Dr Emma Bolger

The final report for my Carnegie-funded research project,  Gaelic Medium Education: a career advantage for school leavers in Scotland?, is now available on our project website:  https://linktr.ee/gmecareers Over the last couple of weeks, I've been interviewed by both The Scotsman and The National , and I presented the findings for the first time at the leading Gaelic research conference,  Rannsachadh na Gàidhlig . There is more press coverage to come, and I'm also looking forward to speaking with stakeholders  in the weeks and months ahead  about the importance of the research. 

The initial findings of our landmark research project exploring the career advantages of Gaelic Medium Education (GME) will be presented for the first time at the Rannsachadh na Gàidhlig conference this week. The project, led by myself and Ann Morrison, and titled Gaelic Medium Education: A career advantage for school leavers in Scotland? , investigates what senior phase pupils perceive as the added value of Gaelic and how equipped they are to capitalise on these advantages. The study also surveyed young adults aged 17–25 who had been through GME, to explore its relevance to their career outcomes. Independently funded by the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, the research reveals that immersive Gaelic education delivers positive, long-term impacts. Key Findings Career advantages: Young people believe GME provides clear, tangible benefits that enhance employability, career opportunities and overall wellbeing Impact: Benefits were recorde...

It is Seachdain na Gàidhlig - World Gaelic Week 2026! On Wednesday 25th February, I will be sharing publicly for the first time some of the findings from my research on the impact of Gaelic Medium Education on young people’s careers. As the keynote speaker at the Career Development Institute Conference (Scotland), I will be speaking about the career value of Gaelic Medium Education. The keynote will cover: An overview of Gaelic Medium Education Why there is a need for specific research into Gaelic Medium Education and careers A summary of the research project, Gaelic Medium Education: a career advantage for school leavers in Scotland? funded by the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, under the Research Incentive Grant Scheme (Principal Investigator: Dr Emma Bolger, Research Assistant: Ann Morrison) The research findings indicate that Gaelic appears to offer career-long benefits, during education, post-school and into the early stages of adulthood, particularly in enhan...

Our report from our  Gaelic Medium Education and Careers research project will be out early in 2026.  Thank you to everyone who has been a part of the project so far. We look forward to sharing the findings with all stakeholders and developing new initiatives that build on our recommendations for next steps.  If you are  interested in our work on Gaelic Medium Education and Careers, you can now sign up for project updates via the link on our Linktree at:  https://linktr.ee/gmecareers

The website is now live for my project looking into the career outcomes of pupils who have been through Gaelic Medium Education:  https://linktr.ee/GMECareers A press release about the project is available here:  https://www.uws.ac.uk/news/new-study-to-explore-if-gaelic-gives-school-leavers-in-scotland-career-advantage/

I recently contributed a short piece to the current Comann nam Pàrant (Nàiseanta) newsletter, regarding the additional support needs (ASN) in Gaelic Medium Education (GME) group that is now running here in Glasgow. Full text reproduced below. https://www.parant.org.uk/_files/ugd/5dbf25_69f6bd8881da4be5a25ff9e3dfadc75c.pdf An ASN in GME group is now running in Glasgow, which has been set up by, Emma Bolger, in collaboration with Kathryn Farrow, Quality Improvement Officer for Parent Partnerships within Glasgow City Council Education Services. The group is open to children and all parents/carers/children/siblings of children aged 0- P7 who currently attend or are planning to attend GME or Gaelic Early Years provision.  The group runs meet up events where like experienced parents/carers can have a chat and access information, while the children play in a safe, inclusive environment. Glasgow Life playworkers have attended the sessions to support the children, meaning parents are able t...

Volunteering has always been important to me. I previously volunteered for charities and causes that have been close to my heart; for example, fundraising for and representing Breast Cancer Now and Beat . And long before this, as a child and into my teens I was a cadet with the St John Ambulance . Volunteer work as parent My volunteering these days is more focused on education and advocating for children, parents/guardians. I was asked to set up and I continue to chair the parent council for my children's newly established primary school which has been a real learning experience. Having valued their support throughout this, I have long championed the work of Connect  and joined their Board of Directors in 2023. As my children attend Gaelic Medium Education (GME), which is a growing route through state education in Scotland, I've also found myself sitting on number of working groups in relation to GME. Perhaps my increasing volunteer engagement in education would always...