³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

The WJEC exam board has appointed a new chief executive.

Roderic Gillespie will join in June from where he is director of assessment.

The new head of the body - which sets the GCSE and A level exams sat by pupils in Wales - will claim a salary of up to £120,000 and lead an organisation of 400 staff.

Welsh language teaching union UCAC said it was disappointed by the appointment of a non Welsh-speaker.

It had expressed concern after the job advertisement for the role did not specify Welsh as being essential.

General secretary Elaine Edwards said: "We now face a situation where the chief executive of one of the most important organisations that has direct contact with schools and colleges in Wales is unable to communicate with them in Welsh."

The WJEC responded by saying "a significant number of senior management teams" could speak Welsh and it would support all staff who wished to develop or improve their language skills.

Current chief executive Gareth Pierce, who has been in post since 2004, stands down in May, after which time Mr Gillespie will take over.

He previously worked in a variety of roles for the Scottish Qualifications Authority.

The WJEC's board of trustees chairman Mike Evans said: "Roderic has shown extensive commitment to the education sector in the UK and internationally, [and] understands the challenges faced by teachers and awarding bodies."