In this blog, Lauren Salisbury reflects on Wrexham University’s BSc (Hons) Speech and Language Therapy degree, launched in 2022 to strengthen Wales’ SLT workforce. She highlights the programme’s strong partnership approach — from bilingual learning with Y Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol to a collaborative research partnership with Bangor University through the North Wales Speech and Language Exchange.

When Wrexham University launched its BSc (Hons) Speech and Language Therapy degree in 2022, alongside a suite of six allied healthcare courses offered at Wrexham University, it marked a pivotal moment for healthcare education in Wales. As only the second pre-registration Speech and Language Therapy degree programme in the nation, joining the long-established Cardiff Metropolitan University course, our mission was clear: build a degree rooted in collaboration and community, with a shared commitment to futureproofing our vital profession.

United for Wales: A Shared Mission

Both Cardiff Metropolitan and Wrexham University’s degree programmes are commissioned by Health Education Improvement Wales and NHS Wales, so partnership working is embedded at the very core. Together with Cardiff Metropolitan, we have a shared ambition: to develop confident, skilled, forward-thinking practitioners who can provide life-improving treatment, support and care for people in Wales, who have difficulties with communication, eating, drinking and/or swallowing.

Both universities are also proud to work closely with Y Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, expanding opportunities for students to study and be assessed through the medium of Welsh. Welsh-medium and bilingual learning is embedded across the programmes, with students able to complete elements of teaching and assessment in Welsh and access Welsh-medium academic support.

Welsh-speaking students are also supported to use their language skills on clinical placements across Wales, helping them develop confidence as bilingual practitioners while supporting services where Welsh is routinely used with patients and families.

Real World Learning Through Local Partnerships

Our collaboration with Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and clinicians across the region ensures that students experience practice education that is immersive, inclusive, and personalised. From the outset, Wrexham University has taken an innovative approach to placements, deliberately broadening what “practice” can look like.

Through partnerships spanning social care, education, the private sector, public health, and even criminal justice, students gain exposure to a diverse range of settings and service users. Their real-world experience may include:

• Supporting early language development in preschool settings.
• Observing hearing assessments in specialist audiology clinics.
• Delivering training for parents/carers and education colleagues on Speech, Language and Communication.
• Providing communication support within elderly care and community settings.

And before they set foot in any placement, students can hone their clinical skills in our state-of-the-art simulation suite, creating a safe and supported bridge between theory and practice.

Driving Innovation Through Research

Despite the wealth of ground breaking research and service innovation happening in North Wales, much of it previously went unrecognised. Now entering its fourth year, the Exchange’s annual conference, hosted at key locations across the region, has become a flagship event. It brings together clinicians, researchers, and students to share ideas, showcase innovation, and co-create the future of Speech and Language Therapy locally and beyond.

Partnerships at the Heart of Our Purpose

This glimpse into our work reflects one simple truth: partnerships are the heartbeat of Speech and Language Therapy education in North Wales. They enrich our students’ learning, strengthen our communities, and empower us to fulfil our civic mission as a university.

At Wrexham, we’re committed to nurturing and expanding these partnerships, locally rooted, globally connected, and always striving to serve Wales with pride.