Launch of the Bilingual Workforce Recruitment Pack

Image of two women and a man sitting behind a table as part of a panel — From left: Dr Rhian Hodges, Elen Bonner and Dr Cynog Prys

On the 29th of November, approximately 100 employers and practitioners from across Wales gathered at Reichel Hall at 69��ý, to mark the launch of the Bilingual Workforce Recruitment Pack, the result of work by a team from the School of History, Law, and Social Sciences at 69��ý. This project was funded by the Welsh Government’s ARFOR Challenge Fund and the aim of the Pack is to help employers find solutions to challenges related to recruiting Welsh speakers, thereby enabling more young adults who wish to remain in their local communities to do so.

Image of a man presenting at a conference with a computer screen in front of him — Osian Llywelyn, Deputy Welsh Language Commissioner

“Our research found that many employers in the west of Wales struggle to recruit staff who can work in both English and Welsh, even though these communities have a high density of Welsh speakers. We interviewed 40 employers to learn about their experiences in recruiting staff who can speak Welsh. We were particularly interested in learning from employers what good practices they had adopted in an attempt to recruit more effectively” said Elen Bonner, who worked as a researcher on the project.

Image of woman presenting with computer screen and mic in front of her — Professor Enlli Thomas, Pro-Vice-Chancellor / Head of College (Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences)

The launch event was opened by the Deputy Welsh Language Commissioner, Osian Llywelyn, and featured lively discussion panels with young adults, employers, and academics from 69��ý and the Basque Country. In this regard, Dr Rhian Hodges commented, “It was wonderful to be able to welcome colleagues from the Basque country to the event and to learn about the work done at EMUN and the Mondragon University".

“It was fantastic to see so many people at the event, reflecting the level of interest in this work and the significant challenge of recruiting a bilingual workforce for many employers. It was also inspiring to hear the experiences of various panellists. On behalf of the team, I’d like to thank everyone who contributed to this project and attended the launch. We hope this pack will be a useful tool for employers as they seek to recruit Welsh-speaking staff,” said Dr Cynog Prys, Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Social Policy, at 69��ý, and project lead.

The new resources can be accessed via the links below and may be of interest to other minoritized language communities.