The City of Wolverhampton College delivers Language training to Royal Mail and BT employees

"As an employee I felt valued by the company which in turn creates a positive and committed workforce"

"Every week we all come away with new knowledge and skills that can be used in the workplace and personally"

Context
In 2008 the City of Wolverhampton College set up language courses at the Royal Mail and British Telecom (BT) sites in various cities in the Midlands via an initial approach from the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU). A number of employees had come forward to their union learning representatives saying that they were interested in learning a foreign language. NVQ languages were chosen as the most appropriate form of accreditation and the courses were funded under the previous government’s Train to Gain initiative. This is a unique example of NVQ languages being delivered in the workplace. 

Key objectives
The main objective of the course was to provide employees with new skills that would benefit them both at work and in their personal lives. BT employees saw real opportunities in acquiring Spanish language skills because of the links between BT and Telefónica, the Spanish-based multinational that owns O2.

How the programme is organised
All of the learners, who were new to foreign language learning, would work towards an NVQ Level 2 qualification over a 2 year period and would be assessed in all four skills. The timeline to reach level 2 was 8 months to complete an Entry Level qualification, 8 months to complete the NVQ Level 1 and a further 8 months to complete the NVQ Level 2. Initially there were courses in French, Italian and Spanish but it was later decided to consolidate and focus on Spanish.

Resources on the CILT website designed for NVQ delivery were used as well as college-designed materials that had been developed for other skills-based language courses. The course itself is delivered in a vocational context, though not targeted specifically to either the Royal Mail or BT. Of great benefit to the learners has been the link with the Official School of Languages in El Prat de Llobregat near Barcelona that allowed the learners to communicate via e-mail to colleagues in Spain about themselves and their job roles.

Results/effect
The NVQ Language courses have been successful because they were delivered in the employees’ own workplace and because the language course itself was both relevant to the learners and delivered using continuous assessment. It is a method that could be used by other training providers either through trade unions or employers.

"BT is a global company and has offices in many Spanish-speaking countries. I would hope that at some point in the future, my new Spanish skills will be put to good use as part of my job."

Author: Martin Relph, Wolverhampton College.