The centre has recently secured major contracts from the Welsh Government’s Department of Education and Skills to lead the national scheme to develop the Welsh language skills of teachers and lecturers and also to develop subject-based terminology for the secondary and FE sectors. In addition to seeing these projects at first hand, the Minister was also provided with an overview of the work that is being done to support use of the Welsh language at the workplace by means of a number of new initiatives and resources.

A major part of the minister’s visit focused on developments in language  technologies including speech technology and a new suite of tools and resources to support the translation industry.

Canolfan Bedwyr also provides a home for the administrative branch of the newly formed Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol at Bangor University, and the minister was shown  the kind of support that is available to staff who are developing new Welsh medium provision and students who choose to study through the medium of Welsh.

Commenting on his visit Leighton Andrews said “Bangor University has a long history of promoting higher education through the medium of Welsh, including, in recent years, supporting the establishment of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol. The work it delivers will also be vital in supporting the Welsh Government’s aims of promoting the Welsh language and helping it to flourish.”

Professor John G. Hughes, Vice-Chancellor of Bangor University said “As an University, we are totally committed to the Welsh Government's vision of a vibrant Welsh language and are proud of the way in which Canolfan Bedwyr contributes to the delivery of this vision, both within the university and in the wider world."

Dr Llion Jones, Director of Canolfan Bedwyr, said “We were delighted to welcome Leighton Andrews to our new home at Neuadd Dyfrdwy and provide him with the opportunity to see our work and to hear about a number of pioneering developments. In the context of the Welsh Government’s new strategy for the Welsh language, it was a timely opportunity for us to show the breadth of the work being done here to promote the use of Welsh and to provide an infrastructure for its development".