This piece was originally written for BBC Cymu's blog, and translated into Welsh. The orginal can be found here:
In just over eight years back in Wales, I’ve been in one
workplace that offered Welsh lessons to employees. And my most recent
workplace, which is now requiring Welsh as an ‘Essential’ category on most of
it’s new appointments, got rid of Welsh lessons several years ago. As a Welsh
learner, I fully support integrating Welsh into the workplace more and in so doing,
integrating the language fully into our society. However, employers need to
support this, with support for employees to learn and the Welsh Assembly needs
to start putting real effort behind Welsh for adults. Otherwise Wales will
start losing much of it’s talent, and many who were denied Welsh as a child
like myself, will be forced to once again leave their homeland due to a lack of
work.
I have much to offer the workplace- an array of
qualifications- - BA, MA and a PhD. Nearly 8 years of professional experience
including four as a qualified teacher. I
have transferable skills, I have a great deal of varied experience. What I
don’t have, is fluency in the Welsh Language. What I do have is a willingness
to learn, but a lack of opportunity to do so. And as a result, I find even
entry-level jobs in increasingly closed to me. And to my mind, this represents
a closed-mindedness of those driving the Welsh language. Are we willing to shut
out knowledge, experience and skills just for a lack of support in learning the
language? Are we really saying to graduates we don’t want them to stay when
they haven’t had time or opportunity to learn the language yet?
Some Welsh speakers are dismissive of this call for support
saying we should ‘just learn it’, and yes, the willing must be there, but so
must the opportunity. To be perfectly
blunt learning Welsh costs, in both time and money. Yes, there are apps or
online tutorials where you can teach basics, and these are great-my conversational
Welsh has been greatly improved with them. But if we’re talking ‘business
Welsh’ the kind where you can confidently do your employers business in the
language- that takes time and professional tuition and qualifications to mean
anything. And professional tuition and
qualifications cost money, and take time. So, it becomes a chicken and egg:
shut out of jobs in Wales due to a lack of Welsh, but needing the let’s put it
bluntly, salary that comes with jobs, that would allow you to pay for it.
Beyond this though, what we need is support from employers to invest in those
willing to learn the language.
What all this also betrays is a wider need for a sea change
in terms of Welsh-speaking culture. Right now, the workplace Welsh issues are a
microcosm of a minority who see Welsh language development as ‘keeping out’
non-Welsh speakers, rather than bringing them in. What we need is more people
brought into the Welsh speaking ‘world’ rather than simply keeping anyone out
who doesn’t speak the language. And for
the generations that the education system failed, the workplace is the way to
integrate Welsh back into our lives.
And although I am crying out for not slamming doors in the
face of non-speakers or learners, what I’d also like to see is a parity of
skill required across all levels. All too often I look at job adverts for
places where entry level and middle management are ‘Welsh Essential’ but a
quick look at the senior management team betrays the other dirty secret- such
demands fall short of the upper levels. If we’re demanding fluency in Welsh
from our graduates, our bottom rung administrators and everyone in between,
then we should also be demanding it of our Chief Executives. Might I suggest
that if we did, Welsh lessons and Welsh language support might suddenly become
more readily available in the workplace?
