Minister Calleary announces approval of €1.5m to increase awareness among young people of Irish-language job opportunities
Preasráiteas
Dé hAoine, 2 Bealtaine 2025
Breis feasachta le cruthú i measc na n-óg ar dheiseanna fostaíochta Gaeilge le ceadú €1.5m fógartha ag an Aire Calleary
- Breis airde le tarraingt ar dheiseanna fostaíochta Gaeilge do dhaoine óga agus buaic-mhaoiniú 3 bliana ceadaithe do Ghluaiseacht – seó bóthair feasachta idirghníomhach de chuid Chonradh na Gaeilge
- Freastal le déanamh go díreach ar 42,250 duine óg in aghaidh na bliana
- Foireann breise le fostú, comhordaitheoir ina measc
D’fhógair Aire Forbartha Tuaithe agus Pobail agus Gaeltachta, Dara Calleary TD, ceadú deontais mhéadaithe de €1.5m thar thréimhse trí bliana (2025-2027) do Chonradh na Gaeilge inniu chun leanúint de a bheith ag riar a thionscadail ‘Gluaiseacht’.
Faoin tionscadal seo, spreagtar daoine óga chun a gcuid Gaeilge a úsáid ar bhealach coinsiasach, agus cuirtear na bealaí uile ar féidir leo an teanga a úsáid ar a súile. Cuirtear béim sa mhéid seo ar na buntáistí éagsúla a bhaineann léi, go háirithe ó thaobh buntáistí eacnamaíocha agus na deiseanna fostaíochta. Déantar é seo go príomha tríd an seó bóthair – ceardlann idirghníomhach do dhaoine óga atá ag freastal ar iar-bhunscoileanna, ar institiúidí tríú leibhéal agus/nó ar choláistí samhraidh.
Chomh maith leis sin, freastalaíonn foireann Ghluaiseacht ar aontaí gairmeacha agus ar imeachtaí chun daltaí agus mic léinn, mar aon leo siúd a bhfuil suim acu in athrú gairme, a chur ar an eolas faoi na deiseanna éagsúla, dinimiciúla agus ionchuimsitheacha atá ar fáil sa tseirbhís phoiblí dóibh siúd le hinniúlacht sa Ghaeilge.
Le hachtú Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla (Leasú) in 2021, foilsiú an Phlean Náisiúnta um Sheirbhísí Poiblí Gaeilge 2024-2030 i mí Dheireadh Fómhair 2024, mar aon leis an athrú chlaochlaithe i dtreo seirbhís phoiblí dhátheangach, beidh feasacht a ardú ar na deiseanna gairme atá ann dóibh siúd le Gaeilge lárnach do na hiarrachtaí seo. Ar ndóigh is é ceann de phríomhspriocanna na reachtaíochta teanga ná go mbeidh 20% d’earcaigh chuig comhlachtaí poiblí inniúil i nGaeilge faoi dheireadh 2030.
Chun an cuspóir seo a bhaint amach, cuid den mhór-obair a bheidh ar bun is ea daoine óga a choinneáil ag úsáid a gcuid scileanna teanga, is cuma cén conair gairme a roghnaíonn siad. Tá an tionscadal Gluaiseacht – trína fheidhmeanna agus naisc leathana – riachtanach mar sin chun aird a tharraingt ar na conairí agus na deiseanna gairme éagsúla atá ann san earnáil phoiblí dóibh siúd le Gaeilge. Is chuige sin atá an maoiniú is mó seo go dáta ceadaithe – suas 177% ó dheontas 2023-2024.
Agus an maoiniú suntasach seo á fhógairt aige, dúirt an tAire Dara Calleary:
“Is mór agam go bhfuil ar chumas mo Roinne leanúint de bheith ag tacú leis an tionscadal uaillmhianach cothaithe feasachta seo atá á riar ag Conradh na Gaeilge, ag cur béime ar na deiseanna gairme éagsúla atá ar fáil le Gaeilge agus faoina spreagtar daoine óga a gcuid scileanna teanga a choinneáil, a chothú agus a fhorbairt le linn a mblianta oideachais, agus go deimhin, nuair a bhogann siad ar aghaidh chuig fostaíocht.
“Tagann Gluaiseacht go láidir le bunaidhm de chuid na hAchta Teanga agus an Phlean Náisiúnta a d’fhoilsigh mo Roinn anuraidh – is é sin go dtiocfaidh borradh mór faoi líon na ndaoine a bhfuil ar a gcumas acu seirbhísí poiblí a sholáthar go dátheangach agus a bhaineann úsáid ghníomhach as an nGaeilge ina gcuid gnóthaí oibre ó lá go lá.
“Is minic ráite agam go mbraitheann an bogadh i dtreo seirbhís phoiblí dhátheangach go mór ar chuspóir earcaíochta 20% an Achta, chomh maith leis na straitéisí éagsúla atá á gcur i bhfeidhm ag mo Roinn chun éiceachóras a chruthú ina bhfuil an Ghaeilge i gcroílár sholáthar na seirbhíse poiblí.
“Chun an líon foirne atá ar fáil chun na seirbhísí sin a sholáthar a threisiú, ní mór dúinn díriú ar dhaoine óga sa chóras oideachais agus a rá leo go bhfuil na deiseanna seo ann. Déanann an tionscadal seo é sin go díreach agus táim sásta maoiniú breise a chur ar fáil chun leanúint ar aghaidh leis sin don todhchaí.”
Media Release
Friday, 2 May 2025
Minister Calleary announces approval of €1.5m to increase awareness among young people of Irish-language job opportunities
- Record 3-year funding approved for Gluaiseacht – Conradh na Gaeilge’s interactive awareness roadshow highlighting Irish-language employment opportunities for young people
- Over 42,250 young people to be reached directly each year
- Additional staff to be employed, including coordinator
The Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary TD, today (Friday, 2 May) announced increased funding of €1.5 million over a three-year period (2025-2027) for Conradh na Gaeilge to continue running its ‘Gluaiseacht’ project.
With this project, young people are encouraged to use their Irish in a conscious way, and they are informed of all the ways in which they can use the language. Emphasis is placed on the various advantages associated with it, particularly the economic advantages and employment opportunities. This is primarily done through the roadshow – an interactive workshop for young people which serves post-primary schools, third-level institutions and/or summer colleges.
Additionally, the Gluaiseacht team attends careers fairs and events to inform students, as well as those interested in a change of career, about the various, dynamic and inclusive opportunities available in the public service to those competent in Irish.
With the enactment of the Official Languages (Amendment) Act in 2021, the publication of the National Plan for Irish Language Public Services 2024-2030 in October 2024, as well as the transformative change towards a bilingual public service, raising awareness of the employment opportunities that exist for those who speak Irish is a central to these efforts. Of course, one of the primary goals of the language legislation is to have 20% of recruits to public bodies be competent in Irish by the end of 2030.
To achieve this goal, it will be essential to keep young people using their language skills, regardless of which career path they choose. The Gluaiseacht project – through its broad functions and connections – is therefore essential so that all the various career paths and opportunities that exist for those with Irish across the public sector can be highlighted. It is in this context that this record funding has now been approved – up 177% from the 2023-2024 grant.
Announcing this significant funding, Minister Calleary said:
“I am pleased that my Department is able to continue supporting this ambitious project of raising awareness, run by Conradh na Gaeilge, emphasising the various employment opportunities available to those with Irish. It encourages young people to maintain, nurture and develop their language skills during their education years and, indeed, when they move on to employment.
“Gluaiseacht strongly supports a major goal of the Language Act and the National Plan published by my Department last year – that is to see a large increase in the number of people who are able to provide public services bilingually and who actively use the Irish language in their daily work.
“I have often said that the move towards a bilingual public service depends greatly on the Act’s 20% recruitment target, as well as the various strategies being implemented by my Department to create an ecosystem in which the Irish language is at the heart of public service delivery.
“To bolster the number of staff available to provide those services, we must focus on young people in the education system and inform them of the existence of these opportunities. This project looks to do just that and I am delighted to provide additional funding so that can continue now into the future.”
