Agenda item

To consider the report.

a)    To accept the report and to note the observations received.

b)    To wish the department well with its continuous effort to further promote the use of the Welsh language amongst its staff.  

a)    To accept the report and to note the observations received.

b)    To wish the department well with its continuous effort to further promote the use of the Welsh language amongst its staff.  

The Head of the Gwynedd Consultancy Department presented his report, which highlighted the steps taken within the department to promote the Welsh language among the staff.  The following main points arose: 

·  It was noted that the department had successfully collaborated with the Language Officers to guide them in their efforts. 

·  He explained that staff had completed language self-assessments to engage them in the procedures, and that they had consequently become aware of the emphasis on the use of the language. 

·  He emphasised that the department had a high percentage of non-Welsh speaking staff compared to other departments within the Council. 

·  He noted that 92% of the staff met the requirements of their post, but explained that it had taken considerable time to reach this point, by using lessons and other methods. 

·  He noted that the buddy scheme had helped to ensure that the use of the language was naturally promoted by Welsh speakers. 

·  He shared an example of an officer who had joined during the lockdown period, and noted that another officer was supporting her to start her conversations in Welsh. 

·  He explained that the success was based on the Welsh lessons through Teams and the partnership with the University - and noted that this was in conjunction with the language officers. 

·  The following staff members were acknowledged: Alex Jones, Nansi John and Owain Angus Duncan who had been successful in their efforts and had subsequently won the Dafydd Orwig memorial prize.  

·  He noted that since 2014 staff had used the Welsh language when attending interviews and meetings in relation to professional qualifications. 

Members were given an opportunity to ask questions and offer observations.  During the discussion, the following observations were noted: - 

·  A member enquired about the departmental appointment policy in relation to appointing Welsh-speaking staff. It was added that it would be beneficial to be in a situation where the Council could motivate more Welsh speakers to follow technical and specialist careers to overcome the appointment difficulties. 

·  The member expressed thanks for the presentation, and thanked the Language Officers for working so hard in all departments. 

·  The member enquired whether there was an opportunity to influence external stakeholders and contractors to use Welsh when dealing with YGC department. 

·  A member of staff asked how many staff worked in the department, to examine the context of the numbers that had completed the self-assessment.   

·  A member suggested that the Council should soon see the benefit of the recent collaboration between the Council and the local education system to promote STEM subjects among pupils. 

·  A member noted that this report came from a department that faced far more challenges than others in appointing Welsh speakers due to the specific skills required.  

·  The member proceeded to ask what efforts had been made to reach the specialist workforce across Wales for recruiting. 

·  A member asked how the department ensured that correct Welsh language terminology was used. 

In response to some of the above observations, the Head of YGC noted: 

·  In relation to job descriptions, continuous efforts were made to ensure that all appointments reached the required language specifications, although not all the specialists had the required language skills. He continued by noting that the department made efforts to develop English speakers into Welsh speakers by offering lessons. 

·  He stated that the department strived to ensure that staff were fluent Welsh speakers, and that those who succeeded continued to use and learn more of the Welsh language. 

·  He emphasised that YGC department worked for several bodies to bring income into the Council, and they therefore sold their engineering and technical skills. He also noted that sometimes Welsh speakers did not have the requisite skills. 

·  As a solution, the Head noted that they collaborated with Coleg Menai/Llandrillo and Glyndŵr University to create opportunities for Welsh speakers to follow technical and specialised career paths. 

·  He shared another of the challenges facing the department, which was the fact that the Council's salaries within the local department were high, although there was competition nationally, and that the higher salaries tended to attract Welsh speakers.  

·  The contracts noted that the Welsh language was a priority, and emphasis was placed on the language when dealing with companies. There were examples of companies from England developing language awareness as a result of collaborating with the department.   

·  He agreed that various methods were needed to promote the Welsh language within the department as it was important to retain Welsh as a living language that could be adapted within various fields.