Skills assessment and development
On this page, we look at the following matters:
The standards require all organisations to assess the Welsh language skills of their staff.
In the Code of Practice of Regulations no. 1, the Commissioner provides guidance on this and highlights why assessing staff skills is important.
The results of the assessment can enable a body to plan its workforce so that there are adequate levels of Welsh language skills to respond to any needs by:
- identifying what the workforce's current Welsh language skills are, and thereby, identifying who can provide services in Welsh
- identifying the body's Welsh skills needs, including assessing the need for skills in Welsh for a new or vacancy in accordance with standard 136, and
- planning to maintain and increase the Welsh language skills of the workforce to meet those needs.
We do not set requirements for the use of any particular framework or specify exactly how an organisation should go about assessing the skills of its staff, as that depends on the organisation's own resources and procedures to an extent.
The Code of Practice nevertheless states the following:
Welsh skill levels are usually recorded according to a recognised framework. The Commissioner wishes to see greater consistency in the recording of employees' Welsh language skills, to facilitate the collection of data about the bilingual workforce. To ensure national consistency in how bodies assess employees' Welsh language skills, bodies can choose to carry out the assessment on the basis of the future European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
The standards require organisations to offer training that develop staffs’ Welsh skills at work.
The National Centre for Learning Welsh offers support to develop Welsh language skills and to develop confidence to use Welsh in the workplace.
Examples of good practice
A number of bodies are developing staff's Welsh language skills as part of their commitment to the Welsh language and to improve their capacity to provide services. Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board was the first health board to employ an in-house Welsh language tutor. The tutor's role is to create and tailor suitable courses for the needs of health board staff. By working with the tutor, the learners improve their language skills and increase their confidence to be able to use their Welsh in the workplace and beyond.
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board ‘Welsh Language Training’ Programme
Developing staff skills can contribute to increasing use of Welsh internally:
Coleg y Cymoedd was keen to increase the number of staff using Welsh at work. Many staff attended Welsh-medium schools and were Welsh speakers although they did not use it at work. The College decided to develop a scheme to encourage Welsh speakers to use more Welsh at work.
‘Rho Gynnig Arni’ – a training and mentoring scheme to improve confidence of Welsh speaking staffCwmni Iaith’s Recruitment Practices Review
During 2023, a piece of work was commissioned by Iaith: the language planning centre to review the recruitment practices of organisations implementing the standards, to offer recommendations, and to identify good practice.
A seminar was held to share the findings of the review, aimed at language officers and officers with responsibilities in human resources or recruitment. Click on the names of the contributors below to view their submissions.
Kathryn Jones and Iolo Jones (Cwmni IAITH: the language planning centre): Key findings from a review of recruitment practices and assessments of the need for skills in WelshResearch by external partners
Two pieces of important research were conducted in this area during 2024 by Iaith Cyf and Bangor University.
The findings and resources developed as a result of the research can be very useful to officers in trying to improve their workforce development arrangements.
Iaith Cyf’s research on behalf of Gwynedd and Anglesey Public Services Board.