Welsh Government strategy on the internal use of the Welsh language. This file may not be fully accessible. Welsh is spoken for cultural, commercial, social and emotional reasons, but it is also a vocational skill – a skill that should be better recognised and utilised. The Welsh language – y Gymraeg – is integral to our culture, our heritage and our daily lives. The First Minister has also pledged to “mainstream” the Welsh language into the development of policy and to the way we work more generally. The year 2050: the Welsh language is thriving, the number of speakers has reached a million, and it is used in every aspect of life. This will enable staff to work in Welsh from day to day and there will be a significant increase in the use of the language as a result. An important part of the vision involves renewing the association between the language and the workplace. Mae’r ddogfen yma hefyd ar gael yn Gymraeg. It is part of our shared inheritance and identity as a nation. This is the Welsh Government’s vision for the Welsh language in Wales (Cymraeg 2050: A million Welsh speakers, Welsh Government, 2017). It is to see, by 2050, a million speakers using the language in every aspect of their lives, and doubling the percentage of people in Wales who speak and use the language daily. This is something we can all do together. Implementing that vision will involve generational change, halting the decline of the last century. Set in this context, the Welsh Government’s goal for the Welsh language within the organisation is that by 2050 all staff working for the Welsh Government will be able to understand Welsh. But its future across Wales cannot be taken for granted. We are proud of the Welsh language and want it to thrive. As a result the Welsh Government has already committed to “… Welsh by our own workforce” (Theme 2 Increasing the Use of Welsh, chapter 6 The Workplace). So our goal is that the Welsh Government should gradually become a truly bilingual organisation; one in which it is routine for the Welsh and English languages to both be used naturally and interchangeably. There is an onus on us to take proactive steps to support and increase the use of the language, and to pass it on to future generations.
Statistics show that 86% of people across Wales feel that the language is something to be proud of.
It is something that can unite us as a nation. It is important to be clear what is meant by a bilingual organisation. This is especially the case in so far as those learning Welsh in our schools are concerned, who should understand that the language will be a useful skill for them in the workplace. Making a long term commitment and leading the way: change will be incremental and will happen over time, but we intend to lead by example in the way we promote use of the language in the workplace. Eventually a choice of language will be available operationally within the organisation, meaning we will be able to routinely choose whether to communicate (orally and in writing) in Welsh or English, or indeed both. We know that what we do within the Welsh Government will influence other parts of the public sector in Wales. Remaining an open, inclusive and diverse organisation: everyone has the potential to be a Welsh speaker and this strategy does not conflict with our commitment to being open, inclusive and diverse – although Welsh language skills will progressively be needed for more posts, developing a bilingual workforce does not mean (or imply) those skills being a universal pre-requisite for joining the Welsh Government. This has relevance that goes beyond being able to provide all outward facing services and internal formal communications in both languages. We need to establish a common understanding that the Welsh language belongs to us all whatever our linguistic background. Statistics show that 86% of people across Wales feel that the language is something to be proud of. Investing in staff and providing opportunities to learn Welsh and develop language skills: it is crucial that effective and convenient training is provided, with people given both time and motivation to continuously improve their Welsh language skills. The language is not exclusive to those who can speak it today. This is why our long term goal is to become a bilingual organisation. Our strategy on the use of Welsh in the workplace is, in many respects, set by the political direction and legal framework that have already been established; to promote the language and to increase its use. We are conscious of how using Welsh in the workplace can give the language more purpose and relevance. However, we are conscious also that steps taken to increase use of the language must be reasonable and proportionate, which means that becoming a bilingual organisation will involve change that happens gradually. With that in mind this strategy is underpinned by the following principles. But while some are comfortable speaking Welsh – more often than not as the language was passed on to them by their families – many are not.
Both of these will be required, as – crucially – is plenty of time and support to adapt.
This choice will be made possible by all staff being able to at least understand Welsh. Our focus will be on encouraging people to learn and to continuously improve. Learning Welsh and facilitating its use by Welsh speakers in day to day work will be a business need across the organisation, and line managers will need to adhere to that principle by demonstrating personal leadership. Our goal is to become a bilingual organisation by 2050, but over the first 5 years our objective is to see the Welsh Government become an exemplar organisation in increasing internal use of the language when assessed against comparable public sector organisations in Wales. This will of course take time and will require a long term commitment (firstly) to continuously improving our language skills and (secondly) to developing a working culture that understands and respects bilingualism. The principle of continuous improvement over the long term will be based on the scale currently used to assess Welsh language skills. The shorter term objective will be reviewed in 2025 and a new objective and associated actions will be set for the following 5 year period – a process that will continue until the 2050 goal is reached. Both of these will be required, as – crucially – is plenty of time and support to adapt. This can be done in 2 ways; by existing staff starting to learn or improve and by more recruitment of those who already have Welsh language skills. We want and need more Welsh Government staff to have Welsh language skills they can use in the workplace. The renewed focus on the language is to be led not just at the political level but also by senior officials. Our goal is to allow staff increased opportunities to acquire and then use their Welsh language skills in the workplace, and eventually allow for language choice. We envisage a process under which the strategy and changes in policy adopted under it are reviewed every 5 years. These, in turn, contribute to reaching the 2050 goal. They will help others to use, learn and improve their Welsh language skills – and develop skills of their own. They will be expected to lead by example in promoting use of the language and making its importance to the organisation clear. This strategy envisages reaching its goal more than 30 years from now, so for obvious reasons it will need to be periodically reviewed and changed. One of the most fundamental elements to the success of this strategy will be the learning and development on offer to staff across all levels of proficiency. As well as setting a long term 2050 goal we are also setting a shorter term objective for the period up to 2025 and 10 actions designed to help meet that objective.