Vikki Howells is a

Welsh Labour Welsh Labour ( cy, Llafur Cymru) is the branch of the United Kingdom Labour Party in Wales and the largest party in modern Welsh politics. Welsh Labour and its forebears won a plurality of the Welsh vote at every UK general election since 192 ...

politician and former teacher. Since May 2016, she has been the

Member of the Senedd A Member of the Senedd (MS; plural: ''MSs''; cy, Aelodau o'r Senedd; , plural:) (AS)., group=la is a representative elected to the Senedd (Welsh Parliament; ). There are sixty members, with forty members chosen to represent individual Senedd c ...

for

Cynon Valley Cynon Valley () is a former coal mining valley in Wales. Cynon Valley lies between Rhondda and the Merthyr Valley and takes its name from the River Cynon. Aberdare is located in the north of the valley and Mountain Ash is in the south o ...

Early life and education

Howells was brought up in Cwmbach,

Rhondda Cynon Taf Rhondda Cynon Taf (; RCT; also spelt as Rhondda Cynon Taff) is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It consists of five valleys: the Rhondda Fawr, Rhondda Fach, Cynon, Taff (Welsh: ''Taf'') and Ely valleys, plus a number of towns and vil ...

, Wales. She was educated at St John the Baptist School, a

Church in Wales The Church in Wales ( cy, Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru) is an Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses. The Archbishop of Wales does not have a fixed archiepiscopal see, but serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The pos ...

secondary school in Aberdare. She studied international and Welsh history at the University of Wales, Cardiff, and graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degree. She remained at Cardiff to undertake

postgraduate study Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...

in Modern Welsh History, and graduated with a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. ...

degree.

Career

Teaching career

Before her election to the Senedd, Howells was a history teacher and the assistant head of

sixth form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...

at St Cenydd Comprehensive School in Caerphilly, South Wales.

Political career

In December 2015, it was announced that Howells had been selected as the

candidate for the

constituency of the

Senedd The Senedd (; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English language, English and () in Welsh language, Welsh, is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes ...

. She has been a member of the Labour Party for over 20 years. On 5 May 2016, she was elected a

Member of the Welsh Assembly A Member of the Senedd (MS; plural: ''MSs''; cy, Aelodau o'r Senedd; , plural:) (AS)., group=la is a representative elected to the Senedd (Welsh Parliament; ). There are sixty members, with forty members chosen to represent individual Senedd c ...

for that constituency; she received 9,830 votes (51.1% of the votes cast). Howells chairs the Welsh Labour Group of MSs. Howells is president of the mental health charity Friends R Us and vice-president of Cwmbach Male Voice Choir. Vikki is also a member of the Cynon Valley History Society, the social justice thinktank the Bevan Foundation, the

Co-operative Party The Co-operative Party is a Centre-left politics, centre-left List of political parties in the United Kingdom, political party in the United Kingdom, supporting Cooperative, co-operative values and principles. Established in 1917, the Co-operat ...

, the GMB and USDAW.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howells, Vikki Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Welsh Labour members of the Senedd Female members of the Senedd Wales MSs 2016–2021 Wales MSs 2021–2026 Welsh schoolteachers People from Cynon Valley People educated at St John the Baptist School, Aberdare Alumni of Cardiff University