially when communicating with patients on the ward.

Hanna said “Many of our patients on the ward have dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, which often means they can only communicate in their first language. Talking to our Welsh patients in their preferred language is important in making them feel more comfortable.”

Amanda Glanville, Assistant Director of People Development at Hywel Dda University Health Board added “I am delighted to hear of Hanna’s selection as an ambassador. It clearly demonstrates her passion for the Welsh language and how important it is for our patients.”

Coleg Cymraeg have appointed a total of 16 new apprenticeship ambassadors across Wales, and Elin Williams, the Coleg's Marketing Manager is pleased to see the scheme growing. She said:

"The apprenticeship ambassador scheme is going from strength to strength with a number of apprenticeship providers and apprentices very enthusiastic to be part of the scheme. We now collaborate with apprenticeship providers from all over Wales, and it's great to see the relationship developing.

"We look forward to working with Hanna and the other new ambassadors and sincerely hope that they will be able to inspire their peers in their workplace and beyond to use and be the proud of their bilingual skills."

Using Welsh every day is vital to keep Hanna’s skills up, so she can talk to Welsh speaking language colleagues, patients, and visitors, with the aim of improving their experiences in hospital. She has also created a blog, for Pembrokeshire College, about her experiences on the ward and the importance of using Welsh.

To find out more about what apprenticeships the health board can offer you, please visit: Apprenticeship Academy - Hywel Dda University Health Board