Comhairle Staff Gaelic Development (360G-BNG-2324_3037)

This project aims to take a strategic approach to Gaelic skills training for Comhairle staff, and is in two parts.1)       The main part of the project would essentially be an enhancement of the current Ùlpan provision offered to apprentices within the Comhairle. This would ensure that they receive specific tuition to meet the requirements of their individual work-settings, to make Gaelic learning even more relevant. The implementation of this project will further encourage all Comhairle apprentices to progress, and increase their use of Gaelic, (both verbal and written), in their everyday work-setting. This part of the  project focusses mainly on the following areas, where demand is greatest:·         Child Care – focusing on Gaelic-essential recruitment; - The result of a recent in house survey has shown we have 120 that have an identified need to go through Gaelic tuition at beginners and intermediate level.  Due the challenges in recruitment to Gaelic specific posts the additional training request has been identified to upskill those working in the English provision to support the Gaelic provision.  This need is a high priority as we see a real increase in children entering pre-school education through the medium of Gaelic. ·         School-based Gaelic Language Assistants; with the sharp rise in those entering into Gaelic medium education the requirement has arisen for addition Gaelic essential recruitment, again a huge challenge as we fail in this area and are looking to offer existing staff the opportunity to gain and improve their Gaelic language skills. ·         Social Care – a large number of elderly Social Care Service users are more comfortable conversing in Gaelic, and the language is also very important as part of reminiscence therapy;·         Media – evidence shows a lack of Gaelic speaking workers currently within the industry as a whole. This project represents an opportunity to create a Gaelic centre of excellence, using the model we are running currently with Mac TV and MG Alba, contextualised to the needs of the industry;  With the highest cohort entering into Creative Digital Framework within the Foundation Apprenticeship, progression onto the Modern Apprenticeship will need to have a strong Gaelic training plan to meet the needs of the industry.·         Generic Apprentices – more support for generic apprenticeships in requires a more bespoke models of training to meet the diversity of the frameworks.The second part involves the delivery of Gaelic tuition for Comhairle staff who are not able to attend formal Gaelic learning during the course of their working day. This would take the form of online Gaelic tutorials held in the early evening, with the aim of encouraging staff to progress to Nat 5/Higher level. There would therefore be no lost class time for tutors.This is a project which aims to provide an increased range of Gaelic language training opportunities for the Comhairle. The Comhairle’s Training and Skills section ensure that all Comhairle apprentices that sign up to the Gaelic learning programme, get the opportunity to learn, develop and improve their Gaelic language skills.  All such apprenticeship Gaelic tuition, which is now successfully embedded as Comhairle practice in terms of its Bilingual Policy and Gaelic Language Plan, is delivered with an emphasis on the needs of the learner, and how this will support both their Gaelic skills in the workplace, and in the community as a whole. This project aims to build on this success, to create more bespoke training for apprentices, which is directly relevant to their jobs, and increase training opportunities for other Comhairle staff who are not able to attend classes during work hours.