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Gaelic road signs in Scotland | PA

After more than 1500 years the future of the Gaelic language in Scotland is still in the balance.

While its use has declined it remains an important part of Scottish culture and heritage - and now an increased interest in promoting the language is helping to create new job opportunities for those who speak it.

Since the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act passed in 2005 there has been more work done to protect the future of the language and drive opportunities.

The act established the creation of Bòrd na Gàidhlig, who work to grow Gaelic language and culture. And the most recent figures, taken from the 2022 census, showed that over 130,000 people - around 2.5% of the population aged 3 and over - had some Gaelic skills.

Of those, 69,701 reported that they could speak Gaelic - the first time that number had increased since 1971.

While only 3351 reported Gaelic as their main household language, the figure still showed the positive effort being made to ensure the future, and possible future growth, of Gaelic.

The language is now being taught in many schools from an early age, while Scottish Government papers are published in Gaelic and road signs in many parts of the country now use Gaelic and English.

The creation of BBC Alba in 2008 has created a much greater exposure of the Gaelic language. And while many people might think that a job with BBC Alba, or working as a Gaelic teacher, might be the only career paths where the language is a benefit, the reality is that Gaelic is increasingly opening more doors to graduates job seekers.

Dr Emma Bolger, a lecturer and careers guidance who works with the Open University, recently carried out research into the career prospects of learners who study in Gaelic Medium Education (GME) schools.

Independently funded by the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, the research revealed that immersive Gaelic education delivered long-term impacts, with young people saying it enhanced employability and increased their career opportunities.

Now Dr Bolger is looking to follow up the research to focus on tracking the careers of those who finished GME.

And she says she is incredibly positive about the opportunities being offered to Gaelic speakers - but concerned not enough is being done to signpost those opportunities.

“This is something that perhaps some employers aren't up to speed as much as they could be,” she says. “It would be a huge benefit in any career and it is surprising where it has the biggest benefits.

“We’ve talked to lots of people about using Gaelic and one of the things that keeps coming up is healthcare settings, where many people feel more comfortable communicating in Gaelic.

“Actually having a fluent Gaelic speaker in a residential care home, for example, where you have older residents who maybe want to use it or are better able to express their needs using their native Gaelic, can make such a difference.

“It comes up in a lot of industries as well - it can help to build relationships with clients and customers if they are Gaelic speakers and have that opportunity to use Gaelic naturally.

“And a lot of people coming through the schools into the trades are finding it a benefit - they are maybe on a job with an older adult who is loving the chance to communicate in Gaelic.

“The next step is to better track people and find out where they go and how they use Gaelic.

“There are a lot of self-employment opportunities now as well - there’s quite a few people on Instagram doing videos in Gaelic, and it’s great to see.

Dr Bolger also agreed that the increasing use of Gaelic around the country in places like the Scottish Parliament, BBC Alba and others, was a massive help to driving up interest in the language.

“It’s absolutely a benefit, and that subtle integration of the language helps towards seeing it as commonplace.

“There can be so much negativity about Gaelic and Gaelic education, and it’s naive to think that young people don’t pick up on that, so anything that can challenge that is to be welcomed.”