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.

Students from Cator Park School in Beckenham, London had the chance to explore this first-hand when they were visited by Simon Milward and Kathryn Mason – both Fast Streamers from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) – and Miles Perry, an economist at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

The visiting civil servants spoke to 130 year 9 students about how and why they had learned languages and shared some of the positive experiences language skills had afforded them.

Students had the opportunity to be civil servants for the day and soon got stuck in by forming a mini European council to debate how to tackle climate change.  This was a difficult enough challenge in English and it made students think about the necessity of being able to speak another language in this situation.

“The ‘council of students’ resembles situations that civil servants have to deal with regularly, so it was really encouraging to see the different ways the students interacted, negotiated and came up with different solutions.” said Miles Perry of Defra.

This event was organised as part of the Business Language Champions programme in London. To find out more about BLC projects and opportunities in the London area please contact Pinky Sidhu BLC@pinkysidhu.com or visit the website www.rln-london.com/champions.