Welcome to the GWLAD Website

GWLAD is a unique partnership based in north Wales which is looking at innovative ways of delivering learning in rural areas.

Funded by ESF EQUAL 2, GWLAD is the Welsh word for ‘country’ and is an acronym that reflects the main work of our project – Getting Work, Learning and Advice in rural areas.

The partnership consists of a range of organisations from the educational, voluntary and community sectors including the School of Lifelong Learning at the Bangor University as lead partner; Medrwn Môn, the voluntary agency for Anglesey; the Black Environment Network; CAIS – a drug and alcohol rehabilitation organisation; Stonewall Cymru (Wales); Chwarae Teg, a women’s rights organisation; the Welsh Language Board; the Open University; McAlpine’s, a local employer.

The activities of the project include researching the barriers to learning in rural areas, and setting up innovative examples of learning and guidance.

Much of the value of the project is derived from working with and learning from partners in different sectors. All partners face the same experiences:

shared geography; problems of transport, access to services and childcare provision mean that conventional learning opportunities are often quite inaccessible in rural areas.
bilingual communities; approximately 60% of the population having Welsh as a first language.

Our aim is to work with people in their communities to develop opportunities most appropriate for them and develop learning activities that help incomers understand the culture and language of the area.

The bilingual element is present in all aspect of our project with meetings and activities generally taking place in both Welsh and English.

As part of the project we also have a transnational partnership with other EQUAL developmental partnerships across Europe and will be sharing good practice and also staff exchanges with people working on similar projects in the Czech Republic, Burgundy and Belgium.