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. 

Romain Baudry from the Chamber of Commerce, Paul Hughes from RAF and Dr. Dalida Chochi, scientific adviser at Boots, talked to students about how languages have helped them in their career and how they have benefitted from languages on a social and personal enrichment level.

The school has been delighted with the impact of these visits and has reported excellent feedback from students.  A higher number of students are considering opting for a language GCSE and teachers have commented on increased participation in language lessons.

The most significant outcome of participation in the BLC programme is that students understand why languages are important - they are no longer asking “What do we have to study French for?”

We’d like to know if you’ve been asked this question recently?  BLC participation yields some good answers, so if you have been involved in the programme we’d like to know if you are still being asked the same questions!

I must just mention that Bulwell Academy has also recently launched a project to promote cultural awareness through music and languages.  The Linguavision project will see students performing songs in other languages, advertising their event and providing catering using traditional foods from each participating country.  Business Language Champions who specialise in French, German, Spanish, Italian and Romanian have been recruited to support the programme and judge the acts on the performance night.

Watch this space for feedback and photos from the Linguavision final!