A Welcome Course for Welsh Language

Staff at NPTC Group of Colleges have been developing their Welsh language skills. The Welcome/Croeso course encouraged staff to improve their Welsh language skills in the workplace by engaging with colleagues, students and shareholders bilingually.

The online course, which was rolled out at the same time as the Welsh Language Standards, was positively received, with 83% of staff completing the course.

The Chief Executive of NPTC Group of Colleges Mark Dacey welcomed the opportunity to develop the use of even more Welsh in the workplace while embedding a bilingual ethos across the College. He said: “The Welsh Language Standards establish equal rights for Welsh speaker and English speakers. The Standards encompass key policy fields and administrative activities such as correspondence, telephone calls, documents, procedures, publicity and signs.”

Robin Gwyn, Director of Bilingualism, was impressed with the number of staff completing the course. He said: “Training sessions were offered to Heads of Schools, managers, lecturers and support staff in July, with every member of staff  offered the opportunity to complete the online course.”

Angharad Morgan, Bilingual Development Coordinator, was responsible for promoting the course to staff on a broader scale. She said: “The key to the course’s success was working closely with HR and Staff Development to promote and monitor completion rates.”

Following the success of the Welcome/Croeso course, the College is planning to offer a followup course entitled ‘Welcome Back/Croeso Nôl’ to completers to ensure staff continue to develop their Welsh language skills in a fun and simple way.