Job categorisation and advertising

It is not necessary to use language levels when assessing the language requirements of a post in order to comply with the Welsh Language Standards as there is only a requirement to set a category within the standards. 

An advantage of using language levels on job adverts, however, is being able to explain to the candidate exactly what level of different skills, spoken and written (and possibly, reading and understanding too) are required to be able to fulfil the requirements of the post. Levels can vary from organisation to organisation, and therefore the levels must be clearly defined and described to the candidates to ensure that the information about the language levels is readily available, and is easy to understand. 

At present, there is nothing stopping organisations from defining their own language levels if they wish to do so, but you will need to explain to the candidates what those levels are in order to set clear expectations.  

Remember that Welsh Government is currently developing a new framework as part of the work of the Education and Welsh Language Bill, based on the CEFR, so if you are looking at creating a new framework it would be an idea for you to base them on the CEFR framework. 

The Regulations state that if an organisation has categorised a post as one where Welsh language skills are essential, desirable or need to be learned, this must be noted when advertising the post, and that the post must also be advertised in Welsh.  

This means that it can be included anywhere within the advertisement itself, the job description or the person specification. BUT, ideally this would mean that the category appears in the advertisement itself on the body's website so that you don't have to search too much for the relevant information.  

If you are using external recruitment websites or social media, you should carefully consider where the information about the language category of the job appears.  The category and any information about language skills should be as clear as possible, and again, in a place that ensures that potential candidates don't have to click through links and go looking far for it.  

This is a decision for the appointing body. You have to think about the implications if a successful candidate has indicated on the application form that their skill level is higher or lower than what it really is, due to a misunderstanding of the language requirements, and what arrangements you have in place to check that. 

Other standards exist that set requirements for the recruitment process, including offering an interview in Welsh. Conducting an interview in Welsh, or asking some Welsh questions as part of an English interview, is a good way to assess skills informally. This is especially true where a high level of skill or skill is required for the job.  

No, this will not comply with the Standards. The Standards state that a body must assess the linguistic requirements of jobs. Unless the job description changes, or there has been a significant change in the wider workforce there should be no change to the language requirements of the job.  

If a job language requirements assessment has identified that skills in Welsh are essential for the job, for example, it would be expected that you appoint an individual who can speak Welsh and fulfil the requirements of the post from day one.  

Changing the language category of the post, e.g. to indicate that the successful person needs to learn Welsh, would mean that the person with skills below the required would not be able to carry out the job until they have learned Welsh and it must be remembered that this takes time. 

Having said that, it is the decision of the organisation at the end of the process if they are willing to appoint someone who does not meet the exact requirements from the beginning, and that you put steps in place for the individual to improve their skills over time, but you have a responsibility to make sure that this does not impair the organisation's ability to offer and provide Welsh language services and that arrangements are in place to support the individual to be able to learn over time.