An organisation set up to encourage the use of Welsh has supported more 40,000 employees to use the language in the workplace.
Since establishing its Work Welsh programme in 2018 the National Centre for Learning Welsh said more than 2,000 employers have participated to create bilingual working environments for their staff.
Scheme participants include the Football Association of Wales, the Welsh Rugby Union, Wrexham AFC and rugby region the Ospreys.
The centre, which was set up in 2016 and is solely funded by Welsh Government with a budget of more than £16m annually, has been praised by education and training inspectorate Estyn for its workplace language programme . Its other activities include community-based courses, held in person and online.
Estyn said growing demand for the Work Welsh scheme - for which the centre has a funding allocation of around £2.6m in the current financial year - is playing a key role in efforts to expand and normalise the use of Welsh in key sectors vital to the language’s future.
It identifies one of the scheme’s most successful features in targeted support for hesitant speakers and learners at intermediate and above levels. The inspectorate said that skilled tutors are succeeding in turning these learners into active Welsh speakers in a relatively short time.
Estyn notes that the link between teaching and learning and wider language planning is at its most effective when full-time tutors are embedded within specific sectors.
Looking ahead, Estyn recommends the centre continues to collaborate with providers to ensure courses are appropriately tailored and that it works with providers and employers to plan staff language development deliberately, offering practical support and meaningful opportunities to use Welsh
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It also recommends that the centre works with the Welsh Government to develop a sustainable delivery and funding model to support long-term planning, and continues developing methods to measure the impact of its provision on changing individual language behaviours.
Dona Lewis, chief executive of the National Centre for Learning Welsh, said: “We are very pleased with this report, which recognises the pivotal role of the Centre’s Work Welsh scheme in creating a workforce capable of using the Welsh language across an increasing range of sectors in Wales.
“The centre specialises in language learning and acquisition, and one of our strategic priorities is to create programmes that support Welsh language development in the workplace. We work innovatively and creatively to deliver a variety of flexible learning models in close partnership with employers and sectors.
“Our aim is to develop even more long-term strategic partnerships that deliver lasting change and increase the use of Welsh in the workplace, contributing to the aims of Cymraeg 2050 (one million Welsh speakers).”
Mark Drakeford, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Welsh Language, said: “It’s great to see another positive report from Estyn on the work of the National Centre, this time focusing on the Work Welsh scheme. It shows that the centre’s work is increasing opportunities for people to use Welsh in the workplace and improving workers’ skills to deliver services in Welsh.
“Our investment in the centre reflects our commitment to developing the Welsh language skills of our workforce and increasing ing the number of people learning and using the language. We look forward to continuing our work with the centre to ensure Welsh thrives in our workplaces and our communities.”