ADR Wales has published the first in a series of Data Insights providing new evidence on Welsh language ability, how it is transmitted across generations and how it influences education and early career outcomes.
Carried out by the ADR Wales Skills and Employability team using census and linked administrative data, the research seeks to inform key policy debates surrounding Welsh language targets and how language ability alongside social class background shapes the university choices and early careers of Welsh students.
The seven Data Insights, which will be published over the next three weeks, explore the following topics:
- Who speaks Welsh? – This Data Insight highlights differences in how Welsh language skills among young people are recorded across data sources and the inconsistencies that emerge.
- Exploring the intergenerational loss and gain of the Welsh language – This Data Insight examines how the Welsh language is passed between generations and the role of education in growing the language.
- Validating measures of Welsh language use – This Data Insight explores which measures of Welsh language ability are most strongly linked to the choice of young people to study through the medium of Welsh at university.
- Who studies in Welsh? –This Data Insight asks how students who choose to study through the medium of Welsh at university vary in terms of prior educational attainment, deprivation and social class background.
- Should I stay or should I go? – This Data Insight explores the university choices of Welsh students and which young people leave Wales to study elsewhere.
- Who gets a graduate job? – This Data Insight asks how Welsh language ability and the migration choices of Welsh students are associated with the likelihood of securing graduate-level employment.
- Does it pay to speak Welsh? – This Data Insights asks how the migration choices of Welsh students are associated with their earnings after graduation, and how Welsh language ability could affect the earnings prospects of those who remain in Wales.
Together, the findings highlight the importance of Welsh language education in maintaining and growing the language among both Welsh speakers and those from non-Welsh speaking backgrounds. The research also highlights the potential economic value of Welsh language skills within the Welsh labour market. The challenge faced is to ensure that those from more deprived backgrounds also benefit from the advantages associated with speaking Welsh.
This post was originally published by ADR Wales, see the original post here