Hi I'm Frances Berry. I am the Business
Language Champions Project Manager at the Regional Language Network
West Midlands and the editor of this blog.
This blog is a way of bringing together all the hardworking
individuals involved in the Business Language Champions programme,
from the business representatives who volunteer their time to the
teachers and BLC project managers who plan, run and record the
events, not to mention the students. Click here to read more about the BLC
project and find out who's involved.
With this blog I want to encourage
further collaboration and create a BLC community where
participants, organisers and anyone interested in languages can get
involved and have their say. We look forward to hearing your
thoughts and to making the BLC even bigger and better in
future!
28/07/10
Business Language Champions across the country are raring to go for the new academic year and many events are being planned as we speak to coincide with celebrations for the European Day of Languages on 26 September.
22/07/10
The summer holidays are a great opportunity to learn a language or practise what you have already learned...
13/07/10
Year 10 students from schools in Dudley were treated to a language taster session recently to inspire them to continue their language studies post-16.
05/07/10
BLC is just one example of an innovative project to get more people interested in learning and keeping up language skills.
02/07/10
In addition to hearing how BLC activities have benefited pupils and schools, it is really interesting and motivational for us to hear how these activities have also benefitted our Business Language Champions.
30/06/10
28th June - 4th July 2010 is Deaf Awareness Week when organisations working with deaf people across the country are inviting everyone to 'Look At Me'.
29/06/10
If you read my April BLC blog post about the value of linking science with languages, then you might be interested to hear about an online resource that provides details of five fun experiments, which you can easily carry out in the classroom.
18/06/10
Helen Distel, Managing Director at The Language Company International Ltd, enthused students at Nottingham Girls High School by challenging them in the manner of ‘The Apprentice’ to develop a product for an overseas market.
06/02/10
Welcome to the BLC Blog
17/06/10
We all know that language skills are important to exporting businesses, tourist businesses and those employing overseas workers but one area that we often overlook (but in which languages are just as valuable) is the civil service.
14/06/10
Nine schools in Nottingham participated in a BLC event involving St Petersburg’s renowned Hermitage Ensemble. The aim was to inspire students to continue their language learning and convince them that there’s more to Russia than Vodka and the Kremlin!
07/06/10
September may seem a long way off at the moment, but already businesses, schools and community groups are being encouraged to plan their European Day of Languages activities.
27/05/10
Two established West Midlands Business Language Champions helped local students explore the importance of language skills within the business world recently when they ran workshops at a Global Enterprise Day.
26/05/10
A colleague pointed out news of an innovative business language partnership to me this morning and I thought I would share it on this blog as it brings languages, sport and business together through their common skills and aims.
25/05/10
I am pleased to have been inundated in recent days with evaluation forms from our current BLC schools and wanted to share with you some of the positive comments and examples of impact that I have received.
19/05/10
Pupils from Stoke Newington School have been working with the local Police to encourage native Turkish speakers to cherish their mother tongue and think about how they could use it to build a successful career in the future.
14/05/10
Does your job involve languages? Are you under 30 years old? Would you like to help young people make informed decisions about their future careers? Then you’ve come to the right place.
07/05/10
Trawling through the language stories to hit the headlines this week, I came across an interesting article on the BBC website that could prove inspirational to anyone struggling to learn a language, especially football-crazy boys!
26/04/10
Year 9 students from Flixton Girls’ High School reaped the rewards for working hard over the past four months when they visited their Business Language Champions to showcase their overseas marketing projects.
22/04/10
Pupils in the North West had a taste of how languages are used in the workplace recently when they came up with marketing and research strategies to sell biscuit products in the French and Moroccan markets.
20/04/10
BLC South East joined forces with Solent Education Business Partnership recently to explain the value of the Business Language Champions programme to schools and businesses
19/04/10
Over 100 Students, 15 Schools, 17 Teachers, 29 Linguists and 10 Businesses from Southampton and South-West Hampshire tested their language skills in a real-life context recently when they took part in a Language College.
15/04/10
The LinkedUp Scheme, in collaboration with CILT, is looking for schools, colleges and businesses who would like to work together to benefit language learners, develop new approaches to language teaching and create employer links.
09/04/10
Languages and Sciences have both seen declining numbers of students in recent years but when combined together these two subjects form a powerful alliance and a very noteworthy CV, so the challenge is how to get this message across?
06/04/10
Five Business Language Champions took time out from their busy schedules to generate some interest in languages by helping local school students to tackle an Olympics challenge.
31/03/10
Sophy Merrick from Language Connect reports from the front line on her organisation’s BLC involvement.
29/03/10
Students from Morpeth School in Bethnal Green were given the chance to design the perfect school recently when they took part in a Business Language Champions workshop with French construction company Bouygues.
25/03/10
A local language expert inspired Year 8 students at Ninestiles School in Acocks Green to pursue their language learning and open up a whole array of opportunities by giving them an insight into the language business.
22/03/10
Staff and students at the Bulwell Academy in Nottingham have taken time out to thank three Business Language Champions for their time, input and inspiration during a range of language activities organised over the past few months.
15/03/10
We have come across the following websites which could complement Business Language Champions activities, inspire new language projects or just idle away those snatched moments of peace in the staffroom...
08/03/10
Students from Lambeth Academy work with Euro London Appointments, a recruitment consultancy specialising in multilingual staff, to come up with a top 10 list of exciting and rewarding jobs that most people don’t know you can do with a language.
04/03/10
BLC project managers across the UK are always on the look out for new Business Language Champions and it will soon be time to turn our attention to recruiting new businesses for the 2010-2011 programme.
25/02/10
Students in Rugby tested their language, tourism and business skills recently when they were set the task of promoting their town to overseas visitors.
18/02/10
50 Year 9 students from Selston College were set the challenge of marketing products in Germany recently as part of a Language Challenge Masterclass.
17/02/10
How could anyone fail to be inspired by the glamorous world of global travel? I decided to put my theory to the test on a snow-free Friday in February, whilst co-running a BLC workshop at a local school and was pleasantly surprised by the results.
16/02/10
Bulwell Academy in Nottingham have addressed an important question with the help of three business speakers, organised as part of the BLC programme in the East Midlands.
10/02/10
On a wintry Warwickshire morning, 77 Year 8 students from Queen Elizabeth School and Sports College in Atherstone warmed up by flexing their international marketing muscles.
09/02/10
Students from Kings Norton Girls’ School put their futures’ into perspective recently when they took part in a BLC workshop to raise awareness of the importance of language skills.
08/02/10
Schools and businesses in the East Midlands had a busy end to 2009 with an enterprising and exciting Business Language Champions project.
07/02/10
Your questions about Business Language Champions answered