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Business-Language Links - Making Languages our Business, Torquay Boys’ Grammar School
Context
Torquay Boys' Grammar School is coordinating the CILT 14 to 19 Language Network in the South West, which is running events called 'Making Languages Our Business'. The project has produced a series of fun one-day events which emphasise the importance of languages in the world of business.
In 2007 the network won CILT’s European Award for Languages for its highly successful collaboration between three sectors — Torbay secondary schools, Exeter University and local businesses such as Centrax Gas Turbines, Paignton Zoo and Living Coasts as well as working with CILT and the Goethe Institut.
Key objectives
To promote language learning by emphasising the importance of languages in the world of work. To link schools, HE providers and local business.
How the programme is organised
The programme began following a successful innovation in the South West called Business Language Champions. This was a programme supported by the Department for Children Schools and Families which has now spread nationwide and which aims to inspire companies to actively engage in partnerships with a focus on language learning. As part of the project, schools were linked with businesses and took part in a number of activities which raised awareness with pupils of the value of languages for work.
The Making Languages our Business network (fondly known as MLOB!) developed the work of Business Language Champions by organising events within the South-West region which schools and businesses participated in. The events targetted mainly pupils from year 9 in order to help inform them when they had to choose their GCSE options. The aim of the events is to make the case for languages as an important employability skill which can help students get jobs in a variety of different professions.
An example of one of the events is the ‘Business simulations’ event which took place at Exeter University in February 2007. Language undergraduates took students for a tour of the campus and students attended a 50-minute Chinese lecture to give them a taste of the university experience. Students also took part in business simulations with languages: Centrax, a local company which manufactures gas turbines, organised role plays making telephone conversations with an overseas client; Paignton Zoo organised the recording of some information about animals in different languages which could be used as audio guides for foreign visitors to the zoo. These simulations gave students an idea of how important languages are in the work place. The Goethe Instutute also played an active role in the project by presenting at the events on the importance of languages for business. This was as part of their work for Project Engage. Project Engage is an initiative that actively supports partnerships between schools and businesses and gives support in carrying out German-related community projects.
Pupil evaluations from the event show an overwhelming enthusiasm and excitement about the possibilities that language learning can bring. Read the evaluation report (doc 28 KB) and see a summary of pupil activities (doc 23 KB). (This gives a good model to follow if organising a similar event in your area.)
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Results/effect
This project has already led to a rise in the take up of languages at Key Stages 4 and 5 and the school is currently seeing the largest numbers ever choosing a language at A level.
The European Award for Languages judges said of Making Language Our Business, 'The project is effective, successfully achieving its main aim and encouraging more students to see that languages are an essential tool in business. It has set up productive links with three local businesses and a university'. The project is now being replicated in other parts of the country such as Oxfordshire, Hull, Leeds and Buckinghamshire.
Head of modern foreign languages, Marisol G. Foster, said, 'I was thrilled to hear that Making Languages Our Business had won a European Award for Languages. It is a wonderful recognition for all the hard work put in by so many people to open doors to youngsters and make them aware of the real importance of languages in the business world.'
Parallel project
Devonport High School for Girls, the second Language College involved in the 14 to 19 network, set up a parallel project, acting as a satellite hub for the MLOB network in the Plymouth area. Working with ten schools, the University of Plymouth, representatives of CILT and the Goethe Institute, the initial conference in November 2006 also included the Honorary French and German Consuls, plus 6 local companies and a representative of the University College of St. Mark & St. John in Plymouth.
On January 29th 2007 the school hosted an event for 100 pupils from 10 secondary schools in Plymouth. Pupils worked in teams, mixed by gender, languages and schools, and after a challenging warm-up activity, they worked hard to produce a poster, power point presentation and an oral presentation on a laptop computer suitable for teenagers. They learned a considerable amount of new sales and technical vocabulary, ably assisted by a group of foreign language assistants from the participating schools, and because of the competitive spirit, no one was shy of performing in a foreign language – either French, German or Spanish. There were prizes for the winning team and the most committed male and female pupils on the day.
Read a report on Making Languages our Business activities (doc 2.66 MB) in the Plymouth areas.
Devonport High School for Girls has noticed an increase in the number of students choosing to continue the study of a second language from KS3 to 4, from 49% in 06 - 07 to 72% in 07 - 08.
Resources
Some resources developed as part of the Business Language Champions Project and integrated into the curriculum can be found on CILT’s Vocational Languages Resource Bank.
Company profile in French, a resource created from authentic materials from Centrax, a local manufacturer of gas turbines.
Company profile in Spanish, as above but in Spanish.
Future developments
More events are planned for new networks in Plymouth and Devon based on the initial format set by Torquay Boys’ Grammar School.
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SignpostingIf you are interested in getting involved in Making Languages our Business activities in the South West, contact Irene Wilkie, Comenius Manager, Comenius South-West. If you are interested in finding out about Making Languages our Business activities in your own region, contact your relevant Comenius Region. For information on how to replicate this model in your own area download:
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