An event was held on 30 April at Canolfan Rheidol, Aberystwyth to commend Ceredigion County Council staff that attended learning Welsh courses in the workplace during the last year.
Ceredigion County Council has partnered with the National Centre for Learning Welsh, Aberystwyth University and Ceredigion Language Centre to deliver courses to learn Welsh in the workplace. Over 125 staff members were recognised for their dedication to learn the language by attending regular classes.
One member of staff who’d attended the courses said, “My service has benefitted as I am now trying to have conversations over the phone in Welsh. As I am answering phone calls, if someone starts speaking automatically to me in Welsh, I am usually understanding them first time around and continuing with the task without disrupting the flow of the phone call.”
The Council has secured funding from the National Centre for Learning Welsh to deliver a pilot scheme which will enable the Council to employ a Work Welsh Training Officer for a year, to deliver intensive Welsh lessons in the workplace.
Leader of the Council, Councillor Ellen ap Gwynn welcomed the staff attending the event. Councillor Ap Gwynn said, “On behalf of the Council, I congratulate all the staff that have put the time, effort and determination into attending the Welsh in the Workplace sessions to improve their skills in Welsh. I’d also like to commend the successful partnership working between the Council and the National Centre for Learning Welsh. The new pilot scheme is a positive step to ensure that an excellent level of learning Welsh programmes will be delivered. This will ensure that staff will be able to continue to develop their journey towards fluency in Welsh, for their own benefit including adding value to services across Ceredigion.”
The Council is promoting and facilitating the use of the Welsh language in all aspects of its business. At the end of last year, the Council reinforced its Welsh Language Policy statement, setting out its aims to increase availably and improve quality of its Welsh medium services, and to make it easier for service users to know that they can use the language when accessing services.
Residents can use Welsh when contacting the Council, whether that’s over the phone, through email or when using face to face services.
04/05/2018