Celebrating Success on St David’s Day

Bangor University will mark St David’s Day this year by celebrating the success of three teams who scored the highest possible marks in an independent survey of Welsh language services.  

The Central Switchboard team and the Reception team in Pontio scored 100% in a survey of phone and reception services by the Welsh Language Commissioner. As part of a ‘mystery shopper’ exercise, the Commissioner’s office contacted these teams three times. On each occasion they found that a comprehensive and courteous Welsh language service was offered. The Welsh Language Commissioner’s Assurance Report was a national survey and only a relatively small number of workplaces scored 100%. 

As part of the Assurance Report, the Welsh Language Commissioner office also undertook a desktop survey of the University’s webpages and on-line services. The survey’s results show that 97% of the webpages and 100% of the online services reviewed offer a Welsh language option and are of the same standard as the English language provision. Once again, these percentages are much higher than the national average.

Professor Jerry Hunter, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Welsh Medium and Civic Engagement) noted that: “These results demonstrate Bangor University’s commitment to offering excellent Welsh language services to students, staff and the public. We take pride in the Welsh language skills of our staff. One year on from launching our Strategic Plan for Developing the Use of Welsh in the Workplace, we continue to ensure that staff are given the opportunity to develop and use their Welsh language skills. The results of the Welsh Language Commissioner’s review demonstrate our success in creating a truly bilingual workplace.”

The St David’s Day celebration will be held at 1pm outside the Studio Theatre in Pontio and in the company of the Vice-Chancellor.  

Publication date: 28 February 2017