Since 2024, the Language Secondment programme offers public-sector employees an opportunity to improve their Estonian language skills by spending time in an Estonian-speaking workplace. The programme is designed to make language learning as practical as possible by providing a natural language environment that encourages participants to communicate actively and develop confidence in using Estonian.
The analysis conducted by the Institute of Baltic Studies and its findings indicate that the Language Secondment programme was valuable during its initial implementation period in 2024. This view was shared by most interviewees and is also supported by the document analysis, which covered placement diaries and personal accounts. The programme offers sufficient flexibility (e.g. duration) and even two weeks (the minimum period) in an Estonian-speaking environment is an effective method for participants to continue developing their Estonian, particularly when they are able to contribute actively in the workplace rather than just observing.
The programme’s impact is not limited to the learner, but it also benefits the host organisation and, more broadly, contributes to a two-way integration process. The programme is sufficiently flexible and has considerable potential.
To realise more of this potential, it is important to strengthen all parties’ understanding of how language is acquired through immersion in a language environment. This would help ensure that the content of the secondment is more closely aligned with participants’ language-learning needs. It is also important to provide support to host organisations, particularly the designated support persons.