Gareth Pierce Bursary Scheme

In honour of our former Chief Executive, we launched the Gareth Pierce Bursary in 2022 to support undergraduate students studying Mathematics through the medium of Welsh.

The bursary scheme supports 3 students annually and is administered through the kind support of Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.

Honouring Gareth Pierce’s legacy

Gareth worked tirelessly to support learners from across Wales throughout his career, including during his time at both WJEC and Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol. Gareth sadly passed away in 2021, and this bursary has been established as a small testament to his legacy.

Criteria

Under the scheme, 3 bursaries of £3,000 per year are given to each student who is studying Mathematics through the medium of Welsh and are also eligible for a means tested student loan. As the funds they receive are a grant, this is non-repayable, reducing the financial burden on students. The scheme opened for students who commenced their studies from September 2022 and applications run annually.

Make an application

Further details on how the scheme will work and how to make an application are available via the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol website.

{"accordionHeading":"","accordionItems":[{"accordionTitle":"2023 Bursary Recipients","accordionTitleSecondary":null,"accordionImage":"","accordionContent":"<div>Second round of recipients for the Gareth Pierce Bursary announced</div>\n<div class=\"article-body__content\">\nThree promising Welsh students have been awarded a second round of bursaries as part of our Gareth Pierce Bursary Scheme.\nEfa Maher and Steffan Môn from Cardiff University and Elen Davies from Aberystwyth University, are the three students who will receive a bursary of £3,000 each in memory of our former Chief Executive, Gareth Pierce.\nCommenting on the students achievement is Ian Morgan, WJEC Chief Executive: \"On behalf of WJEC I would like to congratulate Efa, Elen and Steffan, the second group to receive the prestigious Gareth Pierce bursary. The popularity of Gareth's bursary continues to grow and reflects his passion for Maths and learning through the medium of Welsh.\n‘Good luck to the students with their studies, and I hope the bursary means they can thrive in their respective courses.\"\nThe bursary scheme was launched in 2022 and aims to support undergraduate students studying Mathematics through the medium of Welsh. The bursary scheme supports 3 students annually and is administered through the kind support of Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.\nThe recipients\n<div class=\"table-responsive\">\n<table border=\"0\" class=\"table\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 211px;\"><img src=\"https://www.wjec.co.uk/media/wtfjqgdr/efa-maher.png?width=220&height=220&mode=max\" alt=\"\" width=\"220\" height=\"220\" /></td>\n<td style=\"width: 316px;\">\nEfa Maher from Newport is passionate about the Welsh language and is delighted to be able to study a third of her 'Mathematics, Operational Research and Statistics' course through the medium of Welsh at Cardiff University. She said:\n\"Studying through the medium of Welsh is incredibly important to me, not only in preserving and maintaining my linguistic skills, but also in terms of my identity. Maths, as a subject offers wide career possibilities, so building terminology in both languages, will be useful when I work in the field in the future. I am very grateful to WJEC and the Coleg Cymraeg for this bursary.\"\n</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 211px;\"><img src=\"https://www.wjec.co.uk/media/l5bpbzss/steffan-mon.png?width=220&height=220&mode=max\" alt=\"\" width=\"220\" height=\"220\" /></td>\n<td style=\"width: 316px;\">\nSteffan Môn, 28, from Cardiff, became interested in Mathematics as an adult after watching YouTube videos and reading books on the subject in his spare time.\nSteffan commented: \"I was afraid of Maths at school, but in recent years I re-visited the subject and realised how much I love it. I gained my A level in Maths through the Open University last year, and I’m now studying Maths at university. Following my degree I hope to go on to study a doctorate to become a Welsh-medium Mathematics lecturer in the future. I hope my story helps others to demonstrate not everyone shows aptitude in a subject at school, or is ready for university straight after school. There are no boundaries or timetable to education, it's a lifelong act. I'm very grateful to WJEC and the Coleg Cymraeg for the bursary.\"\n</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 211px;\"><img src=\"https://www.wjec.co.uk/media/ttudlbs0/elen-davies.png?width=220&height=220&mode=max\" alt=\"\" width=\"220\" height=\"220\" /></td>\n<td style=\"width: 316px;\">\nElen Davies from Neath was delighted to hear that she had won the bursary, and is grateful to her teacher at primary school, Ysgol Gymraeg Ystalyfera, for developing her interest in Mathematics.\nTalking about her studies and the bursary, Elen said: \"My interest in Maths started at a very young age thanks to the enthusiasm and creativity of my teacher who treated the subject like artwork. It is a privilege to study Maths at university and to receive Gareth Pierce's bursary. I love the course, and look forward to working as a Maths teacher in the future.\"\n</td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>\n</div>\nMake an application\nAs part of the scheme, 3 bursaries of £3,000 per year are given to each student who is studying Mathematics through the medium of Welsh and are also eligible for a means tested student loan. As the funds they receive are a grant, this is non-repayable, reducing the financial burden on students. The scheme runs annually, and applications can be made from the Spring term.\nFurther details on how the scheme will work is available via the <a href=\"http://www.colegcymraeg.ac.uk/cy/astudio/cymorthariannol/bwrsariaethgarethpiercecbac/\">Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol</a>. \nFurther Information / Media Enquiries:\nJonathan Thomas PR and Brand Manager <a href=\"mailto:jonathan.thomas@wjec.co.uk\">jonathan.thomas@wjec.co.uk</a> 029 2026 5102\n</div>"}]}

{"accordionHeading":"","accordionItems":[{"accordionTitle":"2022 Bursary Recipients","accordionTitleSecondary":null,"accordionImage":"","accordionContent":"First recipients of the Gareth Pierce Bursary Scheme announced\nThree promising Welsh students have been awarded bursaries as part of our Gareth Pierce Bursary Scheme.\nLowri Haf Davies of Aberystwyth University, Taylor-James Daughton of Aberystwyth University, and Alys Ffion Chisholm of Cardiff University will receive a bursary of £3,000 each in memory of our former Chief Executive, Gareth Pierce.\nCommenting on the announcement is Ian Morgan, WJEC Chief Executive, “\"On behalf of WJEC I would like to congratulate Lowri, Taylor-James and Alys, who are the first recipients of the Gareth Pierce bursary. Gareth was a significant figure within the Welsh education landscape, and this bursary is a testament to his passion for Mathematics and learning through the medium of Welsh.\nWe wish the students the very best in their studies, and hope the bursary will enable them to flourish in their respective courses.\"\nThe bursary scheme was launched in 2022 and aims to support undergraduate students studying Mathematics through the medium of Welsh. The bursary scheme supports 3 students annually and is administered through the kind support of Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.\nSupporting undergraduate learning\nTaylor-James, from Barry, hopes to work as a Mathematics teacher in the future, and is delighted to win the bursary in a subject he loves to study. He said:\n\"I really appreciate the bursary, and am grateful to WJEC and the Coleg Cymraeg for the recognition and funding. I'm happy that I can study Mathematics, which is such a useful, current, and interesting subject through my mother tongue. I look forward to working as a teacher in the future to share my passion for Mathematics and inspire the next generation to choose to study the subject through the medium of Welsh.\"\nLowri Haf Davies from Nantgaredig was delighted to hear that she had won the bursary, and grateful to her secondary school for encouraging her to study Mathematics at university:\n\"It is a privilege to receive the Gareth Pierce bursary, and I will be using the money to purchase books that will help me on my course. I love the course at Aberystwyth University and am grateful to the Mathematics department at Ysgol Bro Myrddin because that's where my interest in the field began. I hope to have a career in statistics in the future.\"\nAlys Chisholm, from Caernarfon, said, \"It is an honour to receive this new bursary in the name of Gareth Pierce, an important figure in Welsh-medium education in Wales. I'm very grateful to WJEC and the Coleg Cymraeg for the funding that will be very helpful and facilitate my time at university over the next few years.\"\n<img src=\"/media/jifbc3km/website-banner.png?width=920&height=260\" alt=\"Gareth Pierce Bursary Recipients\" width=\"920\" height=\"260\" data-udi=\"umb://media/75110b4c9b4c4e8cb0791a21469c7062\" />\nMake an application\nAs part of the scheme, 3 bursaries of £3,000 per year are given to each student who is studying Mathematics through the medium of Welsh and are also eligible for a means tested student loan. As the funds they receive are a grant, this is non-repayable, reducing the financial burden on students. The scheme runs annually, and applications can be made from the Spring term.\nFurther details on how the scheme will work is available via the <a href=\"http://www.colegcymraeg.ac.uk/cy/astudio/cymorthariannol/bwrsariaethgarethpiercecbac/\">Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol</a>. \nFurther Information / Media Enquiries:\nJonathan Thomas PR and Brand Manager <a href=\"mailto:jonathan.thomas@wjec.co.uk\">jonathan.thomas@wjec.co.uk</a> 029 2026 5102"}]}