Latest News

A selection of language-related news. Does not claim to be comprehensive or represent the views of SCILT.


Business

DYW Live - Languages and Your Career

22 March 2024 (SCILT / eSgoil)

SCILT is going to be offering two more online Languages and Your Career sessions before the summer and we'd love to see you there! These sessions will be different from previous ones offered as they will be tailored specifically to particular groups of learners. These will be:

Wednesday 15 May 11.00 - 12.00, a session aimed specifically at Secondary BGE learners (S1-3) which will explore the fun, transferrable employability skills associated with languages. We will examine together how these are a valuable asset in any learner’s skillset.

Tuesday 11 June 2.00 – 3.00, a session aimed directly at Senior Phase pupils just starting new courses. This will look further forward from the perspective of those who have already chosen languages and will include tips on making the most of the language learning experience in school and beyond.

Like previous sessions, these webinars aim to introduce learners to the importance of languages and their associated skills in the workplace, break down stereotypes of careers that use languages, identify appropriate career pathways, and hear examples of people who use languages in their daily work.

Both sessions will take place within the Languages and Your Career Glow Team. Registration is via e-Sgoil.

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The Big Question: Learning multiple languages shows you ‘care’, says Nestlé Chairman

8 January 2024 (Euronews)

The Big Question is a series from Euronews Business where we sit down with industry leaders and experts to discuss some of the most important topics on today’s agenda. In this episode James Thomas met with Paul Bulcke, the chairman of Nestlé, to discuss whether speaking multiple languages is an important skill for international business.

Read the article and listen to the interview online.

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Scottish Languages Employability Award - next deadline approaching!

26 October 2023 (SCILT)

The Scottish Languages Employability Award (SLEA) celebrates schools delivering DYW through languages and school-business partnerships whilst recognising good practice in this area. The award, which is available at bronze, silver and gold levels, supports teachers in raising awareness of the value of language skills in their school community. 

The next deadline for submissions is Friday 17 November 2023. 

Visit the SLEA webpage for more information.

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Enterprise German competition

24 October 2023 (Goethe-Institut)

Enterprise German (“Unternehmen Deutsch”) combines aspects of German, economics, and professional orientation with a motivating competition. School classes from secondary schools in the UK and university students who deal with the topic of career orientation in the classroom can participate, if their teacher or professor registers a participating group.

The initiative will take place from September 2023 to July 2024.

For more information, please visit the Goethe Institut website and register by 15 March 2024.

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SLEA - Local

6 October 2023 (SCILT)

The SLEA (Scottish Languages Employability Award) family is expanding! We have now launched the SLEA – Local, which aims to encourage and support the development of partnership activities involving a number of schools within a local area or network. The SLEA – Local recognises and rewards employability-focused partnerships organised at a wider local level by teachers, DYW officers or cluster leads.

For more information and details of how to apply, as well as the chance to read about our very first winners from Ayshire Chamber of Commerce and surrounding schools, visit the SLEA – Local webpage.

To find out more about how this fits in with the SLEA family, see the main SLEA award webpage.

And watch this space for the next family member, coming in 2024; the SLEA – Green!

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DYW Live – Languages and your career is back!

12 September 2023 (SCILT)

We are delighted to be back again this year working together with e-Sgoil and DYW Live to deliver the Languages and Your Career webinar. In this session we will explore how languages can contribute to success in a wide range of jobs and career paths. This webinar aims to introduce secondary learners to the importance of languages and their associated skills in the workplace, break down stereotypes of careers that use languages, identify appropriate career pathways, and hear examples of people who use languages in their daily work. It will be an interactive session with input from people who use languages in their work.

The workshop will repeated each month on different days and times from September until January. The dates on offer are:

Tuesday 26th September: 2.00 – 3.00pm
Wednesday 25th October: 9.30 – 10.30am
Thursday 23rd November: 11.00am – 12.00pm
Monday 18th December: 9.30 – 10.30am
Tuesday 30th January: 2.00 – 3.00pm

All sessions will take place in Glow Teams.

This year, additional materials will be made available to teachers who attend the workshop with their classes to support further promotion of employability with individual languages. Watch this space!

For more information and registration details, visit the e-Sgoil website.

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Related Links

DYWLive workshops for primary learners - Make languages work for you

SNP grassroots demand more language teaching provision in schools

9 September 2023 (The Herald)

Ministers are facing a demand from the SNP grassroots to improve language teaching provision in Scottish schools after falling Higher entries for French and German.

A motion on the draft agenda to the party's conference raises concerns over the teaching in European languages for senior pupils at secondary school.

It underlines the importance of language learning as a life skill "particularly if we are striving for membership of the EU post-independence" and calls for native speakers to be recruited as language assistants to help secondary school students gain qualifications.

A total of 4,239 pupils sat French Higher in 2013 with the number falling to 2280 this year, according to the Scottish Qualifications Authority's statistics. In 2013 a total of 1051 entered German Higher compared to 520 this year.

The figures also showed an increasing trend towards pupils taking Spanish, with 1,645 Higher entries in the subject in 2013 rising to 2605 this year (overtaking French).

However, Scotland is considerably lagging behind the Republic of Ireland which has made language teaching a central part of its successful economic strategy with GDP growing by 12% in 2022, compared to 4% for the UK's.

(Note, subscription may be required to access full article)

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New job profile on SCILT's website

8 September 2023 (SCILT)

The job profiles on our website demonstrate a range of careers where languages are being used. The latest addition comes from Simran Kaur, Equality and Diversity Engagement Officer at the University of Strathclyde.

Simran's language skills have enabled her to work as a translator and they also prove useful in her role at the university where so many different languages are spoken on campus.

Teachers, use Simran's profile along with others on our website to highlight the benefits of language learning to your pupils.

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Scottish Languages Employability Award - Congratulations to our latest winners!

31 August 2023 (SCILT)

The Scottish Languages Employability Award (SLEA) celebrates innovation in schools delivering DYW through languages, encouraging school-business partnerships and recognising good practice in this area. The award, which is available at bronze, silver and gold levels, supports teachers in raising awareness of the importance of languages in their school community. 

Our most recent verification date in May 2023 saw 11 schools from 10 different local authorities collect an award. Projects covered a wide range of sectors and included links with football clubs, bakeries, travel agents and much more! Find out about each projects by clicking on the school names below.

Bronze

Silver

Gold

The next verification date is 17 November 2023. Visit the SLEA pages of our website to find out how your schools can achieve an award, and keep an eye out in the SCILT e-bulletin for the launch of SLEA Local coming soon!

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Parlez-vous... Anglais? Is a langauge skills shortage holding the UK travel sector back?

31 August 2023 (TTG Media)

The UK’s outbound travel sector is a global industry that touches every part of the globe – yet for all the good it does bringing the world closer together, is the sector doing everything in its power to bridge these divides once the journey is over?

Travel has a language problem. And with second languages increasingly becoming more than just a nice-to-have for employers, not to mention a vital differentiator for candidates, the sector’s language skills gap is all the more incomprehensible in 2023. In fact, it would appear the industry has gone backwards.

Research published earlier this year by the University of Portsmouth revealed that most job adverts in the UK – not just those in travel – now list a second language as a requirement or a necessity, and not simply as desirable.

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Languages open window to the world

21 August 2023 (The Times)

As an Italian-Scot who grew up in the Netherlands, I have spent my life switching between languages. While I no longer use these languages extensively, I have always found them useful in understanding cultural nuances. There is a Chinese proverb: “To learn a language is to have one more window from which to look at the world” and this is certainly true.

Bilingualism increases the chances of being able to learn another language quickly. My knowledge of Dutch and Italian helped me pick up French (albeit imperfectly), and elements of Spanish and German. Educationally the benefits are significant: bilingual students outperform their peers, particularly in subjects requiring cognitive flexibility, such as mathematics. Studies also suggest the health benefits of bilingualism are compelling, potentially protecting against diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Economically, having a population who can speak more than one language opens up a range of opportunities, particularly for developing trade and exports. 

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Buckie High strikes gold with languages award

7 July 2023 (The Northern Scot)

Buckie High have become the first Moray school to strike gold with a major languages award.

The school finished the term on a high by celebrating achieving their Gold Scottish Languages Employability Award (SLEA), which is valid for two years. The award helps schools and businesses to build partnerships through languages in order to develop young people's learning about the world of work and the value of language skills.

It follows on from BCHS claiming their silver award last year when they worked with major local employer Associated Seafoods Ltd (ASL), a collaboration which has been running for the last six or seven years. This time around, Buckie High expanded on the employer base involved, with Chivas Bros, Johnston's of Elgin and Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Moray joining ASL in working with the school.

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Clydebank school pupils praised after landing top award

6 July 2023 (Clydebank Post)

A Clydebank school was said to have 'impressed judges' on their way to picking up a top educational award for languages.

Pupils across three age groups at St Peter the Apostle High School were praised for their 'passion' for languages such as Gaelic and Spanish as they landed the Gold Scottish Languages Employability Award from SCILT - Gold Scottish Languages Employability Award from SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages and the Confucius Institute for Scotland’s Schools.

The recognition award - launched in 2019 -  was developed by SCILT as a way of delivering DYW (Developing the Young Workforce) through languages, encouraging school-business partnerships and recognising good practice in this area.

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Scottish Languages Employability Award - next deadline 19 May!

27 April 2023 (SCILT)

The Scottish Languages Employability Award (SLEA) celebrates innovation in schools delivering DYW through languages, encouraging school-business partnerships and recognising good practice in this area. The award, which is available at bronze, silver and gold levels, supports teachers in raising awareness of the importance of languages in their school community. 

The next deadline for submissions is Friday 19 May 2023

If you're looking for inspiration you can read about our most recent award winners via the case studies on our website. You will also find the full application guidelines and submission form.

If you have any questions about the award or the submission process please contact SCILT

Read more...

Scottish Languages Employability Award - re-launched!

27 January 2023 (SCILT)

The Scottish Languages Employability Award was developed by SCILT and Bòrd na Gàidhlig and launched in 2019 as a way of delivering DYW through languages, encouraging school-business partnerships and recognising good practice in this area. Since then we have received fantastic submissions from primary and secondary schools right across the country, and we have awarded recognition at Bronze, Silver, Gold and even Platinum levels! 

Following review, we are delighted to launch our revised documentation, which is designed to streamline the application process and to give as much guidance as possible to schools who would like to apply. Have a look at the new handbook and application form on our website now – we look forward to receiving your submissions!

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Students lacking language skills will miss out on jobs - new report

17 January 2023 (University of Portsmouth)

New research from the University of Portsmouth, based on the analysis of job adverts targeted at graduates, shows a high demand for language skills that are now often unmet in secondary school settings. 

Dr Begoña Rodríguez de Céspedes is a Senior Lecturer in Translation Studies at the University of Portsmouth and an Executive Committee member of the University Council of Modern Languages. Amidst concerns that secondary schools are often dropping a requirement to study foreign languages, she has been looking at the needs of employers to find candidates with suitable skills.

Her research shows there are hundreds of jobs listed for graduates where an additional language is required. German is the most requested, closely followed by French. 

Read more...

The importance of language learning in an interconnected world

16 January 2023 (FE News)

‘I desire the Poles carnally,’ US President Jimmy Carter was interpreted to have said in a speech while visiting Poland in 1977.

And more recently Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau’s speech on TV was lost in translation with subtitles about ‘Nazi innings’ and various gibberish.

The first mistranslation was down to human error; the second due to speech recognition software limitations.

And digital marketer Philip Graves warns mistranslations are no laughing matter – with serious risks attached, from losing business opportunities to a breakdown in negotiations.

Philip, who is an analyst and copywriter at the Bristol-based digital marketing agency GWS Media, whose specialities include multilingual websites, said:

“Throughout history we have seen how misinterpretations can lead to disastrous misunderstandings and even bring countries to the brink of war.

“Poor translations can at the very least cause confusion. In some cases, they can cause offence. Clear communication is vital to building trust and where language barriers are involved, accurate translations play a key role.”

Read more...

Languages at work

18 November 2022 (SCILT)

During last week's Careers Week Scotland we highlighted a range of professions where languages are useful via our social media channels.

We have now uploaded these short videos to our website should teachers wish to share these with pupils.

Visit our Careers Week Scotland webpage.

Read more...

The Big Question: SCILT secondary seminar series

29 April 2022 (SCILT)

This term we are hosting a series of interactive seminars for secondary languages teachers, based on some of the main themes from our workshops this year, and covering some of the big questions that you might be asking about teaching languages today.

Each session will feature the chance to hear from a guest practitioner, and the opportunity to discuss and share with fellow teachers, and hopefully together to come up with some answers to these questions!

Seminars are free to attend and are open to all secondary languages teachers and student teachers; attend as many or as few as you wish. Register for each seminar separately via the links below. 

  • Seminar 1: Employability and languages
    4-5pm, Tuesday 17 May
    In this seminar we will consider why and how to make meaningful connections between language learning and the Developing the Young Workforce agenda. Sarah Coats from Musselburgh Grammar School will be our guest in this session, sharing some of the work that she has been involved with in this area, which led to the school achieving the Scottish Languages Employability Award this year.
     
  • Seminar 2: Encouraging uptake
    4-5pm, Wednesday 25 May
    Across Scotland, we are all facing the challenge of how to encourage learners to continue studying languages when faced with the choice. In this seminar we will have the chance to share ideas and strategies that we have tried or would like to try. France Reid from Dunblane High School will be our guest in this session, sharing the issues that they have faced and how they are seeking to address them.
     
  • Seminar 3: Teaching controversial issues
    4-5pm, Thursday 9 June
    In this seminar we will look at how can we approach controversial issues such as gender, race, politics and climate in the context of language learning.  We will explore strategies for tackling controversial issues safely and effectively in the languages classroom. Our guest in this session will be Lynne Jones of SCILT who will be sharing particularly around areas of gender and immigration.
     
  • Seminar 4: Building confidence in talking
    4-5pm, Wednesday 15 June
    Talking is often the area of our subject that learners find most challenging and stressful. In this seminar we will discuss and share practical ideas and activities which help build learner confidence in talking in the target language. Lisa Hanna from SCILT, who is a Visiting Assessor for talking with SQA, will be our guest in this session.

The sessions will be hosted on MS Teams and will not be recorded.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Scottish Languages Employability Award - next deadline 20 May!

21 April 2022 (SCILT)

The Scottish Languages Employability Award (SLEA) celebrates innovation by schools in promoting languages and employability together through partnerships with businesses, public bodies and third sector organisations. The award, which is available at bronze, silver and gold levels, supports teachers in raising awareness of the importance of languages in their school community. 

The next deadline for submissions is Friday 20 May 2022

In January 2022 Musselburgh Grammar School won a bronze award for their 'S3 Life with Languages' careers event. Read about their impressive submission, watch videos from previous winners and access the full award guidelines on our website.

Due to ongoing restrictions, online events and activities will be accepted as evidence towards the award.

If you have any questions about the award or the submission process please contact SCILT

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Where will languages take me?

18 March 2022 (British Council)

This new collection of videos with accompanying pupil booklet aims to encourage secondary pupils to continue their language education or choose languages as an option.

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Investment in Languages Education Could Return Double for UK Economy

22 February 2022 (RAND Corporation)

A new study from the University of Cambridge and the not-for-profit research institute RAND Europe, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, shows that investing in languages education in the UK will return more than the investment cost, even under conservative assumptions.

By quantifying the wider economic benefits to the UK economy of extending languages education in schools, researchers found that the benefit-to-cost ratios for increasing Arabic, Mandarin, French or Spanish education are estimated to be at least 2:1, meaning that spending £1 could return about £2.

Researchers used a macroeconomic model to examine UK economic performance between now and 2050 if more pupils aged between 11 and 16 — Key Stage 3 (KS3) and Key Stage 4 (KS4) — learned to speak one of four different languages so they could later use it effectively in business. The modelling was based on the Government's successful Mandarin Excellence Programme, in which extra hours are devoted to language learning without affecting other EBacc subjects and lessons are fast-paced and engaging.

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Making Your Future Brighter With Languages (1+2 December 2021) – Event recordings now available!

21 January 2022 (SCILT)

We are delighted to confirm that the recently launched toolkit for Phase Three of our ERASMUS+ project, Generation Global, now includes recordings of the sessions that took place at the virtual launch events on 1+2 December 2021. Entitled Making Your Future Brighter With Languages, the events, like the toolkit, set out to give young people, parents and carers a wealth of information, ideas and advice about the importance of learning languages.

The first event, on 1 December, which was aimed at young people, featured interactive activities and an interesting and informative panel discussion of young professionals talking about how they use languages in their careers. These recordings could be useful for teachers to show to classes of young people around subject choice times.

On 2 December the event focused on parents, carers and teachers. At this event we enjoyed contributions by Dr Paul Hare (Professional Development Officer, SCILT) and partners from Denmark and Norway, a fascinating panel discussion with representation from employers, educators and careers advisers, and a powerful message from Liz Neil of the British Council on the value of language and intercultural skills to the workforce of the future.

Recordings of all sessions are available on our website.

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New job profiles on SCILT's website

21 January 2022 (SCILT)

Our job profiles cover a wide range of careers where languages are being used. We have two new additions to our collection:

  • Fraser Fulton is a musician, tour manager and backline technician for touring musical artists. He tells us because he spends most of his time on tour, especially in German-speaking countries, speaking German has been invaluable to him. His knowledge of the language helps build contact and trust very quickly.
  • Gregor Anderson is a mechanical engineer with a company involved in the design and production of lasers. He says his language skills gave him an edge when applying for his job - not just the fact he could speak German, but rather that he'd travelled and spent time in another country and culture. 

Teachers share these profiles with your pupils to highlight the benefits of language learning for life and work.

Scottish Languages Employability Award - next deadline 21 January!

12 January 2022 (SCILT)

The Scottish Languages Employability Award (SLEA) celebrates innovation by schools in promoting languages and employability together through partnerships with businesses, public bodies and third sector organisations. The award, which is available at bronze, silver and gold levels, supports teachers in raising awareness of the importance of languages in their school community. 

The next deadline for submissions is Friday 21 January 2022

Visit the SLEA page on our website to read about Danestone Primary School, whose partnership with Subsea 7 recently earned them a Bronze award. You can also access the full award guidelines and watch videos from previous winners.

Due to ongoing restrictions, online events and activities will be accepted as evidence towards the award.

If you have any questions about the award or the submission process please contact SCILT

Read more...

Bosses hunt for Brits who can speak different languages in hiring sprees

28 September 2021 (Scottish Sun)

Employers have revealed the top skills they’re looking for in job applicants – with the ability to speak foreign languages high on the list.

A study of 200 employers and those involved in the hiring of staff claimed it’s “never been harder” to find candidates with the desired skill set.

Other sought-after abilities include leadership, emotional intelligence, and social media savviness.

Employers said they spend an average of nearly £54,000 a year searching for the right people to fill roles through recruitment companies.

While finding staff with the right skill set is one of the biggest challenges for businesses, according to 78% of those polled.

The research, commissioned by free language learning company Drops, also found 57% of companies look for people who can speak a different language.

Read more...

New job profile on SCILT's website

20 August 2021 (SCILT)

The job profiles on our website demonstrate a range of careers where languages are being used. The latest addition comes from Niall Rachman who tells us how languages help in his work daily and have boosted his confidence and communication skills. Delivering training in a customer-focused role, these skills are incredibly useful.

Teachers, use Niall's profile along with others on our website to highlight the benefits of language learning to your pupils.

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Thirty-five jobs at Loganair saved from the axe after upskilling initiative

14 June 2021 (Glasgow Times)

Jobs at a Scottish airline have been saved from the axe thanks to a new training course.

Thirty-five cabin crew members at Loganair, who are based at Glasgow Airport, were at risk of redundancy. Through Unite the union and Scottish Union Learning, the stewards negotiated with the company to use the Covid Response Fund to mitigate compulsory redundancies and provide them with opportunities to upskill. This included courses on British Sign Language, Autism Awareness and Spanish delivered by City of Glasgow College.

Loganair have now signed no compulsory redundancy agreements which has given workers job security.

Read more...

Scottish Languages Employability Award - next deadline 21 May!

29 April 2021 (SCILT)

The Scottish Languages Employability Award (SLEA) encourages innovation and creativity in the promotion of language skills through meaningful engagement between employers and schools. The award aims to help schools and businesses to build partnerships through languages and supports teachers in raising awareness of the importance of languages in their school community.

The next deadline for submissions is Friday 21 May 2021

Due to restrictions over the past year, online events and activities will be accepted as evidence towards the award. To read the full guidelines, watch videos from the pilot schools and read case studies from previous winners, visit the SLEA page on the SCILT website. 

If you have any questions about the award or the submission process please contact SCILT

Read more...

New job profile on SCILT's website

23 February 2021 (SCILT)

We have a bank of job profiles on our website from a diverse range of occupations where languages are being used. Teachers use these to promote the benefits of language learning to pupils and to encourage uptake in schools.

Our latest addition comes from Leah Duncan-Karrim, who is studying Mandarin at university. Leah tells us how her knowledge of the language has opened up niche opportunities for her in her role as a sales assistant for luxury fashion brands.

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Latest SLEA recipient announced!

9 February 2021 (SCILT)

We are delighted to announce Renfrew High School in Renfrewshire as the latest recipient of the Scottish Languages Employability Award (SLEA) in recognition of their successful partnership working in promoting languages as a key skill for employment.

The school received a Bronze Award for the 'Braehead Brochure' project with their partner Braehead shopping centre. The awarding panel commented: “Renfrew High School’s project and submission is a really interesting and practical one. It has a strong sense of purpose and a tangible, useful outcome.”

Congratulations to everyone involved on their excellent achievement! 

The SLEA, developed by SCILT in partnership with Bòrd na Gàidhlig, encourages innovation and creativity in the promotion of language skills through meaningful engagement between employers and schools. Read more about Renfrew High School's project, and find out how to submit your own entry for the Award, on the SCILT website.

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Making Space for Languages (1 October) – Event recordings now available!

26 November 2020 (SCILT)

We are delighted to confirm the recently launched toolkit for Phase Two of our ERASMUS+ project, Generation Global, now includes recordings of the sessions that took place at the virtual launch event on 1 October. Entitled Making Space for Languages, the event brought together education professionals, from a range of organisations and backgrounds, to discuss the importance of languages and intercultural studies to all fields of study.

As well as compelling contributions by Fhiona Mackay (Director of SCILT), Laurence Findlay (Director of Education and Children’s Services, Aberdeenshire Council), Louise Glen (Senior Education Officer for Languages, Education Scotland), Dr Paul Hare (Professional Development Officer, SCILT) and partners from Denmark and Norway, visitors to the website will be able to view a fascinating panel discussion involving professionals from a broad range of academic disciplines, all of whom agree that a knowledge of languages gives an extra dimension across the full spectrum of careers.

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Scottish Languages Employability Award - videos from pilot schools

13 November 2020 (SCILT)

The Scottish Languages Employability Award (SLEA) aims to help schools and businesses to build partnerships through languages in order to develop young people’s learning about the world of work and the value of language skills.

Videos are now available on our website of two of the SLEA pilot schools talking about their experience of working towards, and submitting evidence for, the award. These include advice from teachers and school co-ordinators, and feedback from pupils who took part in the qualifying events, and would be useful for any teachers considering putting their school forward for the award. Huge thanks to the staff and pupils at St Mary’s Primary School and Bishopbriggs Academy for their fantastic contributions!

The next deadline for submissions is Friday 22nd January 2021. In view of the current restrictions, online events and activities will count towards the award. Please get in touch with Sheena Bell if you have any questions about any aspect of the submission process or if you would like more information about the award generally.

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Latest SLEA recipients announced!

17 June 2020 (SCILT)

The latest verification round of the Scottish Languages Employability Award (SLEA) has taken place, and two more schools were delighted to receive recognition for their successful partnership working in promoting languages as a key skill for employment.

Bathgate Academy in West Lothian received a Bronze Award for their projects with partners including Clarke Fire Protection Products, Mitsubishi and WL Gore. The awarding panel commented: “The links made with local businesses are strong and purposeful and have excellent long-term potential.”

Broughton High School in Edinburgh received a Gold Award for their projects with a range of partners, including Visit Scotland, The Balmoral Hotel and Social Bite. The awarding panel commented: “The projects are impressive in the variety of ways in which they convey the importance of languages to pupils, fostering the importance of citizenship and cultural understanding as well as language skills.”

Congratulations to both schools on their excellent achievements! 

The SLEA, developed by SCILT in partnership with Bòrd na Gàidhlig, encourages innovation and creativity in the promotion of language skills through meaningful engagement between employers and schools. Find out how to submit your entry for the next verification round on the SCILT website.

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Scottish Languages Employability Award - apply now!

2 April 2020 (SCILT/CISS)

The Scottish Languages Employability Award (SLEA) celebrates innovation by schools in promoting languages and employability together through partnerships with businesses, public bodies and third sector organisations. The award, which is available initially at bronze, silver and gold levels, supports teachers in raising awareness of the importance of languages in their school community.  

For full guidelines, case studies and futher information visit the SLEA page on the SCILT website.

The next deadline for submissions is Friday 15 May 2020

Read more...

Quitting EU Erasmus scheme would 'blow a hole' in UK economy

8 March 2020 (The Guardian)

Quitting the EU’s Erasmus student exchange programme would “blow a hole” in the UK’s economy, taking away income of £243m a year and depriving 17,000 British young people of valuable work experience, according to a group of education and business leaders.

The group, including further education colleges and universities, is calling for the British government to make clear that continued Erasmus membership is a high priority in its talks with the EU.

Britain’s membership of the EU-wide exchange scheme known as Erasmus+ is to expire at the end of this year, alongside membership of the EU. The government’s negotiating outline offered scant hope of continued full membership, saying only that it “will consider options for participation in elements of Erasmus+ on a time-limited basis, provided the terms are in the UK’s interests”.

Universities UK International (UUKI), the umbrella group representing higher education providers, said membership of Erasmus gave a bonus to the British economy worth £243m a year, after subtracting membership costs from the £420m generated by EU students visiting the UK under the programme.

Read more...

Living Languages 2020

6 March 2020 (SCILT/University of Strathclyde)

Due to the current situation concerning COVID-19 the events below have been postponed until further notice. Please keep an eye on the SCILT e-bulletin for details of further Living Languages events in the future. 

Living Languages 2020 is a joint initiative from Languages@Strathclyde and SCILT, focusing on employability.

This series of events offers language learners at all stages an opportunity to hear from high-profile guests and early career graduates, from a variety of sectors, on the role of languages in their professional lives.

Guests will share their experiences through a relaxed conversation format and the audience will be encouraged to ask questions. These events allow learners to hear about languages in the workplace as well as practise their own language skills.

Living Languages 2020 Programme

Registrations are now open for the following events in the series:

  • Monday 23 March - A conversation with Paul Sheerin, Chief Executive Scottish Engineering
  • Monday 30 March - A conversation with Ben Sharrock, Writer and Director and Irune Gurtubai, Film Producer
  • Tuesday 28 April - A conversation with Karen Betts, Chief Executive Scottish Whisky Association and former Diplomat

New job profile on the SCILT website

14 February 2020 (SCILT)

The job profiles on our website cover a range of careers where languages are in use. Our most recent addition comes from Roddy McDonald, a tour operator who works mainly with British school groups in Europe.

Roddy can speak a range of languages and believes his skills are an immense benefit enabling him to deal with suppliers from across the globe.

Teachers help support the Developing the Young Workforce initiative and use this resource with your pupils to demonstrate the benefits of language learning as a life skill.

Read more...

Get ahead in fashion with a second language

11 February 2020 (Edology)

Spanish, German or one of many other options; get ahead in fashion with a second language.

Knowing a second language has always been thought of as a useful talent, whether used purely for personal reasons, like being able to communicate effectively while travelling, or professionally as a positive skill to show off to employers.

However, the world today is becoming increasingly connected, with international trade and co-operation between countries becoming more and more of a focus in various different sectors and types of business. This means that being able to speak a second language is more important, and can get you further, than ever before.

Writer from London language school, The Language Gallery, Erin O’Neill, shares a few reasons why it pays to speak a second language if you want to get ahead in the fashion sector. 

Read more...

Skills shortage in UK tourism 'becoming critical'

10 February 2020 (TTG Media)

Brexit has already led to a crippling shortage of quality candidates for jobs in tourism in the UK, according to business leaders.

Speaking on a panel at the UKinbound Convention, Karen Robertson, managing director of Jac Travel, said staffing was “becoming critical”, with many of her foreign language-speaking employees having left the UK.

“Some employees from Germany and France are now working remotely for us, so we can retain their skills. It’s not ideal, but what choice do you have when you only get one application [for a vacancy]?” she asked.

Read more...

New job profile on SCILT's website

7 February 2020 (SCILT)

We have a variety of job profiles on our website showcasing careers where languages are in use. The latest addition to our collection comes from Cassandra Scott, an independent translator based in Edinburgh.

Cassandra tells us in a competitive job market it's pays to stand out from the crowd with a skill that not everyone has. So if offered the chance to learn a language, her advice is take it!

Teachers share her profile with your pupils to support the Developing the Young Workforce initiative and highlight the benefits of language learning as a life skill.

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The cost of Britain’s language problem

31 January 2020 (The New Statesman)

As chancellor of the exchequer, George Osborne thought he had found a key to boosting British competitiveness: teaching more children Mandarin. In September 2015, he announced a £10m investment in the Mandarin Excellence Programme, which aimed for an extra 5,000 children in the UK to be learning the language by 2020. Two years later, the country’s first entirely bilingual English-Chinese school opened its doors in London. At Kensington Wade, founded in 2017, children shout out answers in Mandarin in one classroom, practice calligraphy in another, and sing English songs in the next. Pinned to the wall of the school’s waiting room is a quote from businessman Sir Martin Sorrell: “Chinese and computer code are the only two languages the next generation should need”.

But the 61 pupils at the £17,000-a-year establishment, expected to be fluent in Mandarin by the age of 11, will be in the minority of young Brits who speak a second language. According to Eurobarometer, only 32 per cent of Britons aged 15-30 can read and write in more than one language. The EU average is 80 per cent. Given that it is compulsory for children in Wales to take Welsh until GCSE, fluency in non-UK languages is likely to be even lower.

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The man teaching 300 million people a new language

27 January 2020 (BBC)

If anyone ever doubts the positive impact of immigration tell them about Luis von Ahn.

A 41-year-old from the Central American nation of Guatemala, he went to the US in 1996, aged 18, to do a maths degree at Duke University in North Carolina. After that he studied computer science at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

[...] Fast forward to today, and Luis is the co-founder and boss of Pittsburgh-based Duolingo, the world's most popular language-learning app, which has more than 300 million users around the globe.

[...] The inspiration behind Duolingo was to create a language learning app that was free for people to use - be it in Guatemala, or around the world - so that they could gain the economic advantages that often come with being at least partially bilingual.

Read more...

New job profile on the SCILT website

10 January 2020 (SCILT)

We have a range of job profiles on our website showcasing careers where languages are being used. The latest addition to our collection comes from Ruth Sillars-Mathouillot, a Relationship Manager for a bank based in Luxembourg.

Ruth tells us language learning offers an enriching experience, providing the ability to socialise with people of different cultures and backgrounds. 

Teachers use this resource with your pupils to support the Developing the Young Workforce initiative and highlight the benefits of language learning as a life skill.

Read more...

Secondary students urged to learn foreign languages to boost career prospects

6 December 2019 (Irish Times)

Some 3,000 students attended an event in Dublin’s Convention Centre aimed at highlighting the personal, social, professional and economic benefits of language learning.

While most Irish students study foreign languages in school, surveys show Irish adults lag behind other Europeans in language competence.

Karen Ruddock, director of Post Primary Languages Ireland, said the global dominance of English has given rise to the mistaken belief that “English is enough”.

This, she said, can result in complacency and a lack of motivation to learn other languages.

“Today’s event is about delivering a message that learning a foreign langauge will create more work opportunties, more chances to make friends and have great life experiences,” she said.

Read more...

New job profile on the SCILT website

6 December 2019 (SCILT)

The job profiles on our website cover a range of careers where languages are in use. Our most recent addition comes from Marion Geoffray, a theatre maker and drama teacher, who is the artistic director of Theatre Sans Accents, an innovative bilingual theatre company in Edinburgh.

Marion performs in several languages and believes immersing yourself in the language and culture is the most effective way to learn and to have fun!

Teachers use this resource with your pupils to support the Developing the Young Workforce initiative and highlight the benefits of language learning as a life skill.

Read more...

The importance of becoming multilingual in a global job market

19 November 2019 (Study International)

Does knowing more than one language really elevate your career prospects, allowing you to strategically position your talents in a competitive job market?

Citing numerous benefits of being multilingual, the British Academy considers language skills to be essential for thriving in the future of work and enhancing your professional and personal development.

In a shared statement, the British Academy, the Royal Society, the Academy of Medical Sciences and the Royal Academy of Engineering all maintain that the “UK’s poor language capacity has resulted in the loss of economic, social, cultural, and research opportunities,” stating that, “The economic cost of the UK’s linguistic underperformance in terms of lost trade and investment has been estimated at 3.5 percent of GDP.”

President of the British Academy, David Cannadine, requests a step-change in the way the nation approaches language learning.

Read more...

Making languages your business

18 November 2019 (SCILT)

SCILT was pleased to invite a range of guests to an event on 2 October 2019 which included the launch a language-focused toolkit for business and industry. The event concluded the first phase of the three-year Generation Global project. Films from the event have now been published on our website.

Read more...

Posted in: Business

The crisis in language education across the UK — what it means for schools and the future of business

16 November 2019 (iNews)

As a nation, we are not known for our proficiency in foreign languages. The stereotype of the Brit abroad, repeating English slowly and loudly to the locals, has more than a grain of truth.

In England, language study has declined so much that the exam regulator, Ofqual, recently decided to lower grade boundaries in GCSE French and German to encourage teenagers to take them.

Can anything be done about our struggles? Or should we lighten up about it? A former Downing Street education expert has told i that seriously improving our language ability is not a high-enough priority to justify the vast expense involved.

In Britain, 34.6 per cent of people aged between 25 and 64 report that they know one or more foreign language, compared with an EU average of 64.8 per cent.

GCSE and A-level language entries in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have been declining since the turn of the century, although a rise in Spanish entries provides a shred of comfort.

In Scotland, language entries at National 4 and 5 level have dropped by about a fifth since 2014.

This has been accompanied by the quiet death of the foreign exchange, suffocated in part by exaggerated safety concerns. A survey by the British Council five years ago found that just four in 10 schools run trips involving a stay with a host family. Martha de Monclin, a British expat living in France, is often asked whether she knows British families who are happy to be involved in exchanges, but in seven years has found only one.

Where they do happen, pupils just go sightseeing and stay in hotels, she says. “With mobile phones, they are constantly connected to their friends and family at home. This makes it incredibly difficult to learn a language.”

Read more...

New job profile on SCILT's website

8 November 2019 (SCILT)

We have job profiles on our website covering a wide range of careers where languages are in use. Our latest addition comes from Mark McLaughlin, a Researcher in International Law, whose language skills have enabled him to live and work in China. Mark tells us learning the language of the place you're living really helps you get an understanding of the country's culture. 

Teachers use this resource with your pupils to support the Developing the Young Workforce initiative and highlight the benefits of language learning as a life skill.

Read more...

The best languages to study for future job opportunities

6 November 2019 (The Telegraph)

Your Year 9 French teacher was right: learning a language can open a lot of doors. Not only will your fluency allow you to travel to distant corners of the globe, but having a degree in a language can make you highly employable.

Mastering a language has always been impressive to employers: it shows tenacity and commitment, but can also come in handy if they work with overseas clients. 

Now, language skills are more sought after than ever, given the potential impact of Brexit on British industry, according to the CBI/Pearson Education and Skills Report 2018. “The need for languages has been heightened by the UK’s departure from the European Union,” the report states.

The British Council has also stressed the need for young people to learn a foreign language in order for Britain to become a “truly global nation”. In their most recent Languages for the Future report in 2017, the British Council listed the following as the most important languages for the UK’s prosperity: Spanish, Mandarin, French, Arabic, German, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Japanese and Russian. 

Even though multilingualism is needed for the UK’s prosperity, just 1 in 3 Britons can hold a conversation in a foreign language, according to the report from the British Council. 

So, those who can speak another language are more needed than ever - as is clear from the 2018 CBI/Pearson Education and Skills Report, which surveyed almost 500 British employers and calculated which languages are most desirable to them. The following are the results from that report and, thus, the best languages to study for graduate employment. 

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Scottish Languages Employability Award

4 November 2019 (SCILT)

Schools and businesses across Scotland can now receive recognition for successful partnership working in promoting languages as a key skill for employment.

The Scottish Languages Employability Award (SLEA), developed by SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages in partnership with Bòrd na Gàidhlig, encourages innovation and creativity in the promotion of language skills through meaningful engagement between employers and schools.

The Award is available at three levels: Gold, Silver and Bronze. A toolkit has been developed to support schools in achieving the Award, available in Gaelic and English through support from the Gaelic Language Act Implementation Fund.

Fhiona Mackay, Director of SCILT said: “The Award recognises the achievements of schools and learners who have ensured that language skills are at the heart of their Developing the Young Workforce agenda. Three quarters of employers report that they are looking for young people with better language skills.  In addition, language learning develops a whole range of important meta-skills: enhanced communication, inter-cultural sensitivity, problem solving and critical thinking. When youngsters learn to read, write, talk and listen in different languages they are therefore developing key skills for life and work and this award celebrates that.”

Shona MacLennan, Ceannard, Bòrd na Gàidhlig said “Recent research has shown how useful Gaelic skills are in the world of work, with increasing opportunities in a wide range of careers for people who speak Gaelic.  We’re delighted to see that Bishopbriggs Academy has been awarded Gold for the way they have developed pupils’ skills and interests through Gaelic.”

The Award was launched at a ceremony on 1 November 2019 at The Ramshorn, University of Strathclyde. Three Awards were presented to schools whose links with employers have demonstrated to learners how languages can be used in the world of work:

The “Chinese Tuesdays” project, centred at Braehead Primary in Stirling, saw seven primaries in the Stirling Learning Community come together in a multi-disciplinary project involving media, cookery, art and drama. This exciting collaboration was awarded Gold.

Bishopbriggs Academy submitted a wide range of projects from across the school: language-promotional events, Gaelic film projects and German science projects. Using the toolkit to capture the school’s innovation allowed Bishopbriggs to become the first secondary in Scotland to gain a Gold Award.

St Mary’s Primary in Bannockburn linked with local historic attraction Bannockburn House in a project that saw pupils work with staff from Bannockburn House to create a range of resources in French for tour guides to use with French-speaking visitors. The project was awarded a Silver Award.

Staff and pupils from these schools attended the ceremony to collect their Awards.

The toolkit for applying for the Scottish Languages Employability Award is available to download.

Meaningful employer engagement and providing relevant careers advice are both key recommendations of Scotland’s Youth Employment Strategy, “Developing the young workforce”. The SLEA supports these aims by giving young people the opportunity to find out more about the role of languages in the business world.

Collaboration between schools and businesses supports Scotland’s International Policy to equip young people with international communication and employability skills that they will need in our increasingly globalised society and economy.

More information on SCILT’s work to promote the value of languages amongst young people in Scotland.

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Duais Fastadh Cànainean na h-Alba

’S urrainn do sgoiltean agus ghnìomhachasan air feadh na h-Alba aithne fhaighinn airson obair shoirbheachail ann an compàirteachas le bhith a’ bronsachadh chànainean mar sgil dheatamach airson fastadh.

Tha Duais Fastadh Cànainean na h-Alba, leasaichte le SCILT, Ionad Nàiseanta na h-Alba airson Cànainean ann an compàirteachas le Bòrd na Gàidhlig, a’ brosnachadh ùr-ghnàthachas agus tionnsgalachd ann am brosnachadh sgilean cànain tro cho-obrachadh sùsbainteach eadar luchd-fastaidh agus sgoiltean.

Gheibhear an Duais aig trì ìre: Òr, Airgead agus Umha. Tha acainn air a bhith ga leasachadh airson taic do sgoiltean ann a bhith a’ faighinn na Duaise, ri fhaotainn sa Ghàidhlig agus sa Bheurla air sgàth taic-airgid o Mhaoin Buileachaidh Achd na Gàidhlig.

Thuirt Fionnghal NicAoidh, Stiùiriche SCILT: “Tha an Duais ag aithneachadh euchdan sgoiltean agus luchd-ionnsachaidh a tha air dearbhadh gu bheil sgilean cànain aig cridhe a’ chlàir-ghnothaich Leasachadh na Feachd-obrach Òige aca. Tha trì cairteal de luchd-fastaidh ag ràdh gu bheil iad a’ sireadh dhaoine òga le sgilean cànain nas fheàrr.  A bharrachd air sin, tha ionnsachadh cànain a’ leasachadh raon fasrsaing de dh’àrd-chomasan: conaltradh nas fheàrr, tuigse eadar-chultaral, fuasgladh thrioblaidean agus smaoineachadh sgrùdach. Nuair a bhios daoine òga ag ionnsachadh mar a leughas, a sgrìobhas, a labhras agus a dh’èisteas iad ri diofar chànainean, bidh iad a’ leasachadh sgilean deatamach airson beatha is obair agus tha an Duais seo a’ comharrachadh sin.”

Thuirt Shona NicIllinnein, Ceannard, Bòrd na Gàidhlig “Tha rannsachadh ùr air sealltainn dè cho feumail ’s a tha sgilean Gàidhlig ann an saoghal na h-obrach, le barrachd chothroman ann an raon farsaing de dhreuchdan airson daoine aig a bheil Gàidhlig. Tha sinn air ar dòigh a bhith a’ faicinn mar a fhuair Acadamaidh Dhrochaid an Easbuig Duais Òr airson an dòigh sa bheil iad air sgilean is ùidhean nan sgoilearan a leasachadh tro Ghàidhlig.”

Chaidh an Duais a chur air bhog aig cùirm air 1 an t-Samhain 2019 aig an Ramshorn, Oilthigh Shrath Chluaidh. Chaidh trì Duaisean a thoirt seachad do sgoiltean le ceanglaichean do luchd-ionnsachadh a bha a’ taisbeanadh do luchd-ionnsachaidh mar as urrainn dhaibh cànainean a chleachdadh ann an saoghal na h-obrach:

Chunnacas leis a’ phròiseact “Chinese Tuesdays”, stèidhichte air Bun-sgoil Cheann a’ Bhràigh ann an Sruighlea, seachd sgoiltean a’ tighinn ri chèile ann an Coimhearsnachd Ionnsachaidh Shruighleas airson pròiseact ioma-gnìomh Mandarnais leis na meadhanan, còcaireachd, ealain agus dràma na lùib. Choisinn an co-obrachadh ionmholta seo Duais Òr.

Chuir Acadamaidh Dhrochaid an Easbuig a-steach raon farsaing de phròiseactan thar na sgoile: Tachartasan Bronsachaidh Chànainean, pròiseactan fiolm Gàidhlig agus pròiseactan Saidheans Gearmailtis. Ghlac an acainn ùr-ghnàthachas na sgoile agus leig e le Drochaid an Easbuig a bhith na ciad àrd-sgoil ann an Alba a choisinn an Duais Òr.

Bha Bun-sgoil Naomh Muire ann an Allt a’ Bhonnaich an compairteachas le àite eachdraidheil ionadail Taigh Allt a’ Bhonnaich airson pròiseact far an robh luchd-obrach agobair le sgoilearan gus taghadh de ghoireasan ann am Fraingis airson luchd-iùil a chur gu feum le luchd-tadhail le Fraingis. Choisinn a’ phròiseact seo an Duais Airgead.  

Bha luchd-obrach agus sgoilearan o na sgoiltean seo an lathair aig a’ chùirm seo airson na duaisean aca a chruinneachadh.

Tha acainn airson cur a-steach airson Duais Fastadh Cànainean na h-Alba ri luchdachadh a-nuas o làrach-lìn SCILT https://scilt.org.uk/Employment/Skillsforlifeandwork/tabid/1597/Default.aspx.

Tha compàirteachadh ciallach agus libhrigeadh comhairle dhreuchdan freagarrach nan dà àrd-mholadh aig Roi-innleachd Fastadh Òigridh na h-Alba, “Leasachadh na Feachd-obrach Òige”. Tha an Duais a’ cur taic ris na h-amasan seo tro bhith a’ toirt cothrom do dh’òigridh a bhith a’ faighinn a-mach barrachd mu àite nan cànaineann ann an saoghal a’ ghnìomhachais.

Tha co-obrachadh eadar sgoiltean agus gnìomhachasan a’ cur taic ri Poileasaidh Eadar-nàiseanta na h-Alba gus sgilean fastaidh agus conaltraidh eadar-nàiseanta a thoirt do dhaoine òga gus nach bi iad a dhìth orra ann an comann-soisealta agus eaconamaidh a tha a’ fàs nas ceangailte thar an t-saoghail.

Airson barrachd fiosrachaidh mu obair SCILT a thaobh bronsachadh luach cànainean a-measg òigridh na h-Alba, bheir sùil air https://scilt.org.uk/Employment/tabid/8062/Default.aspx.

  

Related Links

Another accolade for Bishopbriggs Academy (Kirkintilloch Herald, 5 November 2019)

Making languages your business

18 October 2019 (SCILT)

The newly refurbished Ramshorn building at the University of Strathclyde played host to an important dialogue between the worlds of business and education recently. On 2 October, thirty-eight representatives from a range of industry sectors met with delegates from schools, further and higher education with the aim of improving the supply of language skills from education to the workplace and better matching the needs of the labour market. Sectors represented included tourism, engineering, manufacturing and law.

Delegates were welcomed to “Make languages your business” by Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal of the University of Strathclyde, who noted that it was now “imperative” that graduates are equipped with the necessary skills, in particular the ability to speak other languages, to operate on a global stage. The keynote speech was delivered by Ivan McKee MSP, Scottish Government Minister for Trade, Investment and Innovation.

Mr McKee said: “Learning other languages facilitates cultural awareness and helps us make connections with people from around the world – skills that are crucial in the 21st century.

“If Scotland is to continue to compete on the world stage, we need our young people to be open to new technologies, to people and cultures from around the world and crucially to the changing ways of doing business. It is essential that we inspire children and young people to learn other languages and, through doing so, provide them with the knowledge and skills they need to help them take full advantage of the opportunities in our fast-changing world.”

In his plenary speech, Charandeep Singh, Deputy Chief Executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, made reference to Scotland’s wealth of linguistic diversity and outlined the importance of languages to companies and organisations looking to operate internationally.

The central part of the event consisted of a Q&A session, chaired by John Crawford of Scottish Development International. Panellists provided insights into the importance of language and intercultural skills in their careers, and how the capacity to engage with clients in their native languages has benefited their organisations.

“Make languages your business” was organised by SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages based at the University of Strathclyde. It is the culmination of the first phase of a three-year Erasmus+ project, “Generation Global”. At the event, SCILT launched an online toolkit to help Scottish businesses to grow their international markets and to develop the language and intercultural skills of their staff. 

Fhiona Mackay, Director of SCILT said: “Erasmus+ funding has enabled SCILT to collaborate with its counterpart agencies in Norway and Denmark so that the Generation Global project could be realised. Each of the three countries working together can make a real difference to young people in Scotland and the other partner countries. Schools by themselves cannot be given sole responsibility for creating an appetite for language learning. It is when schools, universities and the world of industry and business come together that we can truly create a climate in which all languages are celebrated and language learning can flourish.”

The project is coordinated by SCILT on behalf of the Scottish Government Wider Engagement Network.

More information on Generation Global.

Access the Toolkit.

Meaningful employer engagement and the provision of relevant careers advice are key recommendations of Scotland’s Youth Employment Strategy, “Developing the young workforce”.

This collaboration between education and businesses supports Scotland’s International Policy to equip young people with communication and employability skills that they will need in our increasingly globalised society and economy.

The panellists for the Q&A session were Dr Jonathan Downie (Integrity Languages), Andrew Gillespie (ACE Aquatec), Mark Pentleton (Radio Lingua) and Paul Sheerin (Scottish Engineering).

Networking at the Making languages your business event

Language skills help us win business says supplier

23 September 2019 (Fish Farming Expert)

Dundee-based aquaculture technology supplier Ace Aquatec is being held up as an example to Scottish businesses of the importance of having staff with a second language.

While many potential customers abroad speak English, there are many who don’t, as Ace Aquatec marketing boss Mike Forbes and Spanish-speaking operations and support specialist Andrew Gillespie discovered during a trip to the Aqua Sur trade show in Chile last year.

“Having Andrew there in Chile, being able to speak in their language, was very useful,” said Forbes.

Read more...

Chinese tourism boom makes businesses mind their language

21 September 2019 (The Times)

They come for castles, clan history and clootie dumpling only to be thwarted by the language barrier.

Crowds of Chinese tourists who travel thousands of miles to visit Scotland every year are being wooed by canny restaurateurs and retailers keen to help them spend their currency and now Roy Brett, owner and head chef at the Ondine seafood bar, is looking for Mandarin-speaking serving staff.

Subscription required to read full article

Read more...

New job profile on the SCILT website

23 August 2019 (SCILT)

We have job profiles on our website covering a wide range of careers where languages are in use. Our latest addition comes from Stephanie Mitchell, a Civil Servant in the Scottish Government who has previously worked in Europe and Asia, thanks to her language skills. Stephanie shares her experiences and how vital languages have been throughout her life and career. 

Teachers use this resource with your pupils to support the Developing the Young Workforce initiative and highlight the benefits of language learning as a life skill.

Read more...

New job profile on the SCILT website

9 November 2018 (SCILT)

The job profiles on our website cover a range of professions where languages are being used. 

We have a new profile from David Cant, Managing Director of Albion (Overseas) Ltd, a company which helps UK businesses to enter the Russian market. After learning French and German at school, David tells us that he took up Russian by chance at university - a choice which became life-changing.

Teachers use our profiles in the classroom to enhance learning about the world of work and how languages can play a part.

Read more...

Inspiring the future global workforce in South Ayrshire

2 October 2018 (SCILT)

Young people from seven South Ayrshire schools had the opportunity to engage with local businesses at Prestwick Airport on 25 September 2018. Over 70 S3-S6 pupils heard from a range of business leaders who view language skills as key to the growth and success of their company.

The event “Broaden your horizons with languages” demonstrated the relevance of language skills in a work context and aimed to encourage pupils to continue with their language studies into the senior phase of their secondary education, and beyond school.

Pupils attended from Ayr Academy, Belmont Academy, Kyle Academy, Girvan Academy, Marr College, Queen Margaret Academy and Prestwick Academy.

A teacher from Queen Margaret Academy said:  “All speakers spoke about the importance of languages in their line of work, which pupils don’t often hear, except from language teachers. Jim Fleeting adding at the end of his Q&A session that you need a language to work at the Scottish Football Association, and that was such an important point.”

A teacher from Prestwick Academy added: “Pupils have heard how competitive the job market is. To realise that languages are not just an asset but a necessity in their future will have been a very beneficial lesson for our pupils.”

Jim Fleeting, former Director of Football Development at the Scottish Football Association and a speaker at the event, stated: “The group of pupils who attended the event seemed very positive and it is so exciting to be involved in a session like this. I would encourage young people to be ambitious to take up the challenge of learning languages. They will be a valuable asset for their future.”

The event was organised by SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages based at University of Strathclyde, in partnership with Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Ayrshire. Companies attending included Choice Language,
IBM, Alex Begg, Radio Lingua, Scottish Football Association and easyJet.

Fhiona Mackay, Director of SCILT said: “Events such as these are a really important way of providing young people with high quality careers advice delivered by the business people themselves and of demonstrating to them the value of language skills in our increasingly globalised world.”

Meaningful employer engagement and providing relevant careers advice are both key recommendations of Scotland’s Youth Employment Strategy, “Developing the young workforce”. This event supported these aims by giving young people the opportunity to ask questions and find out more about the role of languages in the business world. The targets laid out in the Scottish Attainment Challenge are about achieving equity in educational outcomes, with a particular focus on closing the poverty-related attainment gap. Through hearing from a range of business leaders and interacting with employees, the aspirations of the young people who attended were raised.

This collaboration between schools and businesses supported Scotland’s International Policy to equip young people with international communication and employability skills that they will need in our increasingly globalised society and economy.

The event is one of a series of employer engagement events being held across Ayrshire during this academic session. These events are organised by SCILT and DYW Ayrshire and aim to promote language skills.

More information on the work of SCILT to promote languages for employability.

John Edward: Languages skills essential for global citizens

29 September 2018 (The Scotsman)

Scotland’s independent schools maintain a track record of academic excellence, and this has continued in 2018 with another set of outstanding exam results, which is only strengthened by individual and collective success in sports, art, music and other community endeavours.

With upwards of 30,000 pupils across Scotland, these schools, represented by The Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS), strive to deliver the best level of service to their pupils and parents.

Independent schools aim to prepare their pupils for further and higher education, their chosen career and their place as global citizens. As an education sector that can design and implement a bespoke school curriculum, we are seeing modern languages continue as a popular and desired subject of choice within schools.

Nelson Mandela said: ‘If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language that goes to his heart.” This is a powerful reminder that we can’t just rely on English when wanting to build relationships and trust with people from other countries.

From this year’s recent exam results, we can see that languages are topping the league tables with the highest pass rates within independent schools. A total of 68 per cent of pupils who studied foreign languages achieved a Higher grade A.

The data, collected from SCIS’s 74 member schools, showed that 72 per cent of students achieved a Higher grade A in Mandarin, while 72 per cent of those studying German, 69 per cent of those studying French and 63 per cent studying Spanish also achieved an A.

This demonstrates that independent schools in Scotland are supporting foreign languages as vital skills that children and young people will undoubtedly require in the future. Languages now, as a subject choice, are being held in the same regard as STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) in independent school curriculums and elsewhere.

Read more...

The return of Business Brunches 18-19: Language skills in the world of work

7 September 2018 (SCILT)

Would you like to invite 10 of your S3-S6 pupils to discover the benefits of language skills in the world of work and engage with a variety of dynamic employers to encourage learners to continue with their language studies into the senior phase of their education, and beyond school? Look no further….

For the fifth year in succession, SCILT, in partnership with Developing the Young Workforce and the University Council of Modern Languages Scotland will be hosting a series of five Business Brunch events in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness over the course of December this year, and January 2019.  Registration will open at 9am on Friday 14th September.

Find out more on our Business Brunches webpage.

Read more...

Support for promoting languages via DYWScot Founders4Schools

30 August 2018 (SCILT/CISS/Founders4Schools)

SCILT/CISS would like to bring the DYWScot Founders4Schools online platform to the attention of all teachers, especially language teachers looking for support for promotional events.

This free platform allows teachers to explore businesses in their area and invite them to visit their school to attend language promotions, careers events, deliver workshops or meet with school parents.

To find a business in your area simply visit the Founders4Schools website and select 'Create event+'. Enter the school postcode, and the platform will allow you to explore who is available to support your event. You can select what type of support you are looking for and your preferred date.
 
Remember requests do not necessarily have to be only for one-off events, and you may be able to build a lasting relationship with the business contact.

Visit the DYWScot Founders4Schools website for more information. 

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Chinese tourists flock to North Yorkshire chippy

23 August 2018 (BBC)

A fish and chip shop in North Yorkshire has translated its menu for Mandarin and Cantonese speakers to cope with an influx of Chinese tourists.

Scotts Fish and Chips near York has seen coachloads of visitors wanting to try the traditional dish.

The passion for the chippy has been put down to the fish and chips Chinese president Xi Jinping shared with then Prime Minister David Cameron in 2015.

Manager Roxy Vasai said more than 100 Chinese tourists were visiting a week.

Read more...

New job profiles on the SCILT website

17 August 2018 (SCILT)

The job profiles on our website cover a range of professions where languages are being used. 

We have two new profiles for the start of the new school session:

  • Lorne Gillies is an award winning journalist whose language skills have enabled her to connect with people around the world, whilst helping her understanding of English.
  • Ian Ross is a specialist in international trade and investment. Dealing with several Chinese companies, he tells us cultural awareness is as important as learning the language.

Teachers use our profiles in the classroom to enhance learning about the world of work and how languages can play a part.

Americans are losing out because so few speak a second language

6 August 2018 (San Francisco Chronicle)

The United States may be the single most powerful nation in the world militarily, and remains a global economic giant, but we have seen repeatedly that our influence is limited. In part, we are constrained by our inadequate understanding of other nations and peoples, and by our inability to communicate effectively with them.

It is therefore disturbing, and evidence of a dangerous myopia, that we continue to neglect training and education in languages other than English.

In 1979, I was a member of the President’s Commission on Foreign Language and International Studies, which found that “Americans’ incompetence in foreign languages is nothing short of scandalous.” Last year, nearly 40 years later, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences released a similar report, “America’s Languages,” and its findings were eerily similar: “[T]he dominance of English, to the exclusion of other languages, has also had adverse and often unforeseen consequences at home and abroad — in business and diplomacy, in civic life, and in the exchange of ideas.”

Much has changed in the decades between these two reports, including the continuing spread of English globally. Today, English is an official language of the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the International Criminal Court, and NATO, as well as the unofficial language of international business.

What has not changed, however, is that English alone — an education in English to the exclusion of other languages — remains insufficient to meeting our needs in a global world.

In times of great national security challenges, such as those we face today, as well as in times of great opportunity, such as the opening of new international markets, we find ourselves scrambling for people who can speak, write, and think in languages other than English. In those moments, we search high and low for people who can communicate in Mandarin, Japanese, Russian, Pashto — and especially for people who understand the idioms and nuances that characterize true communication in any culture.

Because it is difficult to find such people immediately, we are at a disadvantage. Language acquisition is a marathon, not a sprint. By the time we educate and train the experts we need to help us address a particular language gap, we are often too late. The crisis has shifted. Others have captured the new market.

As a matter of public policy, this is a terribly inefficient way to operate.

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Government to Improve Foreign Language Teaching in Schools

3 August 2018 (Good Morning Britain)

The government has announced plans to improve teaching to boost the number of students opting to take foreign languages at GCSE level. Minister for School Standards, Nick Gibb, believes that learning an extra language is good for young people for traveling and opens more opportunities within the workplace. 

See the video interview broadcast on Good Morning Britain.

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Crisis as Scots businesses struggle to hire Mandarin speakers amid Chinese tourist boom

17 June 2018 (Daily Record)

Shop owners in Scotland’s busiest tourist traps are struggling to hire Mandarin speakers to cope with a spike in Chinese customers.

Retail outlets, hotels and restaurants are advertising in shop windows as well as online to try to attract staff with specialised language skills.

Balmoral Cashmere in Edinburgh have put out a call for applicants in a street-front display. Last week saw the first direct flight from China to Scotland. 

Official figures show 41,000 Chinese visitors are coming to the country every year.

Highlands hotelier Willie Cameron said: “The Chinese are also buying into hotels and investing so there is business tourism too. “I struggled to get a Mandarin-speaking receptionist. There aren’t very many Mandarin speakers in Drumnadrochit but the websites for all my hotels are translated into Mandarin.” 

Visits from Chinese tourists are worth an estimated £36 million to the Scottish economy, with the average spend per day exceeding £70. Chinese visitors spend about £900 per visit across 12 nights. 

Dr Nathan Woolley, director of the Confucius Institute at Glasgow University, said there is an increasing interest from students and business workers to study Mandarin to augment their skills.

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The Bilingual Advantage in the Global Workplace

7 June 2018 (Language Magazine)

For the last 30 years, the world economy has been more global and multicultural than ever before. In any given country, foreign-based companies operate every day, while overseas branches of the same companies are often present in various countries. The job market is consequently more global, multilingual, and multicultural in nature, and the workforce of the future will need to be more linguistically and culturally heterogeneous.

In that context, bilingual and bicultural individuals, even with limited knowledge of one or more languages and their attendant cultures, have a clear advantage, since more and more jobs will require experience in international and cross-cultural areas.

On the other hand, we also know that half of the world’s population speaks two or more languages and there are many places where bilingualism or multilingualism is the norm, for example in regions of Africa.2 So, will half the world then benefit from the new job opportunities created by a more global job market? Not exactly. 

Being bilingual, bicultural, and biliterate are not equivalent skills, and being bilingual is not the only condition to be hired for any job. It does not replace a solid further education, but it is becoming obvious that linguistic and cultural fluency enhances one’s “human capital” (the measure of the economic value of a person’s skill set). More and more, at equal technical skills, a bilingual individual will be chosen over a monolingual person.

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Business Brunches 2018 webpage now live!

18 May 2018 (SCILT)

The Business Brunches took place earlier on this year across Scotland, and supported DYW and the Scottish Attainment Challenge by giving young people the opportunity to ask questions and find out more about the role of languages in the business world. 

Take a journey through the entire series of events and explore some of the highlights for yourself, such as:
  
  • A taste of what really went on at these events and why languages play an important role in the world of work by viewing our Business Brunch video located on the main page
  • Inspiring quotes and uploads of presentations from a handful of business leaders who were present that you can share with your own learners
  • Feedback received from pupils who participated
  • Images, tweets, press releases and more

Read through our resources and materials which you may find useful to promote languages for employability in your own school. 

Important news! Business Brunches will be returning for year 2018/19. Further details will be announced on the SCILT website and through our e-bulletin after the summer with instructions on how you can register your school to attend. Keep your eyes peeled! 

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Mandarin will give school leavers career advantage

11 April 2018 (UCL/CISS)

More than three in four British business leaders believe speaking Mandarin will give school leavers a career advantage over their counterparts, according to a survey published today.

Amongst over 1,000 senior business decision makers questioned by YouGov for the UCL Institute of Education-delivered Mandarin Excellence Programme, more than three quarters of respondents said that speaking a high level of Mandarin would be beneficial to school pupils in their future careers. 

On average, 28 per cent thought that the advantage would be ‘significant’ – with this rising to 31 per cent amongst those working for companies with an annual turnover of £10 million or more.  

While 69 per cent of those surveyed felt that Mandarin Chinese skills, particularly speaking, would be important for British business and the economy in future, 66 per cent said that it was currently difficult to recruit fluent speakers from within the UK workforce. When asked about language learning more widely, 82 per cent agreed that language teaching in schools “should reflect important potential growth markets for British trade and business”.

You can read the full article on the UCL website.

Opening Doors in Scotland

There is no doubt that languages, including Mandarin, open doors to a range of opportunities. For example, the pupil immersion course which offers young people the opportunity to attend a language and culture immersion course in China. For more details please see the CISS website.

CISS also offers 6th year school leavers the opportunity to apply for the Tianjin Scholarship. To find out more about this exciting chance to learn mandarin in Tianjin for a year, please see our website where you can read blogs from our present Scholars.

There are also activities provided by CISS through our partners, for example Scottish Opera and Edinburgh Zoo. Please visit the CISS website for more details or get in touch with ciss-info@strath.ac.uk.

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Business brunches inspire Scotland’s future global workforce in Aberdeen

19 February 2018 (SCILT)

Young people from twelve schools across the north east of Scotland had the opportunity to engage with local businesses at the Aberdeen Altens Hotel on 7 February 2018. 109 learners from S3-S4 heard from a range of business leaders who view language skills as key to the growth and success of their company. The Business Brunch demonstrated the relevance of language skills in a work context and aimed to encourage pupils to continue with their language studies into the senior phase of their secondary education, and beyond school.

A teacher attending the event said: “The event was informative and interesting and drew pupils' attention to how having a language can be an asset in the workplace here, in Scotland. It showed pupils a wide variety of jobs, and how languages can benefit travel and working abroad. The day was very much what I had hoped it would be.”

One of the young people added to this and commented: “The event really demonstrated to me the usefulness of languages and how they can be combined with study and work in so many fields. I came away buzzing with information about possible careers.”

James Bream, Director of Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) in the North East said: “The North East of Scotland is a region with a global outlook, but language take-up in schools is a concern as we look to a future, which will require even more international trade. Business support for this SCILT event was clear with a range of speakers hoping to ‘inspire a generation’ by telling stories about how languages have proved beneficial for them. DYW North East hope these inspirational people can encourage our learners to make languages a choice for their future.”

The event was organised by SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages based at University of Strathclyde, in partnership with DYW North East together with the University Council for Modern Languages Scotland (UCMLS). Schools represented were Harlaw Academy, Kincorth Academy, Hazlehead Academy, Mintlaw Academy, Meldrum Academy, Aboyne Academy, Banchory Academy, Westhill Academy, Portlethen Academy, Banff Academy, Turriff Academy and Cults Academy.

Companies attending included TOTAL UK LTD, University of Aberdeen, Hoover Ferguson, Hydra Offshore, Ernst and Young and the Scottish Dance Theatre. The Open University in Scotland, Skills Development Scotland, Project Trust and Dragados UK supported the event by hosting a stall in the Marketplace.

Marion Spöring, Senior Lecturer (Languages and European Studies) at the University of Dundee and Chair of UCMLS said: “The learning of languages is not only fun, but also essential for the future employment opportunities of our young people in Scotland. Languages set the foundation for varied careers, for future engineers as well as artists and in tourism, to name but a few.”

Fhiona Mackay, Director of SCILT said: “In these times of uncertainty, it is even more important than ever that we equip our young people with the skills they will need for life beyond school. We want them to be outward-looking and able to operate in an interdependent world. Events such as these highlight the importance of language skills and intercultural competencies in the world of work.

“The business leaders who speak at these events give of their own time because they understand how much these skills are needed and valued by employers and how vital they are for Scotland’s business community. This kind of collaboration is an example of how education and business sectors can work together for their mutual benefit so that we can support young people and help them develop the portfolio of skills that employers require in their workforce.”

Meaningful employer engagement and providing relevant careers advice are both key recommendations of Scotland’s Youth Employment Strategy, “Developing the young workforce”. This Business Brunch supported these aims by giving young people the opportunity to ask questions and find out more about the role of languages in the business world. The targets laid out in the Scottish Attainment Challenge are about achieving equity in educational outcomes, with a particular focus on closing the poverty-related attainment gap. Through hearing from a range of business leaders and interacting with employees, the aspirations of the young people who attended were raised.

This collaboration between schools and businesses supported Scotland’s International Policy to equip young people with international communication and employability skills that they will need in our increasingly globalised society and economy.

The event is one of a series of Business Brunches being held across Scotland in January and February 2018.

More information on SCILT’s 2018 Business Brunches.

 

Speaking more than one language can boost economic growth

6 February 2018 (World Economic Forum)

Multilingualism is good for the economy, researchers have found. Countries that actively nurture different languages reap a range of rewards, from more successful exports to a more innovative workforce.

New job profile from the hospitality industry

5 February 2018 (SCILT)

For relevant, labour-market focused career advice on languages, direct from the workplace, read our latest Job Profile. Willie Cameron is a founding Director of The Cobbs Group of Companies, which has hotels, coffee shops, retail units and a bakery in various locations throughout Scotland. In this job profile, Willie discusses the value of languages in Hospitality. Teachers, use this resource in your classroom to enhance learning about the world of work.

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Glasgow factory workers learn sign language to communicate with deaf colleagues

29 November 2017 (Evening Times)

A group of city factory workers have been learning sign language to allow them to communicate with their deaf colleagues.

Window factory staff at RSBi, the manufacturing arm of City Building, are being taught British Sign Language as part of a new national scheme to boost opportunities for deaf people.

The Scottish Government scheme, the first of its kind, aims to make Scotland the most inclusive place for BSL users to work, live and visit.

Royal Strathclyde Blind Industry got involved by enlisting the help of non-hearing BSL approved employee Mark McGowan to teach classes at its window factory in Queenslie.

The lessons have been running since October and the firm says they have increased day-to-day communication among workmates creating a more happy and confident team.

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University explores benefits of speaking Gaelic in business

14 November 2017 (The Scotsman)

A university is to discuss whether speaking one of Scotland’s mother tongues could offer an advantage to businesses. 

International business expert Seonaidh MacDonald will talk about his experiences of using Gaelic in a global business context at a lunchtime seminar offered by the University of the Highlands and Islands.

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Language graduates targeted by Glasgow marketing firm

9 November 2017 (The Herald)

Glasgow-based Pursuit Marketing has announced its creation of 75 jobs, citing a “surge” in demand for its services from the technology sector, writes Ian McConnell.

The telemarketing and digital marketing services business, which was founded six years ago, said about 30 of the new positions were English-speaking roles.

Pursuit Marketing, which currently employs more than 80 people, added that it was also seeking “bilingual and native speakers fluent in French, Spanish, Italian and key Nordic languages”.

Read more...

The need for a national languages policy and a more holistic approach towards languages in the UK

21 October 2017 (MEITS)

In this podcast Wendy Ayres-Bennett from the University of Cambridge talks to Baroness Jean Coussins, Co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Modern Languages, about the need for a national languages policy and a more holistic approach towards languages in the UK.

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Global Britain needs more linguists if we are to succeed after Brexit

12 October 2017 (The Telegraph)

Ours is a trading nation, connected to countries in every continent by shared history, shared values and, on occasion, shared language.

We are a country that thrives in making its way in the world. Once we leave the European Union we will, once again, be free to forge mutually beneficial relationships with peoples all over the globe.

Drawing on the genius of the great economists of our Union’s history, this Kingdom will once again be at the forefront of global free trade. Once again, it will fall to Britain and her close allies to make the Smith, Mill and Ricardo’s moral and economic case for markets, free trade and comparative advantage.

Key to our success in this endeavour is the preparedness of the next generation to compete and sell their wares in a global economy. In an ever more technical world, it is important that pupils leave school with the knowledge that will best prepare them for the demands of life in 21st century Britain.

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Business Language Champions

25 August 2017 (SCILT/CISS)

The Business Language Champions (BLC) scheme helps schools and businesses to build partnerships through languages in order to support teachers in developing young people’s learning about the world of work and their understanding of the value of language skills to their future employability.

Find out more about BLCs via the case studies section of our website. 

To request a business link for your school email SCILT to receive a link to the online registration form.

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New job profile on SCILT's website

18 August 2017 (SCILT)

The job profiles on our website cover a range of professions where languages are being used.

Our latest addition comes from Emma Gallacher, whose language skills have taken her from Scotland to the Costa Blanca, where she now works as receptionist for an established Real Estate firm. She firmly believes learning the language has enabled her to settle and integrate into the Spanish way of life.

Teachers use our profiles in the classroom to enhance learning about the world of work and how language skills can play a part.

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Braehead Primary School Stirling - Getting to grips with languages!

15 August 2017 (SCILT/CISS/Braehead PS)

The children of Braehead Primary have been making languages come alive through a collaborative project with Historic Environment Scotland (HES) at Stirling Castle. This project saw P5 pupils working in groups on a number of different tasks. The end result was a virtual tour of Stirling Castle in Chinese, signage in Chinese, language training for castle tour guides and maps of the castle in Chinese. Learners' literacy skills benefited from the project, and their understanding about the world of work increased.

You can see the film in Chinese, set within the castle walls, on the school’s YouTube channel. The film will be entered for the British Film Festival awards in London in October.

The project had a positive impact on the wider school community.  The school has recently launched a Chinese character challenge. This is a whole-school competition where one character a week is introduced on their interactive wall in the dining hall – highly visible to all. At the end of term, pupils and teachers will take part in a quiz based on these characters with Chinese-themed prizes up for the taking! Pupils continue to produce language podcasts in Chinese and other languages. The podcasts can be accessed via the Braehead Primary Languages Café on the school’s website.

There are six classes at Braehead learning Chinese as L3 from P4 to P6. The P5s are the trailblazers and have been learning the language for nearly two years.

Read the full case study of the project for replicable ideas for your own school context to support partnership working and help your school deliver on Developing the Young Workforce.


photo of Braehead PS Stirling Castle project wall displayBraehead PS What I have learnt wall display

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Slump in foreign language students sparks fear for UK competitiveness

5 August 2017 (The Herald)

FRESH concerns have been raised that not enough youngsters are learning foreign languages, as figures show a slump in applications to study the subject at university.

The numbers of applications for degree courses linked to European languages have fallen by almost a quarter in the past five years, while the numbers for other language courses have dropped by almost a fifth, according to an analysis by the Press Association. At the same time, there has been a decline in the numbers studying languages traditionally offered by schools, such as French and German, to GCSE and A-level.

The analysis indicates Spanish has grown in popularity in recent times along with other courses, such as Arabic and Chinese.

The British Council, which specialises in international cultural relations, warned that if the UK is to remain globally competitive in the wake of Brexit it needs more young people to be learning languages.

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These are the languages employers want most - and how much it could add to your salary

2 August 2017 (Birmingham Mail / The Mirror)

A new study has found the most lucrative foreign languages for British workers to learn.

Apparently, Japanese and the Chinese languages offer average salaries of more than £31,000 for those who can speak them.

Adzuna compiled the study to mark the anniversary of the Brexit vote.

And researchers uncovered the languages most in demand by UK employers, alongside how much they are willing to pay for them.

A growing interest in non-European languages was revealed, with Japanese, Chinese, Arabic and Russian all featuring in the UK's top 10 most wanted languages, according to the Mirror.

Read more...

Coming soon: SCILT Associates

23 June 2017 (SCILT)

New for session 2017/18, SCILT is compiling a database of partners and stakeholders, including teachers from all sectors, who wish to become associate members of the SCILT team.

Throughout the year, we may contact our associates if we are planning either a project or piece of work where we require additional capacity, expertise or advice.

If you think you might like to work more closely with the team and help us enlarge the 'SCILT family', then please keep your eye on the bulletin at the start of the new session when we will be able to give further information and sign up details.

Why just speaking English isn’t going to cut it anymore

15 June 2017 (The Conversation)

Britain is facing an uncertain future and an uneasy relationship with Europe after Brexit and the latest general election. Among other things, a key determiner of the success of Brexit will be the UK’s ability to conduct negotiations without language barriers. But the country’s woeful inability to learn languages, and the decline in foreign language learning among school and university students across Britain, does not bode well.

Of course, Welsh, Gaelic, Irish and Cornish are already spoken in some parts of the UK. And while it’s great to see many of these minority languages experiencing something of a revival over recent years, when it comes to life after Brexit it’s languages from further afield that will likely be most useful to Brits.

Many people in the UK may well ask “why we need languages” when “everyone in Europe speaks English anyway”. Indeed, all Brexit negotiations will be conducted in English. But given that the UK’s lack of foreign language skill is estimated to cost the nation up to £48 billion a year, this isn’t something that can just be ignored. Especially considering this figure is unlikely to decrease in post-Brexit Britain.

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Why Learning A New Language Is Always A Good Career Move

8 June 2017 (Huffington Post)

In a global economy, simply telling your potential employer that you have what it takes to get the job done doesn’t cut it anymore. Hiring managers at top firms weigh in many factors – some of which might be out of your control. In trying to land that dream job, you may find yourself outmaneuvered by a well-connected candidate or, in many cases, simply pitted against more accomplished peers.

In spite of tough competition, there’s a way for you to stand out: master a foreign language.

In a recent report by the New American Economy, the number of U.S. companies looking for bilingual workers has more than doubled in the last five years. The demand for foreign language proficiency is now at 630,000, a huge jump from 240,000 open positions for candidates with bilingual abilities in 2010. This trend will only continue despite the recent misguided shifts towards nationalism in the US and abroad.

In the past, the majority of listings involved hospitality and customer-service industries. Much has changed over time. Today, the fastest growing categories for bilingual positions now includes financial managers, industrial engineers and editors. We currently have presidents of investment firms, tech giants, and manufacturing companies taking our language courses. They see the value in gaining at least a basic level of understanding in a foreign language. The benefits of language training however are not only for high level executives. Over the years, it has become more evident that bilingual employees have an edge, no matter where they are in the skills-spectrum.

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Celebrating BLC success!

2 June 2017 (CISS)

Pupils from Lasswade High School were presented with certificates and a badge each on Wednesday 31 May for completing an app which they designed for young Chinese visitors to Edinburgh Castle.

The S3 pupils had researched Edinburgh Castle, making a visit before and after designing the trail (the latter visit to test it). With the support of the app company, 'Global Treasure Apps', they created a trail for young speakers of Chinese who might visit the castle. This is an age group the castle want to attract to the premises more effectively; moreover, the number of tourists from China is increasing all the time. After London, Edinburgh Castle is the second favourite spot for Chinese visitors to the UK.

The S3 pupils worked in teams and the winning team all received a phone charger from the app company.

The pupils will build on their success and most will continue with Mandarin into S4.

This is a good example of a Business Language Champions (BLC) project impacting on uptake in the Senior Phase: working together with outside partners such as Historic Environment Scotland, the app company and CISS.

Visit the BLC pages of our website for more information about the scheme and to find out how schools and businesses can get involved.

BLC participants at Lasswade High SchoolBLC presentations at Lasswade High School

Online course: How to succeed in the global workplace

11 May 2017 (British Council)

Beginning your career or starting a new job brings to mind lots of questions, so we’ve designed a course to guide you through those initial weeks and months so you can make a positive start to your career.

You’ll see videos from employers, giving you insights from around the world into what they look for from their employees. You’ll learn how to communicate across cultures and discover the skills to build and maintain relationships with colleagues, managers and clients.

This is a free 4-week course and is hosted online by FutureLearn.

Read more...

New job profile on SCILT's website

28 April 2017 (SCILT)

The job profiles on our website cover a range of professions where languages are being used.

Our latest addition comes from Charlie Foot, founder of Bili, the online language exchange platform for schools. Charlie explains how speaking to people in their own language creates opportunities for much deeper connections and cultural understanding.

Teachers use our profiles in the classroom to enhance learning about the world of work and how language skills can play a part.

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Business Brunch 2017 events webpage now live!

25 April 2017 (SCILT)

A series of five successful Business Brunch events organised by SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages in partnership with the University Council for Modern Languages Scotland took place this year where 535 learners from S3-S6 were given the opportunity to hear from a wide range of exciting business leaders who view language skills as key to the growth and success of their company.

The events demonstrated the relevance of language skills in a work context and aimed to encourage pupils to continue with their language studies into the senior phase of their secondary education, and beyond school.

Find out more about the events on our new Business Brunch 2017 webpage.

Read more...

New job profile on the SCILT website

21 April 2017 (SCILT)

We have a selection of job profiles on our website demonstrating languages being used in a wide range of professions.

Our latest addition comes from David Rodger, Area Manager at Amazon Germany. He tells how people engage with you and realise you're on their side if you demonstrate the willingness to understand their language and culture.

Teachers use our profiles in the classroom to enhance learning about the world of work and how language skills can play a part.

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Biscuits galore!

20 April 2017 (CISS)

For some S2 pupils from Elgin Academy, the term began with a busy and exciting visit to Walkers Shortbread HQ in Aberlour, Moray.

The pupils have been studying Mandarin since January with the support of the Hanban teacher Sufang Wang and under the guidance of Jerome Lestienne, PT of Modern Languages. The pupils presented to members of the International team from Walkers and the HR team. The presentations reflected what they had learnt so far, which included simple greetings, some numbers (and how to express numbers with hand gestures) and explanations of what is peculiar to the Chinese language such as learning tones, characters, etc.

The presentations also incorporated advice on effective “dos and don’ts” of Chinese Business Etiquette. These were well received by the International Team, who later explained they are increasingly doing business with China. It is now one of the top ten countries with whom they deal and in the near future will be opening an office in Shanghai.

Pupils were judged on presentation skills, clarity of delivery, content, structure and language skills. (The latter were judged by members from CISS and the Hanban teacher.) The winning group were generously rewarded with a prize and all pupils left with a goodie bag.

Pupils were asked questions by the team regarding how they found learning Chinese. They replied they had found it interesting and were grateful to have the chance to learn some Chinese whilst at school.

The Director of the International Team thanked them for the useful and stimulating presentations. He highlighted the fact that future employees with such knowledge would be most welcome for the company to employ.
Walkers' staff enjoying the presentationElgin Academy pupils presenting

All Junior Cert pupils to study a foreign language under new plan

19 April 2017 (News Talk)

(Applies to Ireland) All pupils will study a foreign language for their Junior Cert by 2021 under ambitious new plans being announced by the Education Minister.

The strategy also aims to increase the number of Leaving Cert students studying a foreign language by 10%.

Chinese will be introduced as a Leaving Cert subject for the first time, while so-called 'heritage languages' such as Polish, Lithuanian and Portuguese will get a proper curriculum.

Speaking to Pat Kenny, Minister Richard Bruton explained: "We are going to have to, post-Brexit, realise that one of the common weaknesses of English speaking countries - that we disregard foreign languages - has to be addressed in Ireland.

"We need now to trade in the growth areas - and many of those speak Spanish, Portuguese and Mandarin. Those are the languages that we need to learn to continue to trade successfully."

On the subject of Eastern European languages, he observed: "We now have many Lithuanians and Polish here, and we can develop those languages.

"We also need to use programmes like Erasmus - we want to increase our participation there by 50%. Clearly it has to become more immersed in the language.

"At the moment if you look at Leaving Cert and Junior Cert, French dominates. French is a lovely language, but we need to recognise that we need to diversify into other languages."

Read more...

Prepare British children for life after Brexit – teach them another language

10 April 2017 (The Conversation)

The formal negotiations to untangle the UK from the intricacies of the European Union are now well underway. And it is clear that looking forward, Britain’s new relationship with the EU will necessitate conducting trade and political communications in a new dynamic – one which is unlikely to be done in the medium of English.

When the UK leaves the EU there will be no member state remaining where English is the lead official language. “Ah”, you say, “what about Ireland, they speak English there”. Yes they do, but in Ireland, Irish Gaelic is considered the first official language.

So to trade with the EU, the UK will need high-level negotiators fluent in German, French and Spanish, which it currently does not have.

Additionally, leaving the EU will result in a restriction of immigrants from across EU member states. The need for visas will drastically reduce the number of workers who can come to the UK to fill jobs British people are either unwilling or unable to do.

And recognising this gap, the Foreign and Common Wealth office and the Ministry of Defence have opened in-house training centres to provide lessons in up to 80 different languages for their staff.

Read more...

Why Britain's monolingualism could be costly for the nation

5 April 2017 (World Economic Forum)

As the UK prepares to leave the EU, it has a huge number of considerations to ensure its economy prospers. One, which is perhaps overlooked, is Britain’s language policy and how important this is as an economic resource. A strategic language policy and the cultivation of language experts in post-Brexit Britain are essential if it wants to connect with fresh markets overseas.

This has long been a feature of international diplomacy – stretching back long before globalisation as we know it. All the big powers of the Old World depended on understanding other people’s languages to trade across cultures. A “modern” solution was found in Babylonia, an ancient commercial metropolitan hub in the Near East, where a polyglot community of traders came together from the Mediterranean, Persia and Turkey, and beyond.

There are accounts of King Hammurabi deftly exploiting his city’s growing cultural mix as a resource in the 1790s BC. He used bilingual foreign traders as cross-cultural brokers. With their language skills, they played a key role in facilitating long-range trade with distant markets.

One of the biggest challenges facing the UK economy now is a skills shortage. Although funding is promised to support technical skills training, UK business also requires professionals with language skills to achieve sales in fresh markets. These experts will need to speak the languages of trading partners and understand the cultures of new overseas contacts to negotiate and seal deals. Investment in this crucial soft skill is needed.

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New job profile on the SCILT website

31 March 2017 (SCILT)

We have a selection of job profiles on our website demonstrating languages being used in a wide range of professions.

Our latest addition comes from Jane Robb, PhD student at the Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich. Jane has studied several languages, including French, German and Spanish and says her Spanish language skills enable her to conduct fieldwork and live and work in Guatemala.

Teachers use our profiles in the classroom to enhance learning about the world of work and how language skills can play a part.

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British business will need its foreign language speakers

22 March 2017 (FT)

Theresa May will trigger Article 50 on March 29, but much of UK business has no idea what Brexit will mean for them. During discussions in the past few weeks, I have heard of financial services companies applying for licences in EU countries in case they need to move some of their operations there. But most businesses are watching and waiting to assess what comes out of the negotiations.

There is one thing many companies are sure of: they cannot manage without their EU staff. It is not just the numbers of EU nationals working in many industries. Some companies are also desperate to hold on to the languages those citizens speak.

Read more...

New job profile on SCILT's website

17 March 2017 (SCILT)

For relevant, labour-market focused career advice on languages, direct from the workplace, read our latest Job Profile from Lynn Sheppard, Masters Student and travel writer, former English teacher, diplomat and civil servant.

Lynn tells how languages have not only helped in all her diverse job roles, but in developing and maintaining personal and professional relationships around the globe. Language skills have given her a cultural insight into how others think and behave.

Teachers, use this resource in your classroom to enhance learning about the world of work.

Read more...

New job profile on SCILT's website

10 March 2017 (SCILT)

We have a range of Job Profiles on our website designed for teachers to use in the classroom to enhance learning about the world of work and how language skills can play a part.

Our latest addition comes from Kirsten Matthews, a Distillery Tour Guide and Public Service Interpreter. Kirsten tells us her language skills make it possible for her to perform a service and to help people in her roles.

You can see Kirsten's profile on our website.

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From busuu to Babble, language-learning startups adapt to thrive

7 March 2017 (The Guardian)

Language learning is big business. Each year, students coming to study English in the UK contribute £2bn to the economy. It’s also a market suited to the flexibility of mobile learning and, sure enough, language learning apps are seeking to fill the gaps – more than 350 are listed on the Apple App Store alone.

But language tech isn’t an easy space in which to succeed. Rapid changes in technology have meant that its startups have had to adapt to survive, as Bernhard Niesner, co-founder of busuu, can attest.

Originally from Austria, Niesner had always loved languages: he learned Spanish and travelled in Latin America before undertaking an MBA at the IE Business School in Madrid. There he met Adrian Hilti, originally from Switzerland. It was 2008, Facebook was expanding rapidly, and the two wondered if they could combine technology and learning a language with social media.

So busuu, named after a Cameroonian language, was born, teaching users with interactive courses coupled with a social network of native speakers.

Read more...

New Job Profile on the SCILT website

3 March 2017 (SCILT)

For relevant, labour-market focused career advice on languages, direct from the workplace, read our latest Job Profile from Sandie Robb, Senior Education Officer for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS).

Working on conservation projects around the globe, Sandie explains how knowing even a little of a language is respectable and polite when working with colleagues worldwide.

Teachers, use this resource in your classroom to enhance learning about the world of work.

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Lazy monolinguals will hurt your business: The compelling case for bringing language learning into the workplace

27 February 2017 (CityA.M.)

The UK’S future relationship with Europe is far from certain. With many of Brexit’s economic consequences still panning out, it is a good time to reflect on how the UK can maintain a global trading edge after its exit from the EU.

In this respect, post-Brexit UK companies would do well to embrace foreign languages as a matter of urgency in order to cement the creation of effective cultural and business relationships with prospective EU and non-EU trading partners.

While English is undoubtedly one of the most widely spoken languages in the world and largely used as the lingua franca in corporate diplomacy, I believe that a lack of intercultural and language competence on the UK’s part could jeopardise the future global standing and prosperity of its businesses.

As former German Chancellor Willy Brandt put it over 40 years ago: “if I am selling to you, I speak your language. If I am buying, dann müssen Sie Deutsch sprechen”. Indeed, multilingual businesses are proven to benefit from richer interactions between partners, employees, suppliers and customers as well as increased sales and return on investment. It also offers a significant edge on the competition by enabling a wider customer and client base.

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New student profile on SCILT's website

24 February 2017 (SCILT)

We have a range of Job Profiles on our website designed for teachers to use in the classroom to enhance learning about the world of work and how language skills can play a part.

Our latest addition comes from Emma Therer, a student of German and Linguistics, whose aim is to become a translator and interpreter. She believes languages are key in getting to know people and to learn about other cultures.

Read her profile and others on our website now.

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New job profile on SCILT's website

17 February 2017 (SCILT)

For relevant, labour-market focused career advice on languages, direct from the workplace, read our latest Job Profile from Katie Targett-Adams, a professional singer and harpist currently based in Hong Kong. Teachers, use this resource in your classroom to enhance learning about the world of work.

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Business brunches: Inspiring Scotland’s future global workforce

14 February 2017 (SCILT)

Young people from eleven schools across the north east of Scotland had the opportunity to engage with local businesses at the Beach Ballroom in Aberdeen on 9 February 2017. 116 learners from S3-S6 heard from a range of business leaders who view language skills as key to the growth and success of their company. The Business Brunch demonstrated the relevance of language skills in a work context and aimed to encourage pupils to continue with their language studies into the senior phase of their secondary education, and beyond school.

A teacher attending the event said: “Today’s event gave learners the opportunity to engage with local employers and discover the relevance of language skills here, in their local area. Pupils were able to see that they might even need a language that is not taught at their school, but the skills they develop whilst learning any language are transferable and therefore valuable.”

One of the young people added to this and commented: “I learnt that no matter what career you pursue, it can be very useful to be able to speak a different language. It can broaden your horizons.”

Virginie Jégat from TOTAL E&P UK LIMITED and one of the workshop leaders stated: “Here at TOTAL E&P UK we see on a daily basis the benefit of languages in the workplace. The ability to speak another language adds huge value to the business experience, whilst increasing cultural understanding within the workforce and towards our clients.”

The event was organised by SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages based at University of Strathclyde in partnership with the University Council for Modern Languages Scotland. Companies attending included Aberdeen City Council, University of Aberdeen, The Chester Hotel, China-Britain Business Council, VisitScotland, TOTAL E&P UK LIMITED and Scottish Dance Theatre. Schools represented were Banchory Academy, Banff Academy, Buckie High School, Dyce Academy, Harlaw Academy, Hazlehead Academy, Inverurie Academy, Meldrum Academy, Mintlaw Academy, Peterhead Academy and The Gordon Schools.

Fhiona Mackay, Director of SCILT said: “Events such as these are a really important way of providing young people with high quality careers advice delivered by the business people themselves and of demonstrating to them the value of language skills in our increasingly globalised world”.

Meaningful employer engagement and providing relevant careers advice are both key recommendations of Scotland’s Youth Employment Strategy, “Developing the young workforce”. This Business Brunch supported these aims by giving young people the opportunity to ask questions and find out more about the role of languages in the business world. The targets laid out in the Scottish Attainment Challenge are about achieving equity in educational outcomes, with a particular focus on closing the poverty-related attainment gap. Through hearing from a range of business leaders and interacting with employees, the aspirations of the young people who attended were raised.

This collaboration between schools and businesses supported Scotland’s International Policy to equip young people with international communication and employability skills that they will need in our increasingly globalised society and economy. The event is one of a series of Business Brunches being held across Scotland in January and February 2017.

Read more...

Inspiring Scotland’s future global workforce in Edinburgh

7 February 2017 (SCILT)

Young people from 14 schools across Scotland had the opportunity to engage with local businesses at Surgeons’ Hall, Edinburgh on 30 January 2017. 140 learners from S3 to S6 heard from a range of business leaders who view language skills as key to the growth and success of their company. The Business Brunch demonstrated the relevance of language skills in a work context and aimed to encourage pupils to continue with their language studies into the senior phase of their secondary education, and beyond school.

A teacher attending the event said: “Pupils are much more engaged in language learning as a result of attending the event. They are now aware of the relevance of language skills in the wider world. The speakers really brought to life the things we emphasise in class and showed them how languages are important.”

One of the young people added to this, and commented: “I learnt that languages are important and can help your career in lots of different ways. It was inspiring to discover the range of careers involving languages and to hear real life experiences of languages in the workplace.”

Sonia Valcarcel from VisitScotland, one of the workshop leaders, stated: “Speaking another language made me free to travel around the world, meet amazing people and work in some great jobs within the tourism sector. I would encourage all the young people attending today to consider language skills seriously when planning for their future.”

The event was organised by SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages based at University of Strathclyde in partnership with the University Council for Modern Languages Scotland. Companies attending included Asia Scotland Institute, VisitScotland, National Galleries Scotland, National Library of Scotland, GlobalScot and China-Britain Business Council. Schools represented were Armadale Academy, Dalbeattie High School, Dunfermline High School, Eastwood High School, Greenfaulds High School, Kelso High School, Larbert High School, Lornshill Academy, Newbattle Community High School, Preston Lodge High School, St Modan's High School, St Ninian's High School, Trinity Academy and Whitburn Academy.

Fhiona Mackay, Director of SCILT said: “Events such as these are a really important way of providing young people with high quality careers advice delivered by the business people themselves and of demonstrating to them the value of language skills in our increasingly globalised world”.

Meaningful employer engagement and providing relevant careers advice are both key recommendations of Scotland’s Youth Employment Strategy, “Developing the young workforce”. This Business Brunch supported these aims by giving young people the opportunity to ask questions and find out more about the role of languages in the business world. The targets laid out in the Scottish Attainment Challenge are about achieving equity in educational outcomes, with a particular focus on closing the poverty-related attainment gap. Through hearing from a range of business leaders and interacting with employees, the aspirations of the young people who attended were raised.

This collaboration between schools and businesses supported Scotland’s International Policy to equip young people with international communication and employability skills that they will need in our increasingly globalised society and economy. The event is one of a series of Business Brunches being held across Scotland in January and February 2017.

More information on SCILT’s 2017 Business Brunches.

Why multilingualism is good for economic growth

3 February 2017 (The Conversation)

'If your strategy is to trade only with people that speak English that’s going to be a poor strategy.'

Top US economist Larry Summers recently tweeted this in relation to America’s focus on its so-called special relationship with the UK. And he’s right. The economic impact on the US – or any other country – that closes off its trade barriers with countries that are different to it would be enormous.

Language matters on a large-scale national level and at the level of smaller businesses.

Read more...

Josh Martin, student of Psychology & German and part-time racing driver

3 February 2017 (SCILT)

Our Job Profiles are designed for teachers to use in the classroom to enhance learning about the world of work and how language skills can play a part.

Our latest addition comes from student and part-time racing driver, Josh Martin, who appreciates how languages are key in helping him communicate with fans around the world and in negotiating sponsorship deals.

Read his profile and others on our website now.

Read more...

Business brunches: Inspiring Scotland’s future global workforce in Inverness

31 January 2017 (SCILT)

Young people from ten schools across the north of Scotland had the opportunity to engage with local businesses at the Kingsmill Hotel, Inverness on 25 January 2017. 90 learners from S3 and S4 heard from a range of business leaders who view language skills as key to the growth and success of their company. The Business Brunch demonstrated the relevance of language skills in a work context and aimed to encourage pupils to continue with their language studies into the senior phase of their secondary education, and beyond school.

A teacher attending the event said: “Today’s event has highlighted to learners the variety of benefits of having another language. It also gave them a real insight into how other people, aside from teachers, use languages in their jobs.”

One of the young people added to this, and commented: “The quality of speakers was brilliant and the event made me understand how my language skills really are important. I know now that I should seriously consider carrying on with them next year.”

Iain Hamilton, Head of Creative Industries at Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the keynote speaker, stated: “Our work is based on creating networks of people who can work together to achieve more. Making an effort to speak to partners in their own languages, even if it is limited, helps to create trust and a much more productive relationship. It’s a sign of willingness to make a real partnership.”

The event was organised by SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages based at University of Strathclyde, in partnership with the University Council for Modern Languages Scotland. Companies attending included HIE Creative Industries, XpoNorth Music, Scottish Football Association, National Trust for Scotland (Culloden Battlefield), The Tomatin Distillery Co Ltd, GlobalScot, and DIAGEO Glen Ord Distillery. Schools represented were Alness Academy, Dingwall Academy, Farr High School, Fortrose Academy, Keith Grammar School, Kingussie High School, Millburn Academy, Plockton High School, Thurso High School and Ullapool High School.

Fhiona Mackay, Director of SCILT said: “Events such as these are a really important way of providing young people with high quality careers advice delivered by the business people themselves and of demonstrating to them the value of language skills in our increasingly globalised world”.

Meaningful employer engagement and providing relevant careers advice are both key recommendations of Scotland’s Youth Employment Strategy, “Developing the young workforce”. This Business Brunch supported these aims by giving young people the opportunity to ask questions and find out more about the role of languages in the business world. The targets laid out in the Scottish Attainment Challenge are about achieving equity in educational outcomes, with a particular focus on closing the poverty-related attainment gap. Through hearing from a range of business leaders and interacting with employees, the aspirations of the young people who attended were raised.

This collaboration between schools and businesses supported Scotland’s International Policy to equip young people with international communication and employability skills that they will need in our increasingly globalised society and economy. The event is one of a series of Business Brunches being held across Scotland in January and February 2017.

More information on SCILT’s 2017 Business Brunches.

New Job Profile on SCILT's website

27 January 2017 (SCILT)

Inspire the future generation with relevant career advice on languages direct from the workplace via the Job Profiles on our website. These resources are designed for teachers to use in the classroom to enhance learning about the world of work and how language skills can play a part.

Our latest addition comes from modern languages teacher, Olivia Ingleby, who tells how language skills helped her discover new places, cultures and the varied opportunities that brought prior to becoming a languages teacher.

Read more...

Business brunches: Inspiring Scotland’s future global workforce in Dundee

24 January 2017 (SCILT)

Young people from eight schools across Tayside and Fife had the opportunity to engage with local businesses at the University of Dundee on 18 January 2017. 70 learners from S3-S6 heard from a range of business leaders who view language skills as key to the growth and success of their company. The Business Brunch demonstrated the relevance of language skills in a work context and aimed to encourage pupils to continue with their language studies into the senior phase of their secondary education, and beyond school.

A teacher attending the event said: “Today’s event has given my pupils real food for thought. Before, I think most of them would have said that you would only really use languages in teaching or translating. However, having heard from the different speakers, they have realised very quickly that languages are used for much more than that.”

One of the young people added to this, and commented: “The event today showed me that, even if you haven’t specialised in language study, for example getting a degree in a modern language, there is still a high chance you will end up using language skills in a small or large part of your job and that knowing a language can open up many more opportunities.”

Dawn Hartley from Scottish Dance Theatre, one of the workshop leaders, stated: “Our dancers come from all over the world, and our choreographers too. We travel to many different countries so we’re constantly grateful for all the various language skills our staff have – we always need them!”

The event was organised by SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages as part of a series of cross-sector partnership activities with the University Council for Modern Languages Scotland. Companies attending included Michelin, Valentine International Business Connections LLP, Scottish Dance Theatre, Tokheim Ltd, Outplay Entertainment Ltd and University of Dundee. Schools represented were Brechin High School, Bell Baxter High School, Harris Academy, Montrose Academy, Morrison’s Academy, Webster's High School, Craigie High School and Braeview Academy.

Fhiona Mackay, Director of SCILT said: “Events such as these are a really important way of providing young people with high quality careers advice delivered by the business people themselves and of demonstrating to them the value of language skills in our increasingly globalised world”.

Marion Spöring, Chair of UCML Scotland added: “The learning of languages is not only fun, but also essential for future employment opportunities of our young people in Scotland. Languages set the foundation for varied careers, for future engineers as well as artists and in tourism, to name but a few.”

Meaningful employer engagement and providing relevant careers advice are both key recommendations of Scotland’s Youth Employment Strategy, “Developing the young workforce”. This Business Brunch supported these aims by giving young people the opportunity to ask questions and find out more about the role of languages in the business world. The targets laid out in the Scottish Attainment Challenge are about achieving equity in educational outcomes, with a particular focus on closing the poverty-related attainment gap. Through hearing from a range of business leaders and interacting with employees, the aspirations of the young people who attended were raised.

This collaboration between schools and businesses supported Scotland’s International Policy to equip young people with international communication and employability skills that they will need in our increasingly globalised society and economy. The event is one of a series of Business Brunches being held across Scotland in January and February 2017.

More information on SCILT’s 2017 Business Brunches.

Inspiring Scotland’s future global workforce - Business Brunch launch

23 January 2017 (SCILT)

Young people from thirteen schools across the west of Scotland had the opportunity to engage with local businesses in the first of a series of Business Brunch events, held at University of Strathclyde on 13 January 2017. 130 learners from S3-S6 heard from a range of business leaders who view language skills as key to the growth and success of their company. The event demonstrated the relevance of language skills in a work context and aimed to encourage pupils to continue with their language studies into the senior phase of their secondary education, and beyond school.

A teacher attending the event said: “Today’s event was a fantastic opportunity. It has given my pupils a deeper appreciation that language learning is not just about the words but that being able to speak a language can break down so many barriers in so many different ways, including our own perceptions of people and countries.”

One of the young people added to this and commented: “I learned that cultural awareness and language skills are an important aspect of day-to-day business and also important to bigger companies. Language and cultural awareness is important in helping understand foreign business partners and in earning their trust.”

Eric Balish, Director of Trade Finance Scotland and Ireland at Bank ABC and one of the workshop leaders told the learners: “Life is a competition. Most of your competitors speak at least two and perhaps multiple languages. Speaking English is simply not enough to thrive and prosper now, far less in the future. Our business is anchored in financing international trade. We have a particular focus on trade into the Middle East and North Africa and also Brazil. However, we operate throughout Europe. As a consequence it is vital that we can communicate in a broad range of languages.”

The event was organised by SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages in partnership with the University Council for Modern Languages Scotland. Companies attending included Shepherd and Wedderburn LLP, Radio Lingua, Keppie Design, Bank ABC and Russian Centre ‘Haven’. Schools represented were St Luke's High School, Caldervale High School, Marr College, Duncanrig Secondary School, Shawlands Academy, Holyrood RC Secondary School, Hyndland Secondary School, Largs Academy, Kirkintilloch High School, Trinity High School, St Margaret Mary’s Secondary, Williamwood High School and Clydebank High School.

Fhiona Mackay, Director of SCILT said: “Events such as these are a really important way of providing young people with high quality careers advice delivered by the business people themselves and of demonstrating to them the value of language skills in our increasingly globalised world”.

Meaningful employer engagement and providing relevant careers advice are both key recommendations of Scotland’s Youth Employment Strategy, “Developing the young workforce”. This Business Brunch supported these aims by giving young people the opportunity to ask questions and find out more about the role of languages in the business world. The targets laid out in the Scottish Attainment Challenge are about achieving equity in educational outcomes, with a particular focus on closing the poverty-related attainment gap. Through hearing from a range of business leaders and interacting with employees, the aspirations of the young people who attended were raised.

This collaboration between schools and businesses supported Scotland’s International Policy to equip young people with international communication and employability skills that they will need in our increasingly globalised society and economy. The event is the first of a series of Business Brunches being held across Scotland in January and February 2017.

Read more...

New STEM job profile on SCILT's website

20 January 2017 (SCILT)

If you're looking for relevant career advice on languages direct from the workplace, read the Job Profiles on our website. These resources are designed for teachers to use in the classroom to enhance learning about the world of work and how language skills can play a part.

Our latest addition comes from John Barry, a former petroleum engineer and manager with Shell, who explains how his language skills helped him to develop his career with the company.

Read more...

Why making languages non-compulsory at GCSE is a step backwards

17 January 2017 (The Telegraph)

I am nervous as I take my seat in front of the Head of Languages; it is GCSE choices evening and the school gym has been transformed, criss-crossed by rows of tables and chairs with eager parents and their offspring gathered around harried-looking teachers.

“I'd like to do Triple Language,” I say, “French, Spanish and Italian.”

She regards me over the top of her sheet full of names, in front of her.

“Oh no, I don't think so. You could do Spanish, maybe, but you'll find three too difficult.”

Seven years later and I am on the brink of successfully completing my undergraduate degree in, you guessed it, languages. And whilst I look back on that exchange now with a certain degree of victorious pride, I still can't help but wonder what prompted her to turn a perfectly capable student away from her course.

In this performance-obsessed climate where a pupil's grades are often put before their education, it is unsurprising that even some of the best teachers find themselves advising students against courses which are deemed too challenging. But we must do away with the notion that languages are an elite subject if we are to improve the dire situation in which we now find ourselves.

Read more...

New Job Profile on the SCILT website

13 January 2017 (SCILT)

Our Job Profiles provide relevant, labour-market focused career advice on languages, direct from the workplace.

Teachers, use them in your classroom to enhance learning about the world of work.

Read our new Job Profile from Dawn Hartley, Head of Creative Learning at Scottish Dance Theatre.

Read more...

In or out of the EU, UK businesses can’t afford to reject language learning

6 December 2016 (CEO)

Brexit has raised many questions over the future competitive trading position of Britain in Europe. While the economic impact of the political upheaval still plays out, it is a good time to pause and reflect on the fact that for a long time, UK companies have put themselves at a disadvantage in Europe; perhaps without even realising it. That disadvantage comes from a lack of language skills.

While it’s fair to say that English is the lingua franca of many corporations, it is also true that global companies can enjoy richer, more productive interactions with customers, suppliers, overseas colleagues and partners when they are able to operate within different cultures in different languages.

And while enhancing and improving business relationships is a universally useful endeavor, it would be a mistake to think that language skills in business are a matter of mere social niceties. In fact, they have significant material impact on the bottom line. Mark Herbert at the British Council summed it up nicely when he cited the estimated, “tens of billions in missed trade and business opportunities every year” resulting from the UK’s shortage of language skills.

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The top 100 universities in the world for employability revealed

21 November 2016 (The Independent)

Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial College London, King’s College London and the University of Manchester all ranked highly in terms of graduate employability.

[..] Taking into consideration opinions from 2,500 recruitment managers from international companies in 20 countries around the world, researchers named “professional experience” as the most important factor when predicting a graduate’s employability.

A high degree of specialism, and proficiency in at least two foreign languages were also hailed as important skills favoured by recruiters.

Responding to the results, Vicky Gough, a spokesperson for the British Council, said: “Despite languages being valued by employers the world over – as this latest ranking shows – the UK is currently facing a shortfall in these vital skills."

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Too few UK students are studying overseas, and it’s a problem

17 November 2016 (THE)

This week is the British Council’s International Education Week, which promotes the benefits of international learning and cultural exchange.

The UK is a global hub for international students with more than 400,000 studying here last year. Yet British students travelling outside the UK to study is relatively rare, and this is a problem. Just 1.3 per cent of UK students travelled abroad to study or go on work placement in 2014-15.

For graduates to find jobs and succeed in today’s post-Brexit world, they need international and cross-cultural knowledge. It is also critical for the UK’s competitiveness in international markets that the next generation entering the workplace understands how to compete globally.

Employers expect graduates to appreciate cultural diversity, universal business language and be familiar with globalisation. However, in terms of having a global mindset, nearly a quarter of employers (24 per cent) have rated graduates as weak in this area.

Read more...

'Now More Than Ever’ - Why The UK Needs To Make More Time For Language Learning In The Run Up To Brexit

17 November 2016 (Huffington Post)

'Language skills matter now more than ever’ - that is the resounding message coming from the British Council’s latest piece of research on language learning in the post-Brexit landscape. But with language uptake low in schools - and the majority of us admitting our own linguistic skills are rusty at best - what can be done to make sure languages get the recognition they deserve as the UK prepares to leave the EU?

Well the good news is that the majority of us recognise the vital role that languages have to play in the current climate. Out of the 2,000 UK adults surveyed by Populus in our new poll for International Education Week, 63 per cent saw the ability to speak other languages as being essential if the country is to remain “outward looking”. 61 per cent said they were more vital than ever if the UK is to remain “open for business” in light of the result of the EU referendum.

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Grab opportunities in this Century of Asia

16 November 2016 (The Scotsman)

Scotland’s people have, historically, been our greatest asset, making a significant impact both within the UK and abroad. The impact made overseas by Scots has been remarkable given our small population.

The Scottish Government’s own strategy incorporates “the Four Is” s as highest priorities, beginning with “Investing in our people and infrastructure in a sustainable way”. But are we doing enough to unlock the true potential of Scotland and embrace the opportunities that arise, even in a post-Brexit environment?

A critical factor for Scotland will be the ability of its companies and institutions to engage effectively with many new markets. The majority of these sit in Asia and require a special knowledge of practices and customs to ensure success. Since most companies in Scotland are SMEs this means that they need to wake up to the need to create market entry strategies and produce the right products and services to attract both investors and customers or clients.

[..] Learning starts at an early age. The Scotland China Education Network (SCEN) was founded in 2006 by Dr Judith McClure to bring together individuals, national agencies and associations keen to promote the teaching of Chinese language and culture in Scottish schools.

Read more...

New job profile on the SCILT website

11 November 2016 (SCILT)

Our Job Profiles are designed to be used in the classroom to enhance learning about the world of work. They provide really relevant careers advice on languages, direct from the workplace, and cover a range of sectors. See our latest addition:
  • Claire Murphy, Translator - a translator at the European Commission, Claire speaks Spanish, German and Italian and is currently learning French. She explains how cultural knowledge is as important as language skills in her role.
See this and other job profiles on our website now.

Read more...

Lords debate on Brexit impact for HE funding and research

3 November 2016 (They Work For You)

The motion was raised in the House of Lords on 3 November 2016 that the House takes note of the potential impact of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union on funding for universities and scientific research.

During the debate, Baroness Garden of Frognal raised the importance of increasing and improving the UK's ability to communicate with the world in languages other than English following withdrawal from the EU.

The full debate can be accessed online.

Read more...

Opinion: Brexit and the importance of languages for Britain #5

1 November 2016 (University of Cambridge)

In the fifth of a new series of comment pieces written by linguists at Cambridge, Dr John Gallagher, historian of early modern Europe, argues that Britain should look to its past to rediscover the importance of language learning.

The article also includes links to the previous entries in the series.

Read more...

Business Brunches 2017

28 October 2016 (SCILT)

For the third year in succession SCILT, in partnership with University Council for Modern Languages (UCMLS) will be hosting a series of Business Brunch events across Scotland in January and February 2017. These will take place in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness.

Aimed specifically at S3 - S6 pupils, these events will demonstrate the relevance of language skills in a work context with the intention of encouraging pupils to continue with their language studies into the senior phase of their secondary education.

Registration is now open for the Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen events. (Edinburgh and Inverness will open soon).

To find out more and to register by 21 November, visit our Business Brunch 2017 webpage.

Read more...

Business partnership develops language and employability skills

28 October 2016 (SCILT)

Read about how a partnership between Queen Margaret Academy and Alex Begg enabled S1 pupils studying Chinese to develop their language and employability skills, as well as an understanding of the textile industry.

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Generation UK – China

6 October 2016 (British Council)

The British Council is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Scottish Government to support more students from Scottish universities to undertake internships in China through the British Council’s Generation UK – China campaign. The partnership will be focused on supporting Scottish students from low-income backgrounds to gain international experience in the world’s second-largest economy.

Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science, Shirley-Anne Somerville, said:

“This is a fantastic opportunity for Scottish students to develop highly valuable knowledge and skills working in one of the world’s fastest-growing and most dynamic economies. The Scottish Government’s support for this programme underlines our commitment to investing in Scotland’s future workforce and further strengthening our growing engagement with China.”

The Generation UK – China campaign will assist the Scottish Government in delivering its International Framework and in further strengthening relations with China. It will also develop the academic achievement and employability of students and recent graduates of Scotland’s higher education institutions.

“My experience interning in Beijing was fast-paced, exciting and always engaging,” said Justine Porter, a graduate of the University of Dundee who completed a two-month internship at a law firm in Beijing through the Generation UK – China campaign last year.

Visit the British Council website for more information.

Read more...

SCILT promotes languages skills for the tourism sector

4 October 2016 (SCILT)

Two schools engaged with local businesses to demonstrate to their pupils the value of languages skills in the tourist industry. Find out about the impact on the learners in our two new BLC case studies:

Scottish Dolphin Centre and Milne's High School

Sheraton Hotel and Holy Rood High School


Language skills for the tourism sector

29 September 2016 (Skills Development Scotland)

An action plan to help tourism employers develop the skills they need for further growth has been launched by the industry. The Skills Investment Plan for Scotland’s Tourism Sector features a three-year programme of initiatives aimed at helping Scotland’s tourism businesses improve skills in key areas and to attract new talent.

Industry consultations highlighted the requirement for further work in ensuring staff have the experience to deliver a high quality visitor experience, including a need to promote tourism as a career option to those studying languages.

Through increased internationalisation, Scotland will attract growing numbers of visitors from new or emerging markets. It is important that businesses and destinations understand and respond to their visitors’ customs and expectations, while also looking to enhance the foreign language skills of their workforce.

Read about some of the work schools are doing to promote language skills for the tourism industry through partnerships with local businesses in our Business Language Champions case studies.

Access the full report on the Skills Development Scotland website.

The top 9 languages for the highest-paid jobs in Britain

26 September 2016 (The Independent)

Learning a second language can be extremely lucrative for your career opportunities.

And after jobs search engine Adzuna analysed over 1 million live job postings on its website, it found out that some languages are more likely to get you a higher paid job than others in Britain, when employers advertised for jobs looking for someone who was at least bi-lingual.

Considering the UK voted to leave the European Union — dubbed a Brexit — and the nation does not know what that would entail for the jobs market, Adzuna's cofounder pointed out that having a second language could become even more sought-after, especially if businesses look to relocate overseas.

Read more...

Business Language Champions at Burgh Primary

23 September 2016 (SCILT)

Pupils at Burgh Primary in the Scottish Borders had the opportunity to find out how languages are relevant to a career in tourism when they visited Abbotsford House, a heritage site near Galashiels. P6 pupils visited the attraction for a series of workshops supporting learning across the curriculum and demosstrating to pupils the relevance of language skills in their local community.

Read more...

New student profiles on the SCILT website

16 September 2016 (SCILT)

New additions to our job profile section this term come from students currently undertaking courses which also allow them to develop their language skills.

Our two latest profiles come from students in the Tourism sector:

  • Amy-Jo Fairbairn, who is studying for a HND in Travel and Tourism at the City of Glasgow college.
  • Gail Leslie who, after completing her HND course in Travel and Tourism, is now embarking on a degree in Business Studies at UWS..
Whilst choosing different languages to learn, both can see the value of language skills for their future careers and personal lives.

Read their profiles and others on our website.

Read more...

Six professionals on why UK teenagers should learn languages

6 September 2016 (British Council Voices)

For many young people in the UK, learning another language is not a priority – only nine per cent of teenagers progressed beyond a basic level in the language they were learning in 2013. But with so many people around the globe already speaking English, I wanted to know if learning another language is really worth it. Here's what I found out from some people who would know.

Read more...

New student profile on the SCILT website

26 August 2016 (SCILT)

A new addition to our job profile section this term comes from Euan Kerr, an aeronautical engineering student at the University of Strathclyde.

Euan aims to pursue a career in engineering and appreciates that language skills will help him broaden his options and secure work overseas.

With that in mind, when Euan spent his third year studying abroad in Prague he chose to take up learning Czech as part of his studies. Having learned French at school helped him pick up a new language and making the effort to speak Czech gained respect with the local community.

So if you have pupils considering STEM subjects when they leave school, they should perhaps take a leaf from Euan's book and consider language electives too.

Read Euan's full profile on our website.

Read more...

Business Language Champions at Broughton High School

15/08/2016 (SCILT)

Pupils at Broughton High School in Edinburgh had the opportunity to find out how languages are relevant to a career in hospitality when they visited The Balmoral Hotel.

S3 pupils attended a series of workshops to develop their understanding of the hospitality industry as well as their intercultural awareness and interview skills.

The Modern Languages Department at Broughton High School found this to be an invaluable experience for the pupils, particularly the impact of visiting a workplace.

A pupil who took part in the project said: “I learned a lot about cultural awareness and about how The Balmoral Hotel goes about things. I have learned to think more about my response to someone of a different culture.”

The visit to Harvey Nichols was part of the wider Business Language Champions project running in the school. Business Language Champions is run by SCILT and helps schools and businesses to build exciting and sustainable partnerships to equip young people with international communication and employability skills for their future careers.

After the initial visit, learners were tasked with developing an internal information leaflet which would support the hotel, sharing their knowledge of relevant Chinese language and culture with the hotel staff.

Read more...

Turbulent Times: Skills for a Global World

26 July 2016 (Think Global)

If recent events have proven anything, it’s that the world in which our young people are growing up is turbulent and unpredictable. Over the past 12 months, Think Global has been working together with OCR to look more closely at questions about the skills young people really need to live and work in such a world.

Focusing on the views and understandings of employers, who can play a crucial role in supporting young people to learn and practise skills for a global world, we surveyed 500 business leaders from across the country and across sectors to build an up-to-date picture of whether or to what extent our young people are prepared to thrive both today and in the future.

Notable in the global context which informs this research, was the finding that over a quarter (28%) of employers were affected by a lack of workers with foreign language skills; a figure rising to almost half (44%) in London.

The full report can be accessed on the Think Global website.

Read more...

New job profile on SCILT's website

17 June 2016 (SCILT)

Highlight the value of languages in the world of work to your pupils. We have a range of job profiles on the SCILT website in which people from a range of sectors - including sport, marketing, technology and many more - explain how language learning has influenced their professional lives. See our latest addition:
  • Rosemary Graham, Tour Guide - Rosemary's knowledge of the German language enabled her to live and work in Germany teaching and making jewellery. Now she uses her language skills to guide tourists around Scotland.
See this and other job profiles on our website now.

Read more...

Business Language Champions at Trinity High

8 June 2016 (SCILT)

Pupils at Trinity High School in Edinburgh had the opportunity to find out how languages are relevant to a career in retail recently when they visited Harvey Nichols in Edinburgh.

S2 pupils met with a range of employees at the department store and found out how important languages can be to make the shopping experience more personal for customers from other countries. They also found out about the range of employability skills that can be developed through the study of languages.

The teacher leading on this project stated, “We as staff were able to see that our learners were fully connecting the fact that learning languages can be of huge practical benefit in a professional context.”

An S3 pupils at Trinity Academy who took part in the project said: “I learnt what a key role languages play in the working world. I didn’t realise how important languages were.”

The Learning and Development Partner at Harvey Nichols said of the visit: “The team really enjoyed getting involved and it was a great development opportunity for them to come and speak to the students about what they do and how languages help them in their daily work.”

The visit to Harvey Nichols was part of the wider Business Language Champions project running in the school. Business Language Champions is run by SCILT and helps schools and businesses to build exciting and sustainable partnerships to equip young people with international communication and employability skills for their future careers.

Following the visit, pupils worked to develop phrase books in different languages, aimed at shop floor staff in order to support them when serving customers from different countries.

Read more...

‘How will we fare in post-Brexit trade negotiations if no one has studied MFL?’

2 June 2016 (TES)

There are few things so depressing about the current schools system as the precipitous decline in languages, writes this veteran education journalist.

If one thing that has saddened me over the past couple of weeks, it is that modern foreign languages has been the first core subject to be axed by a major exam board.

For at least two decades I have campaigned, cajoled and done what I can to persuade the powers that be to do more to promote languages in schools.

Read more...

SCILT publishes new Business Language Champions case study

02 June 2016 (SCILT)

Business Language Champions helps schools and businesses to build exciting and sustainable partnerships to equip young people with international communication and employability skills for their future careers. A partnership between Walkers Shortbread and Elgin Academy demonstrated to S3 pupils the importance of languages in the food and drink industry, and the importance of this industry to the Scottish economy. The project demonstrated how the learning of a language can enhance their career prospects as well as developing their skills for learning, life and work.

Pupils were tasked with creating cue cards for the Walkers Shortbread International Sales Team to use on future trips to China. The cue cards had to be in Chinese. They then worked with the Chinese teacher to create the content for these cue cards, carrying out research in their own time. To conclude the project, the young people delivered presentations to support the work they had done on their cue cards directly to the International Sales Team, an impressive achievement and one which was positively acknowledged by staff at Walkers Shortbread.

Read more...

SCILT publishes new Business Language Champions case study

20 May 2016 (SCILT)

Business Language Champions helps schools and businesses to build exciting and sustainable partnerships to equip young people with international communication and employability skills for their future careers. A partnership between Johnstons of Elgin and Elgin Academy demonstrated to S2 pupils the importance of languages in the textile industry as well as developing employability skills within an interdisciplinary context. Learners considered marketing strategies for promoting textile goods in China and delivered a presentation to a “Dragon’s Den” judging panel.

Read more...

Mock Council of the European Union 2016

16 May 2016 (British Council eTwinning)

Do your students want to learn to negotiate in an international environment?

Don't forget you can now apply to be one of 30 schools from across England and Scotland to take part in the annual Mock Council of the European Union, to be held at the Foreign Office in London on Thursday 17 November.

In the Mock Council, 30 schools are each assigned the role of an EU member state or an EU institution and simulate a meeting of the EU's Council of Ministers on two topical EU policy proposals. Two students from each school must research these policy areas and represent their adopted country or institution at the Council meeting.

Students are encouraged to use foreign languages where possible in the discussions to reflect the multilingual nature of the EU; interpretation into English is provided.

This year there will be an additional role for one school to represent 'the media'. The aim of this role will be to generate interest before, during and after the event, through interviewing participating schools. 

Applications are welcome from secondary and further education colleges across England and Scotland. The application deadline is 29 May 2016.

Further information and application forms can be found on the Mock Council 2016 website, along with highlights from the 2015 event.

Read more...

SCILT publishes new Business Language Champions case study

12 May 2016 (SCILT)

Business Language Champions helps schools and businesses to build exciting and sustainable partnerships to equip young people with international communication and employability skills for their future careers. A partnership between Jurys Inn Glasgow and Lourdes Secondary School demonstrated to S3 pupils the importance of languages in the hospitality industry. Learners created an information brochure in French for tourists to Glasgow. They found out about further skills that are important in the workplace.

Read more...

New job profile on SCILT's website

12 May 2016 (SCILT)

Let your pupils see that languages are valuable in the world of work. We have a range of job profiles on the SCILT website in which people from a range of sectors - including sport, marketing, technology and many more - explain how language learning has influenced their professional lives. See our latest addition:
See this and other job profiles on our website now.

Read more...

Business Brunch 2016 events webpage now live!

6 May 2016 (SCILT)

SCILT, in partnership with the University Council for Modern Languages Scotland (UCMLS), held a series of Business Brunch events (formerly Business Breakfast) across Scotland, during January and February this year where pupils from S3-S6 heard from a range of business leaders who view language skills as key to the growth and success of their company.

Find out more about the events on our new webpage.

Read more...

New job profile on SCILT's website

21 April 2016 (SCILT)

We have a range of job profiles on the SCILT website to let your pupils see that languages are valuable in the world of work. People from a range of sectors - including sport, marketing, technology and many more - explain how language learning has influenced their professional lives. See our latest addition:
  • Ross Noble, Conference Interpreter - his role as conference interpreter at the European Commission gives him the chance to use all of his languages every day and to learn about varied and interesting topics.
See this and other job profiles on our website now.

Read more...

New job profile on the SCILT website

1 April 2016 (SCILT)

We have a range of job profiles on the SCILT website to let your pupils see that languages are valuable in the world of work. People from a range of sectors - including sport, marketing, technology and many more - explain how language learning has influenced their professional lives. See our latest profile now:

  • Amanda Attfield, Exploration Geologist - Amanda speaks Finnish, German, Spanish and is now learning Russian to help in her current job role. She tells how her love of languages has made her more employable, taken her around the globe and helped forge connections with local people and their cultures.
See this and other job profiles on our website now.

Read more...

Language learning for business

29 March 2016 (Scottish Government)

In a global, multi-cultural society, being able to communicate in more than one language is increasingly vital. It is important for the nation’s prosperity that young people are attracted to learning languages and that they become confident in speaking languages other than their own.

According to the CBI's Education and Skills survey 2015, over three quarters of businesses (77%) have a need for language skills among their employees, with over one in ten (11%) stating they would need language skills in the next few years.

The Scottish Government is committed to expanding and improving language learning so that our young people are equipped with the skills and competencies needed for the global economy. That is why we have made an ambitious languages commitment to introduce a norm for language learning based on the EU 1+2 model. This will ensure that all young people in Scotland have excellent language learning opportunities from a young age, as a normal and expected part of a broad, relevant school education.

Ken Lindsay tells us of his experiences of learning languages and how they have helped him in his role as an International Brand Ambassador for Chivas Brothers Ltd.

Read more...

Go and work abroad – it could have career benefits you never imagined

17 March 2016 (The Guardian)

I had a lot of good times working abroad – teaching English in Germany and working on summer camps in France and Spain – but I didn’t realise that I was also building valuable skills for my career.

Employers really value those with international experience. Katie Bateman, a careers advisor at the University of Gloucestershire, says it can set you apart from a crowd of other applicants. “Graduates can learn another language and prove just how adaptable they are by embracing change and learning to adjust to a different culture,” she says.

Read more...

The curriculum vs employability skills?

16 March 2016 (SecEd)

The curriculum is hampering schools’ efforts to improve and develop the employability skills of their young people, argues Phil Crompton.

Everyone spends at least 11 years at school. That’s a long time. So surely it is not unreasonable to expect young people emerging from the education system to be ready to make a positive contribution to the working world?

I am not talking about examination results. They are just one indicator of someone’s capacity to be a great employee, or even an employer. I am talking about the skills that actually matter in the workplace.

Shouldn’t pupils in our schools be given the chance to develop skills in communicating with confidence, working in teams, bouncing back from failure, being polite, and organising themselves. And once they have developed the skills fully shouldn’t some recognition be available? Employers certainly think so. And so do I.

[..] At my three schools, we recognise the existing curriculum isn’t going away and that exams have to be passed, but we are working with local businesses to breathe life into some of the duller parts of the curriculum and to equip our pupils for working life.

Science classes are advising a housing company on how to promote their new eco-homes, German and French students are producing foreign language leaflets for visitors to a local hotel, computing students have worked with an IT firm to create mobile phone apps, A level students have been practising Spanish conversation at a city tapas bar, and a professional actress has worked with a drama class.

Read more...

Televerde Selects Glasgow, Scotland for European Headquarters and Contact Center Location

3 March 2016 (Virtual Strategy )

Televerde, the global sales and marketing solutions provider, announces today it has selected Glasgow, Scotland as the location for its European headquarters and contact center.

[..] Over the course of the next 12-24 months, Televerde will hire up to 170 employees, including approximately 130 multilingual contact center agents. The Glasgow contact center will include language capabilities in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Scandinavian and Eastern European languages. Glasgow was specifically chosen as Televerde’s European launching pad based on its ability to serve the company’s customers with its multilingual talent, geographic proximity between the U.S. and continental Europe and through a high-performance partnership with Scottish Development International.

Read more...

New job profile on the SCILT website

19 February 2016 (SCILT)

We have a range of job profiles on the SCILT website to let your pupils see that languages are valuable in the world of work. People from a range of sectors - including sport, marketing, technology and many more - explain how language learning has influenced their professional lives.

Our latest profile features Adam Williams. a Spacecraft Operations Engineer working for the European Space Agency on the ExoMars mission, whose goal is to send a robotic vehicle to Mars to try and find evidence of past or present life on Mars. He explains how beneficial language skills are when working with a diverse range of international colleagues.

See this and other job profiles on our website now.

Read more...

Business brunches: Inspiring Scotland’s future global workforce in Aberdeen

15 February 2016 (SCILT)

Young people from 14 schools across Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire had the opportunity to engage with local businesses at the Beach Ballroom on 10 February 2016. 140 learners from S3-S6 heard from a range of business leaders who view language skills as key to the growth and success of their company. The Business Brunch demonstrated the relevance of language skills in a work context and aimed to encourage pupils to continue with their language studies into the senior phase of their secondary education, and beyond school.

A teacher attending said: “The event was very informative, provided usable information and generated excitement about language learning. We had the opportunity to ask questions directly of people in the industry.”

One of the young people added to this and commented: “The Brunch has really helped me with my subject choices. The event was very enjoyable and I recommend it to anyone who is still undecided about further language study. It really explained how important it is to learn a language.”

Meryl James and Janette Kelso, part of the team behind the event, said: “Languages improve your overall being. They help with formation of synapses in your brain and increase its overall capacity to function; it's a workout for your brain really. Research from Edinburgh University shows the risk of developing dementia is greatly reduced if you study a language. Memory capacity is increased – which is useful for anything in life – and you can develop many transferable skills through learning a language, including communication skills, analytical skills, as well as creative and flexible thinking. Don’t miss out!”

The event was organised by SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages in partnership with the University Council for Modern Languages (UCML) Scotland. Companies attending included Visit Scotland, Chester Hotel Aberdeen and TOTAL E&P UK LTD. Schools represented were Harlaw Academy, Bucksburn Academy, Hazlehead Academy, Northfield Academy, Cults Academy, Meldrum Academy, Mearns Academy, Westhill Academy, Peterhead Academy, Portlethen Academy, Mackie Academy, Fraserburgh Academy, Banff Academy and Turriff Academy.

Fhiona Fisher, Director of SCILT said: “Events such as these are a really important way of providing young people with high quality careers advice delivered by the business people themselves and of demonstrating to them the value of language skills in our increasingly globalised world”.

Meaningful employer engagement and providing relevant careers advice are both key recommendations of Scotland’s Youth Employment Strategy, “Developing the young workforce”. This Business Brunch supported these aims by giving young people the opportunity to ask questions and find out more about the role of languages in the business world.

This collaboration between schools and businesses supported Scotland’s International Policy to equip young people with international communication and employability skills that they will need in our increasingly globalised society and economy.

The event is one of a series of Business Brunches being held across Scotland in January and February 2016 which build on the successful series of Business Breakfasts in January 2015.

More information on SCILT’s 2016 Business Brunches.

 

Poor language skills and strategies contributing to UK record trade deficit

10 February 2016 (ATC)

Britain's poor language skills and strategies are contributing to the record £125 billion UK trade deficit, according to the Association of Translation Companies.

Commenting on the figures released by the Office for National Statistics, Geoffrey Bowden, General Secretary for the Association of Translation Companies (ATC) comments: “As an organisation whose members are focused on helping UK companies from all sectors maximise international trade opportunities, we are concerned to see a reduction in the value of UK exports for December 2015.

“Recent research shows that poor language skills are costing the UK economy £48 billion a year in lost export sales and that organisations which have made the conscious decision to invest in professional language services achieve a far higher export to turnover ratio."

Read more...

Why native English speakers fail to be understood in English – and lose out in global business

10 February 2016 (The Conversation)

Language skills are often trumpeted as a cornerstone of social integration, allowing citizens to participate fully in their host communities. British prime minister David Cameron recently announced a £20m fund for English language lessons to tackle radicalisation in the UK, for example. Similarly, US presidential hopeful Donald Trump has called for assimilation and English-speaking in the US.

But with transnational mobility and trade a defining feature of our times, what of Cameron’s or Trump’s own supporters and their ability to speak English within a wider international community?

Native English speakers are infamously unable to speak languages other than their own. As well as being a professional handicap, this has been shown to hinder exporters and hurt trade.

And now ironically, there is mounting evidence that in international business, native English speakers are failing to integrate as a result of their shortcomings when it comes to tailoring their English for this context. When it comes to English – the international language not only for business but also higher education and cross-border collaboration – research shows that, far from being able to rest on their laurels, native speakers are not masters of the world’s global language.

Read more...

Developing the Young Workforce: Information and resources

9 February 2016 (Education Scotland)

Information and resources to support Developing the Young Workforce. From Education Scotland.

Related Files

Business brunches: Inspiring Scotland’s future global workforce in Edinburgh

9 February 2016 (SCILT)

Young people from 15 schools across Scotland had the opportunity to engage with local businesses at the Surgeons’ Hall Quincentenary Conference Centre on 2 February 2016. 140 learners from S3-S6 heard from a range of business leaders who view language skills as key to the growth and success of their company. The Business Brunch demonstrated the relevance of language skills in a work context and aimed to encourage pupils to continue with their language studies into the senior phase of their secondary education, and beyond school.

A teacher attending said: “This was really engaging for the pupils. One of the speakers said he had no interest in learning another language but now he couldn't have secured his job without it – this is what pupils need to hear.”

One of the young people added to this and commented: “I enjoyed seeing all the different companies and finding out about the opportunities that are out there with languages. It was interesting and inspiring learning about the jobs and the different cultures.”

Callam Fletcher, Interim CEO of Asia Scotland Institute, stated in his keynote speech: “I went to Valencia with Erasmus during my IT degree and loved it! I knew French, and Spanish and French are quite similar. Later, I founded an IT company in the Czech Republic. At the beginning I had no Czech, but I knew from my experience of French and Spanish that I would learn it. Companies all over the world are becoming more international and language is one of those resources that unlocks opportunities.”

The event was organised by SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages in partnership with the University Council for Modern Languages (UCML) Scotland. Companies attending included Asia Scotland Institute, National Galleries Scotland and Scotsman Hotel. Schools represented were Armadale Academy, Bathgate Academy, Blairgowrie High School, Dunfermline High School, Newbattle Community High School, Penicuik High School, Preston Lodge High School, St Kentigern’s Academy, The James Young High School, Trinity Academy, The Royal High School, Stirling High School, St Margaret’s Academy, Larbert High School and Alva Academy.

Fhiona Fisher, Director of SCILT said: “Events such as these are a really important way of providing young people with high quality careers advice delivered by the business people themselves and of demonstrating to them the value of language skills in our increasingly globalised world”.

Meaningful employer engagement and providing relevant careers advice are both key recommendations of Scotland’s Youth Employment Strategy, “Developing the young workforce”. This Business Brunch supported these aims by giving young people the opportunity to ask questions and find out more about the role of languages in the business world.

This collaboration between schools and businesses supported Scotland’s International Policy to equip young people with international communication and employability skills that they will need in our increasingly globalised society and economy.

The event is one of a series of Business Brunches being held across Scotland in January and February 2016 which build on the successful series of Business Breakfasts in January 2015.

More information on SCILT’s 2016 Business Brunches.

Business brunches: Inspiring Scotland’s future global workforce in Renfrewshire

8 February 2016 (SCILT)

Young people from ten schools across west of Scotland had the opportunity to engage with local businesses at the University of West of Scotland Paisley Campus on 28 January 2016. 140 learners from S3-S6 heard from a range of business leaders who view language skills as key to the growth and success of their company. The Business Brunch demonstrated the relevance of language skills in a work context and aimed to encourage pupils to continue with their language studies into the senior phase of their secondary education, and beyond school.

A teacher attending said: “The event was very interesting and demonstrated to pupils how languages are used in the workplace. Pupils hadn't made the connection between having a language with the sort of companies represented at the event.”

One of the young people added to this and commented: “I learned lot about how languages are valuable in the world and that learning a second language is of increasing importance.”

Gillian Black, Regional Sales Manager at the Macdonald Crutherland House Hotel, stated in the plenary: “How you interact, how you hold yourself and get to know the culture along with the language is very important in the world of hospitality. We will soon be hosting a group from China and are busy learning phrases in Chinese. I have a range of languages I tap into – it's about building a relationship.”

The event was organised by SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages in partnership with the University Council for Modern Languages (UCML) Scotland. Companies attending included Rolls Royce, Clansman Dynamics and Holiday Inn. Schools represented were Gryffe High School, Renfrew High School, Johnstone High School, Linwood High School, Lourdes Secondary, Bannerman High School, Holyrood Secondary, Balfron High School, Bearsden Academy, Barrhead High School.

Fhiona Fisher, Director of SCILT said: “Events such as these are a really important way of providing young people with high quality careers advice delivered by the business people themselves and of demonstrating to them the value of language skills in our increasingly globalised world”.

Meaningful employer engagement and providing relevant careers advice are both key recommendations of Scotland’s Youth Employment Strategy, “Developing the young workforce”. This Business Brunch supported these aims by giving young people the opportunity to ask questions and find out more about the role of languages in the business world.

This collaboration between schools and businesses supported Scotland’s International Policy to equip young people with international communication and employability skills that they will need in our increasingly globalised society and economy.

The event is one of a series of Business Brunches being held across Scotland in January and February 2016 which build on the successful series of Business Breakfasts in January 2015.

More information on SCILT’s 2016 Business Brunches.

Business brunches: Inspiring Scotland’s future global workforce in Inverness

1 February 2016 (SCILT)

Young people from ten schools across Highland had the opportunity to engage with local businesses at Kingsmills Hotel on 26 January 2016. 140 learners from S3-S6 heard from a range of business leaders who view language skills as key to the growth and success of their company. The Business Brunch demonstrated the relevance of language skills in a work context and aimed to encourage pupils to continue with their language studies into the senior phase of their secondary education, and beyond school.

A teacher attending said: “This was an enjoyable and highly informative opportunity to speak to successful people who can partially or entirely attribute their success to use of language. The Business Brunch certainly makes it clear to learners that languages are important.”

One of the young people added to this and commented: “I found out how languages help you go further and can give you a head start. It was interesting to find out how many jobs you can get even if you only know a bit of the language.” UHI Student Language Ambassador, Susan Dearness, who was part of a team supporting the event stated: “I knew right from an early age that I wanted to do languages. When I started travelling and doing seasonal work in Europe I realised how important a language is. I’ve had fantastic jobs and opportunities because of languages. The emphasis on global citizenship these days and the growing awareness of how important a knowledge of languages can be means that students won't be faced with the fallacy that “Everyone speaks English”!”

The event was organised by SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages in partnership with the University Council for Modern Languages (UCML) Scotland. Companies attending included BBC, The Museum of Scottish Lighthouses and Kanaird Shipping. Schools represented were Culloden Academy, Plockton High School, Inverness Royal Academy, Alness Academy, Ullapool High School, Charleston Academy, Farr High School, Lochaber High School, Inverness High School, Grantown Grammar and Fortrose Academy.

Fhiona Fisher, Director of SCILT said: “Events such as these are a really important way of providing young people with high quality careers advice delivered by the business people themselves and of demonstrating to them the value of language skills in our increasingly globalised world”.

Meaningful employer engagement and providing relevant careers advice are both key recommendations of Scotland’s Youth Employment Strategy, “Developing the young workforce”. This Business Brunch supported these aims by giving young people the opportunity to ask questions and find out more about the role of languages in the business world. This collaboration between schools and businesses supported Scotland’s International Policy to equip young people with international communication and employability skills that they will need in our increasingly globalised society and economy.

The event is one of a series of Business Brunches being held across Scotland in January and February 2016 which build on the successful series of Business Breakfasts in January 2015.

More information on SCILT’s 2016 Business Brunches.

Business brunches: Inspiring Scotland’s future global workforce in Dundee

25 January 2015 (SCILT)

Young people from ten schools across Tayside and Fife had the opportunity to engage with local businesses at the University of Dundee on 20 January 2016. 140 learners from S3-S5 heard from a range of business leaders who view language skills as key to the growth and success of their company. The Business Brunch demonstrated the relevance of language skills in a work context and aimed to encourage pupils to continue with their language studies into the senior phase of their secondary education, and beyond school.

A teacher attending said: “The event was very interesting and demonstrated to pupils how languages are used in the workplace. The presentation from Outplay Entertainment showed that there are more opportunities for linguists in the games industry than we thought, and illustrated another field that uses languages.”

One of the young people added to this and commented: “I learned lot about how languages are valuable in the world and that learning a second language is of increasing importance.”

Professor Karl Leydecker, Vice-Principal (Learning & Teaching) at University of Dundee, stated in the plenary: “Languages give you that extra something, not just for your job but for all areas in life. When the European students attend our Enterprise Gym, we see that they have the confidence to take a challenge on. Everyone is looking out to the world. It's never too late to pick up a language.”

The event was organised by SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages in partnership with the University Council for Modern Languages (UCML) Scotland. Companies attending included Glamis Castle, Volpa and Valentine International Business Connections LLP. Schools represented were Beath High School, Blairgowrie High School, Carnoustie High School, Glenalmond College, Harris Academy, Madras College, Montrose Academy, Perth Grammar, St John’s Roman Catholic High School and Webster’s High School.

Fhiona Fisher, Director of SCILT said: “Events such as these are a really important way of providing young people with high quality careers advice delivered by the business people themselves and of demonstrating to them the value of language skills in our increasingly globalised world”.

Marion Spöring, University of Dundee and Chair of UCML Scotland, said: “It was great to see the enthusiasm and feel the buzz of over a hundred pupils who were finding out about the many exciting ways languages open up employment opportunities in local and global businesses. From creative and heritage industries, computer gaming and worldwide marketing – there are breakthroughs to be made and multilingual people are the key for success in business.”

Meaningful employer engagement and providing relevant careers advice are both key recommendations of Scotland’s Youth Employment Strategy, “Developing the young workforce”. This Business Brunch supported these aims by giving young people the opportunity to ask questions and find out more about the role of languages in the business world.

This collaboration between schools and businesses supported Scotland’s International Policy to equip young people with international communication and employability skills that they will need in our increasingly globalised society and economy. The event is one of a series of Business Brunches being held across Scotland in January and February 2016 which build on the successful series of Business Breakfasts in January 2015.

Read more...

Inspiring Scotland’s future global workforce in Glasgow

18 January 2016 (SCILT)

Young people from fourteen schools across the west of Scotland had the opportunity to engage with local businesses at the University of Strathclyde on 13 January 2016. 140 learners from S3-S6 heard from a range of business leaders who view language skills as key to the growth and success of their company. The Business Brunch demonstrated the relevance of language skills in a work context and aimed to encourage pupils to continue with their language studies into the senior phase of their secondary education, and beyond school.

A teacher attending the event said: “The speaker demonstrated the value of languages to learners and it was powerful for them to see this in a commercial context. The event gave learners lots to think about in terms of their future careers.” One of the young people added to this, and commented: “When one of the speakers spoke to us in seven languages, this is what influenced me the most to consider languages in the future. His languages seemed to have been very beneficial to his career.”

David Ross from Keppie Design, one of the workshop leaders, stated: “People are what make business work. If you can speak languages it makes life much easier. It's a fallacy that the world speaks English.”

The event was organised by SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages in partnership with the University Council for Modern Languages Scotland. Companies attending included Shepherd and Wedderburn LLP, Barclays Bank and IBM. Schools represented were Bellshill Academy, Belmont House School, Bishopbriggs Academy, Cathkin High School, Dumbarton Academy, Hillhead High School, Irvine Royal Academy, John Ogilvie High, Kilmarnock Academy, Lenzie Academy, Moffat Academy, Our Lady and St Patrick's High, Our Lady's High Cumbernauld and Uddingston Grammar.

Fhiona Fisher, Director of SCILT said: “Events such as these are a really important way of providing young people with high quality careers advice delivered by the business people themselves and of demonstrating to them the value of language skills in our increasingly globalised world”.

Meaningful employer engagement and providing relevant careers advice are both key recommendations of Scotland’s Youth Employment Strategy, “Developing the young workforce”. This Business Brunch supported these aims by giving young people the opportunity to ask questions and find out more about the role of languages in the business world.

This collaboration between schools and businesses supported Scotland’s International Policy to equip young people with international communication and employability skills that they will need in our increasingly globalised society and economy.

The event is one of a series of Business Brunches being held across Scotland in January and February 2016 which build on the successful series of Business Breakfasts in January 2015.

More information on SCILT’s 2016 Business Brunches.

White Hot Employer Demand For MBAs Who Speak Multiple Languages

17 January 2016 (Business Because)

Ask anyone working at a business school what makes it unique and you’ll get a spiel about global diversity. Yet companies are desperate for graduates who have honed multiple languages and cultural norms.

“Languages are always good for us,” says Julia McDonald, head of talent acquisition for EMEA at Infosys. English is the company’s common language, “but our clients often want people that can speak their local language,” Julia says.

Mark Davies, employer relations manager at London’s Imperial College Business School, says there is growing demand for multilingual European language speakers at companies including BP, GE, Johnson & Johnson, and GSK, which have operations in emerging markets.

André Alcalde, an executive at Lojas Renner, Brazil’s largest fast-fashion retailer, speaks English, Spanish, French and Portuguese.

“In a business world that is more internationally-connected,” says the HULT MBA student, “it is mandatory when building an executive career to be able to deal with different cultures.”

Nearly two-thirds of businesses in the UK want to recruit staff with foreign language skills. A survey by the business lobby group the CBI and education company Pearson found European languages are the most sought after: French (50%); German (49%); and Spanish (44%).

Read more...

New job profile on the SCILT website

14 January 2016 (SCILT)

We have a range of job profiles on the SCILT website to let your pupils see that languages are valuable in the world of work. People from a range of sectors - including sport, marketing, technology and many more - explain how language learning has influenced their professional lives.

Our latest profile features Andrew Muir, who lived and studied in Scotland but now works in London as a Character Animator on a children's TV series. He tells us why language learning is important and the opportunities this can offer him to expand his career overseas.

See this and other job profiles on our website now.

Read more...

'Pay for foreign exchange trips rather than a week in Majorca,' top headteacher tells parents

11 January 2016 (TES)

Parents should consider sending their child on a school foreign exchange rather than spending money on a week in Majorca, a headteacher has suggested.

Young people are likely to learn more on a cultural break in a city such as Madrid or Barcelona than they are sitting on a beach, according to Caroline Jordan, headmistress of Headington School in Oxford and the new president of the Girls' Schools Association.

Setting up a foreign exchange for students did not have to be expensive, Ms Jordan said.

"It's trying to convince the parents that that's good use of their finances as opposed to a foreign holiday to Majorca, where they may well be in a Spanish environment but they're less likely to be experiencing Spanish as they would be if they were in somewhere like Madrid or Barcelona on exchange," she said.

"Exchange is very important and we know that languages is a real area of concern in this country. The government is doing quite a lot about this by trying to encourage all children to take a language through the English Baccalaureate."

Figures show that last year, there was a drop in language GCSE entries, with French down 6.2 per cent on 2014, German down 9.8 per cent and Spanish down 2.4 per cent.

As well as ensuring that children learned a foreign language, Ms Jordan added that it was important that modern teenagers were given the opportunity to consider studying at a university overseas, arguing that it could be beneficial to them later on.

Read more...

Languages: a world of opportunity – web page now live

7 January 2016 (Scottish Government)

In September 2015, Michael Russell MSP hosted a parliamentary reception, entitled Languages: a world of opportunity. While celebrating language learning in Scotland, the event set out to inspire people to appreciate language skills as valuable, enabling, achievable, career and life-enhancing.

Through real life examples about how stronger language skills are already making a difference, not only in education, but in employment and on a personal level, attendees were invited to consider how to further promote language skills, and an understanding of their value, in the interests of Scotland’s global position.

As an employability skill, Scotland as a whole stands to gain from language skills becoming the norm for us all. This is why Scottish Government is committed to radically enhance language learning in schools across Scotland through Language Learning in Scotland: A 1+2 approach.

This webpage contains information from the event, films about and using language and links to websites of organisations who promote, develop and advocate language learning.

Read more...

Languages for work at James Young High

21 December 2015 (SCILT)

On the 10 December 2015, S3 pupils at James Young High in Livingston had the opportunity to participate in a language morning to celebrate the second year of the Business Language partnership with the Dalmahoy Marriott Hotel and Country Club.

This partnership was established through the Business Language Champions programme which is facilitated by SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages. The programme helps schools and businesses to build partnerships through languages in order to give young people a real and engaging context for their language learning and to provide learners with an insight into the world of work.

Fhiona Fisher, Director of SCILT said: “Partnerships such as these are a really important way of providing young people with high quality careers advice delivered by the business people themselves and of demonstrating to them the value of language skills in our increasingly globalised world”.

Business Language Champions demonstrates to young people how the learning of a language can enhance their career prospects and develop their skills for learning, life and work. This year the project will involve the S3 pupils working collaboratively to create a nature trail guide and floor plan for the hotel in German.

The launch event was organised by the Modern Languages Department at the James Young High in Livingston with support from SCILT. Throughout the morning the students had the opportunity to engage with a variety of speakers from the hotel itself and language ambassadors from universities across Scotland, all promoting the benefits of having a language as part of their skill set.

Read more...

BB is back!

4 December 2015 (SCILT)

Due to popular demand, SCILT, in partnership with University Council for Modern Languages (UCMLS) is delighted to announce that we will be hosting a series of Business Brunch events (formerly Business Breakfast) across Scotland next year! Last chance to register for all events 4 December (except Edinburgh - 10 December)!

Aimed specifically at S3 - S6 pupils, each event will provide learners with the opportunity to hear from a wide range of dynamic business leaders who view language skills as key to the growth of the success of their organisations and why they compete successfully in a globalised market.
Most importantly, it will give young people the opportunity to ask questions and find out more about the variety of careers and employment opportunities that are open to people who can demonstrate language skills on their CV.

In addition, we will highlight the benefits of offering the SVQ unit 'Building your own Employability Skills' from the Languages for Life and Work Award, because it can be an effective stepping stone for the employability context in National 4/5, Higher and Advanced Higher.

To find out more and register interest for these events, visit our Business Brunches 2016 webpage.

Read more...

All talk ... five ways to use language skills to boost your career

9 November 2015 (The Guardian)

Resigned to a short sentence shoved at the bottom of CVs, downplaying language skills is a common mistake.

Whether you are completely fluent or stuttering over the subjunctive, you should be shouting about it to employers, says Lizzie Fane, founder of ThirdYearAbroad.com. “It shows an eagerness to learn to your employer and may even lead to you being able to travel abroad or work with clients who speak that language.”

Read more...

No bad language from Gala pupils

23 October 2014 (The Southern Reporter)

A recent careers event highlighted the importance of language skills to Galashiels Academy pupils.

S3 pupils participated in the event held in the school on September 23.

It aimed to demonstrate the value of language skills for Scotland’s future workforce and to encourage pupils to consider the relevance of languages for their personal development as well as for further study and future career opportunities.

Read more...

Language learning for international gaming

6 October 2015 (SCILT)

Woodmill High School links with Outplay Entertainment

The value of language skills for employment was made clear to Woodmill High School pupils at a recent visit from a gaming industry expert. On 30 September 2015, Thomas Hulvershorn, Operation and Analytics Manager at Outplay Entertainment, addressed S3 pupils at an event marking the start of a partnership between Outplay Entertainment and the school.

Mr Hulvershorn explained to pupils how language skills play an important role in the gaming industry, particularly in terms of international marketing and in making games accessible globally to players in their own language.

Janet Monaghan, Principal Teacher of Modern Languages, said: “We are delighted to have made this link with Outplay Entertainment. It will make the Media unit pupils are about to study so much more relevant and meaningful.”

Thomas Cameron, S3 pupil said: “I thought that it was good to learn about how languages could help you get a job and it gave me a new perspective on looking at languages.”

The partnership is facilitated by SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages, as part of their Business Language Champions scheme. The partnership is facilitated by SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages, as part of their Business Language Champions scheme. Fhiona Fisher, Director of SCILT said: “It is important that our young people are aware of the benefits that learning a language can bring them. It’s important for them to understand that language qualifications are not just for those who wish to be interpreters or teachers! Language skills enhance any candidate’s CV and the enhanced communication skills and cultural sensitivity they foster is a tremendous attribute to any working environment.”

During his visit, Mr Hulvershorn shared his own experience of learning languages and how he did not appreciate the significant role languages would play in his later professional life. He talked to the pupils about the gaming industry, particularly the process of designing and making games. He set pupils the task of creating a poster promoting one of the company’s games in French or German.

The visit marked the launch of Business Language Champions at Woodmill High School. This scheme helps schools and businesses to build partnerships through languages to equip young people with the international communication and employability skills that they will need for their future careers. Business Language Champions is facilitated by SCILT and runs in schools across Scotland.

More information on SCILT’s Business Language Champions.

If you would like to organise a BLC in your own school or local authority, SCILT would be delighted to support you. Contact us.

South Ayrshire pupils understand the value of language skills

5 September 2015 (SCILT)

A recent event highlighted the importance of language skills to South Ayrshire secondary pupils. 240 pupils from schools across South Ayrshire participated in a Business Breakfast held on 22 September 2015 at Queen Margaret Academy in Ayr. The event aimed to demonstrate to pupils the value of language skills in a business context and to encourage pupils to continue with their language studies into the Senior Phase.

The event was organised by South Ayrshire Education Department, Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce and SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages.

Fhiona Fisher, Director of SCILT said: “Events such as these are a really important way of affording young people high quality careers advice delivered by the business people themselves. It's important that Scottish youngsters can enter the workforce with a wide range of skills and attributes; those who have learned a language can offer enhanced communication skills, a greater level of inter-cultural sensitivity and highly developed literacy. These competencies are all highly valued by the business community and this event has clearly demonstrated how having ability in languages other than English can make our young people more competitive in an increasingly globalised job market.”

Toni, S3 pupil from Queen Margaret Academy said: "I'm interested in Engineering and it was really useful to talk to an engineering company about why having another language is really important to their business. The speaker also said they were trying to promote women in engineering, so that's good news for me! I am definitely going to choose to do a language in S5/S6 now!"

Taylor, S3 pupil from Ayr Academy said: "I liked that we got to talk to a wide variety of local companies and businesses that use languages not just people who translate as a job."

Calvin, S3 pupil also from Ayr Academy said: "I didn't realise all these companies were out there and how important having another language has been to their business."

The event opened and closed with an inspirational talk from two businesses on the importance of language learning. Throughout the day pupils visited a marketplace where they could talk to representatives from a range of companies about how languages benefit their business. Pupils also attended two workshops where companies presented on how they use languages in their business dealings.

For more information on SCILT’s work to promote the benefits of language learning for business and employment, please visit the business pages of the SCILT website.

If you would like to organise something similar in your own school or local authority, SCILT would be delighted to support you. Contact us.

Why Mandarin is Not the Future Language of Business

1 October 2015 (The Examiner)

For decades, Mandarin has been touted as the future language of business. China has the largest population in the world and has enjoyed unprecedented economic growth to become one of the global industry powerhouses. Around 955 million people are speakers of Mandarin which is more than 14.4% of the world’s population. These statistics support the claim that it will be the language of the future, but it’s not that simple. There are many factors that suggest that Spanish, not Mandarin, will become the ultimate business language.

Read more...

Don't rely on Google – invest in languages to grow your business

29 September 2015 (The Guardian)

It’s easy to feel intimidated by the prospect of selling in another language. According to research from the British Council, around three-quarters of British people don’t speak another language well enough to have a basic conversation, let alone sell a product or negotiate a deal. But it’s well worth getting over that language barrier. A recent report from the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) found that the UK is losing out on an incredible £48bn a year in lost exports as a direct result of its lack of language skills.

Read more...

The 10 second languages UK employers most want their staff to speak

15 September 2015 (i100/The Independent)

French is the most useful language British employers look for on CVs, according to a recent study.

Adequate foreign language skills were one of the most highly rated concerns for employees looking to hire, the Confederation of British Industry study found.

Read more...

SCILT Business Breakfasts webpage now live

8 May 2015 (SCILT)

SCILT was delighted to host three motivational Business Breakfast events in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen at the beginning of this year. Our main aim was to support S3-S6 pupils in the uptake of language learning in the senior phase by providing schools with an opportunity to hear from various dynamic speakers who view language skills as a key part to the success of their businesses.

We have uploaded presentations and photographs from the event onto our website. You might find the presentations useful to use with your pupils to promote the benefits of languages.

Visit our Business Breakfasts 2015 webpage for more information.

Read more...

IoLET unveils new languages for business qualification

31 March 2015 (Chartered Institute of Linguists)

IoLET, the awarding body of the Chartered Institute of Linguists, exhibited at the Association for Language Learning’s annual gathering of teachers, Language World, now in its 25th year.

At the event held in Newcastle on 20-21 March, IoLET presented its newest qualification, the Certificate in Languages for Business (CLB), attracting keen interest from MFL teachers from around the UK. This practical, work-oriented qualification is initially offered in French, German and Spanish, and is already running across a number of secondary schools and universities.

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Business Language Champions - new case study published

23 March 2015 (SCILT)

S3 learners at Brechin High School benefitted from a visit from the Royal Navy and language workshops which culminated in an interdisciplinary project in which learners had to use their language skills in humanitarian crisis scenarios. This project helped to highlight the importance of both language skills and knowledge in a real life scenario. It also allowed the learners to use transferable skills like team work, organisation, working to a deadline and applying language knowledge to a practical situation.

SCILT’s Business Language Champions programme helps schools and businesses to build exciting and sustainable partnerships that equip young people with the international communication and employability skills they need for their future careers.

Read more...

Studying languages: Shout louder

28 February 2015 (The Economist)

The last time she was recruiting for her export-sales team, Sarah Grain hired a Lithuanian who speaks Russian, Polish and German. Her two previous hires for Eriez Magnetics, which makes industrial equipment in South Wales, were an Italian who also speaks French, and a Venezuelan who speaks Spanish and Portuguese. All of them speak fluent English. “There were no British applicants who had the requisite language skills,” she says.

Ms Grain’s conclusion is not unusual for a British company. In 2012 a European Commission survey tested the foreign-language proficiency of 54,000 students aged 14 and 15, in 14 nations. Sweden came top, with 82% of pupils reaching an “independent” or “advanced independent” standard. The average for all 14 states was 42%. England came bottom, with just 9%.

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Why languages are the key to Britain's future

30 January 2015 (Third Year Abroad)

Third Year Abroad Editor, Florence, discusses why lesser-taught languages such as Arabic and Mandarin are not just useful life skills, but are crucial to the future of the UK.

Read more...

Multinational means multilingual

19 January 2015 (Rosetta Stone)

Commissioned by Rosetta Stone, research firm VansonBourne conducted a survey amongst 500 UK and Germany-based execs. 87% of executives state that their organisations rely on more than one critical language, yet 70% agree there is not enough training for staff. Take a look at the infographic to see the research outcomes in detail.

Read more...

Aberdeen looks to lure world's biggest spending tourists

5 January 2015 (The Herald)

The Granite City is hoping to cash in on the world's biggest spending tourists - by launching a Chinese version of its tourism website.

VisitAberdeen hopes the move will boost its share of the £128 billion China spends every year on overseas leisure and business - an average of 50 per cent more than Americans.

Read more...

Related Links

Would you fly 5000 miles to see Aberdeen? (The Telegraph, 8 January 2015)

New job profile on the SCILT website

16 December 2014 (SCILT)

Let your pupils see that languages are valuable in the world of work by visiting the 'Job Profiles' section of the SCILT website. People from a range of sectors - including sport, marketing, technology and many more - explain how language learning has influenced their professional lives.

Our latest addition to the section comes from Verena Gräfin von Roedern, Head of the German Consulate General in Edinburgh, who talks about the many reasons why we should learn German.

See this and other job profiles on our website now.

Read more...

Why language skills are great for business

16 December 2014 (The Guardian)

Don’t know your bonjours from your buongiornos? You’re not alone: three-quarters of British adults can’t speak a foreign language competently. But the benefits of being able to communicate with overseas clients, suppliers and buyers are huge – as are the costs of lacking that facility.

Read more...

Language degrees: when the words are not enough

11 December 2014 (Times Higher Education)

A deep understanding of foreign languages is often essential to the combination of cajolery and seduction many companies require in their international negotiators.

That was the argument of Richard Hardie, chair of investment bank UBS, at a Westminster Higher Education Forum seminar on “Priorities for foreign language learning: participation, resources and progression” last week.

Read more...

New job profile on the SCILT website

5 December 2014 (SCILT)

Let your pupils see that languages are valuable in the world of work by visiting the 'Job Profiles' section of the SCILT website. People from a range of sectors - including sport, marketing, technology and many more - explain how language learning has influenced their professional lives.

Our latest addition to the section comes from Heloise Allan, Head of Education for Project Trust, an educational charity specialising in overseas volunteering in 34 countries for school-leavers aged 17-19.

See this and other job profiles on our website now.

Read more...

New job profiles on SCILT’s website

21 November 2014 (SCILT)

Let your pupils see that languages are valuable in the world of work by visiting the 'Job Profiles' section of the SCILT website. People from a range of sectors - including sport, marketing, technology and many more - explain how language learning has influenced their professional lives.
NEW to the job profiles section: 

  • Chris Cusack explains how languages have helped him in his music career
  • Martin Peterson of Shell shares his view of languages in the world of business

See these and other job profiles on our website now.

Read more...

Scottish Parliament debate on Food and Drink recognises the importance of language learning skills in global market place

20 November 2014 (Scottish Parliament)

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab):
We also need to ensure that future generations gain the relevant skills to be successful in the global marketplace. Although business programmes remain popular, Scotland is still pretty behind on language skills. Our approach to languages in education is still centred on the traditional languages. We must ask how we can reflect the modern workplace and the business world. If we are talking about Scottish products moving into bigger export markets, we need that flexibility in languages. At recent food and drink events, I have seen a growth in translation services provided by companies that are setting up to help others with that expansion.

Read more...

New BLC Case Study live on SCILT website

6 November 2014 (SCILT)

SCILT’s Business Language Champions programme helps schools and businesses to build exciting and sustainable partnerships that equip young people with the international communication and employability skills they need for their future careers.

This case study shows how a partnership between Kilwinning Academy and the Scottish Football Association demonstrated to pupils that languages are necessary in all walks of life. S3 learners visited the Scottish Football Museum and took part in a range of activities which highlighted the relevance of learning French.

Read more...

BLC Case Study live on SCILT website

21 October 2014 (SCILT)

SCILT’s Business Language Champions programme helps schools and businesses to build exciting and sustainable partnerships that equip young people with the international communication and employability skills they need for their future careers.

This case study shows how a partnership between Priorsford Primary and Holland & Sherry, a world renown cloth merchant based in Peebles, provided a local context to show young people the opportunities that arise from learning a modern language. The whole school was involved in this BLC project which raised learners’ awareness of what Holland & Sherry does in their local town while building learners’ language skills.

Read more...

Motivating the demotivated: SCILT job profiles

21 October 2014 (SCILT)

Show your pupils that languages are valuable in the world of work by visiting the 'Job Profiles' section of the SCILT website. People from a range of sectors - including sport, marketing, technology and many more - explain how language learning has influenced their professional lives.

NEW to the job profiles section:

  • Susan Young shows us her unusual office, and tells us how she turned her passion in life into her job.
  • Amy Baxter shares her story with us in a new video interview just added to her job profile.

Read more...

A series of blogs from the British Council on important languages for the UK’s future

10 October 2014 (British Council)

The final post in the British Council's weekly series on the ten most important languages for the UK’s future, as identified by the British Council’s Languages for the Future report, is about Mandarin Chinese. Here, the British Council’s Asmaa Ibrahim explains the characters, tonal differences, and sound similarities that make the language so fascinating.

Related Links

Read the other blogs in the series:

  • Arabic is in great demand and there’s a shortage of well-qualified speakers
  • Russian: beautiful, complex, and a window onto the unknown
  • Turkish: a fascinating structure and huge influence
  • The French language: romantic, precise, close to English
  • German and hipsters: the perfect match?
  • Single Japanese words can contain whole worlds of experience
  • How good is Italian for business?
  • Spanish: learning to speak the language of 400 million people
  • Which languages the UK needs and why

Scots reluctant to study abroad 'endangering the economy'

2 April 2014 (The Herald)

Scottish university students who are reluctant to study abroad are damaging their job prospects and endangering the economy, experts have warned.

There were 126,000 home students at Scottish universities in 2011/12, but only 1810 left to study overseas, figures show. In contrast, there were more than 40,000 overseas students at Scottish universities in the same year.

While the numbers of Scottish students travelling abroad to study is increasing, the British Council, which specialises in international educational and cultural opportunities, said Scotland still had one of the lowest student mobility rates in Europe.

A recent survey by students' organisation NUS Scotland found the main barrier to studying abroad was the perception it cost too much. About half of students who took part also expressed concern that their existing language skills would not be good enough to cope in an overseas study environment.

Read more...

Related Links

There is much to learn from study time abroad (The Herald, 2 April 2014)

Johnson: What is a foreign language worth?

11 March 2014 (The Economist)

There are pros and cons to language-learning. The pros are that working in a foreign language can make people make better decisions (research Johnson covered here) and that bilingualism helps with executive function in children and dementia in older people (covered here). The cons: one study finds that the earnings bonus for an American who learns a foreign language is just 2%. If you make $30,000 a year, sniffs Mr Dubner, that’s just $600.

Read more...

Inspiring the Future Languages Focus Week unveiled 22-26 September 2014

3 March 2014 (Education and Employers)

(Applies to England) A national campaign is being launched to encourage young people to learn languages at school and understand how language skills impact on their job prospects. Inspiring the Future Languages Focus Week is taking place 22-26 September 2014 and seeks to get 100s of schools and employers involved across England.

Read more...

The cost of a lack of language skills

27 February 2014 (ECML)

According to the Guardian, the lack of language skills costs the UK £48bn per year. For companies willing to trade internationally, “English only” is not enough and the difficulty to find skilled staff results in a loss of contracts, in recruiting locally seconded expats and more generally in difficulties to operate globally.

In all business areas, whether marketing, export, sales, but also in legal matters, language skills do play a crucial role. The cost of communication barriers has been well documented in the ELAN study - Effects on the European Economy of Shortages of Foreign Language Skills in Enterprise which sought to estimate the cost to EU business of not having foreign language skills. The survey that has been carried out among almost 2000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) showed that languages on top of the wish lists of European SMEs, apart from English, were German, French, Russian and Spanish. English is clearly an extremely important language for international exchange but will not be enough to face future challenges.

Read more...

Lack of foreign languages skills ‘hurts firms,’ warns Oxfordshire businessman

14 February 2014 (Oxford Mail)

An Oxfordshire businessman has told the Government that schools must teach more foreign languages for British businesses to thrive.

Gary Muddyman, chief executive of translation agency Conversis, based in Chesterton near Bicester, spoke in the House of Lords to highlight the issue. He warned that the deepening language skills shortage is affecting UK competitiveness abroad.

Read more...

Employers struggle to fill vacancies because of lack of languages

30 January 2014 (The Guardian)

A dearth of foreign language skills accounts for nearly a fifth of hard-to-fill vacancies in the UK, a survey has found.

The UK Commission for Employment and Skills' (UKCES) report on the UK's employer skills found that of reasons employers gave for struggling to fill vacancies, 17% attributed a languages skills shortage.

The survey asked employers which skills they found to be lacking among applicants for its vacancies. Language skills came in at 17%, second to last after IT skills. The highest portion of skills employers found lacking in applicants were technical, job-specific skills, which accounted for 63%.

Genna Kik, senior research manager on the report, said that while the language skills may be low overall compared to the categories, for the businesses experiencing these shortfalls, the impact is significant.

Read more...

German region of Saarland moves towards bilingualism

21 January 2014 (BBC News)

Germany's western Saarland region says it wants its next generation to be bilingual in German and French.

It is part of a strategy to deepen economic ties with France, which borders the region. Proposals by the regional government include bilingual teaching from pre-school age and requiring new state employees to be able to work in French.

Read more...

Language skills deficit costs the UK £48bn a year

10 December 2013 (The Guardian)

Deficient language skills and the assumption that "everyone speaks English" are costing the UK economy around £48bn a year, or 3.5% of GDP, according to research by Professor James Foreman-Peck for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

Poor language skills act like a "tax on growth", hampering small to medium-size exporters, who are unable to employ the language specialists brought in by global companies, says Foreman-Peck, professor of economics at Cardiff Business School. It also deters non-exporters from trading internationally, he adds.

Read more...

Languages, diplomacy and national security: five key issues

5 December 2013 (The Guardian)

Safeguarding Britain's interests abroad requires diplomats who can speak languages. In a recent live chat on the Guardian, a panel of experts debated the importance of languages for diplomacy and national security. Five key themes emerged from that conversation.

  • Diplomacy and national security
  • The scale of the threats
  • Fluency vs functionality
  • The cost of language training
  • The American perspective

Read more...

Languages and STEM skills - opening doors!

5 December 2013 (Education Scotland )

SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages, is working with businesses and schools in Scotland to promote languages as a key skill for employment.

Operating effectively in a global economy relies on many skills and includes the right language skills. People who can communicate, at least conversationally, can make all the difference in the conduct of business, consolidating relationships with existing suppliers and customers and opening the way to new overseas contacts. When combined with STEM skills, the career opportunities in a vast array of sectors widens.

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David Cameron urges British students to ditch French and learn Mandarin

5 December 2013 (The Guardian)

David Cameron, who has notoriously poor schoolboy French, is urging today's youngsters to abandon the language of Molière and Voltaire to concentrate on the tongue of the future – Mandarin.

In a parting shot, as he left China after a three-day visit, the prime minister said that pupils should look beyond the traditional French and German lessons and instead focus on China.

To reinforce his message the prime minister quoted Nelson Mandela, who said learning someone else's language is the best way to their heart. Cameron said: "I want Britain linked up to the world's fast-growing economies. And that includes our young people learning the languages to seal tomorrow's business deals.

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UK-China higher education links strengthened

4 December 2013 (British Council)

British Council Chief Executive, Martin Davidson CMG, hosted an event at the UK-China Business Summit in Beijing for the launch of the ‘Generation UK CEO Initiative’ and signing of a number of UK-China education partnership agreements. The ‘Generation UK & Celebrating UK-China Education Partnerships’ event brought together a mixed audience of education and business leaders to celebrate several initiatives further supporting student mobility and educational exchanges between the UK and China.  

The Generation UK CEO Initiative was launched to gain the help and support of businesses in the UK and China to further expand the number of opportunities available for students through the British Council’s Generation UK campaign. Generation UK was launched in June this year with support from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and aims to see at least 15,000 UK students participate in academic study or work experience programmes in China over the next 3 years.

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Languages are vital for Britain's business & cultural development

25 November 2013 (The Information Daily)

Learning different languages is vital, not just for the growth of trade and business, but for Britain's political, cultural and education development. In many European countries, it's the norm for people to speak a second or even a third language - so why is Britain so stubbornly monolingual?

The recent European Survey on Language Competences found that just one in ten British teenagers progress past the most fundamental level in a second language, compared with an average of 42 per cent across all countries surveyed.

Clearly, this is a problem - although part of the problem may be how easy it is for Brits not to learn a second language.

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Shortfall in the languages the UK needs the most

20 November 2013 (The Guardian)

Three-quarters of the UK public are unable to speak one of the 10 most important languages for the country's future, a British Council report has found.

The British Council has called on government and business to work together to develop educational policy and priorities relating to languages. This follows a YouGov poll commissioned by the British Council, which found that of 4000 UK adults polled, 75% are unable to hold a conversation in any of the languages highlighted as crucial to the UK's economic standing.

The Languages for the Future report identified those languages, in order of importance, as: Spanish, Arabic, French, Mandarin, German, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, Turkish and Japanese.

Read more...

Related Links

Read the British Council report here.

'Alarming shortage' of foreign language skills in UK (BBC, 20 November 2013)

UK warned over shortage of foreign language speakers (BBC News, 20 November 2013) - includes a link to audio item 'But why are British students so behind with foreign language skills?' BBC Radio 5 live's Breakfast reporter Rowan Bridge visited language teachers and students at Manchester College to find out.  (Available to listen to until Wednesday 27 November 2013).

Britons are told they must learn languages of success (The Herald, 20 November 2013)

Arabic beats French, Mandarin beats German and Spanish is best: UK's international education body highlights most important foreign languages to learn (The Independent, 20 November 2013)

Poor Language Skills 'Hampering UK Economy' (Sky News, 20 November 2013)

Languages must be as important as maths and science, British Council says (TES News blog, 20 November 2013)

Languages - Gift of bilingualism is too often 'squandered' (TES, 22 November 2013)

Scottish Confucius Institute established at Heriot-Watt University

05 November 2013 (Heriot-Watt University)

Scotland's educational links with China have been taken to the next level, after an agreement was struck to establish a Confucius Institute at Heriot-Watt University, the first to specialise in business and communication.

The Institute, the fifth Confucius Institute in Scotland, will aim to help Scottish companies to engage with China and increase the provision of Chinese language learning for business purposes.

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Educating Yorkshire's Mr Mitchell talks MFL

3 October 2013 (Teachit Languages)

Unless you’ve been living on the moon recently, you surely can’t have escaped the media furore around Channel 4’s Educating Yorkshire. The students and staff of Dewsbury’s Thornhill Academy are keeping us entertained every Thursday…in the journalistic scoop of the century, Teachit Languages editor Heike Bruton managed to secure an interview with Thornhill Academy’s headteacher, Jonny Mitchell!

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Languages for All?

1 October 2013 (Inside Higher Ed)

The organizers of Monday's daylong "Languages For All?" conference at the University of Maryland said more than once that the event, in the words of the university's Director of Language Policy Initiatives Richard Brecht, "is not about advocacy, this is about inquiry." But it was clear that the 150 or so professors, researchers, policy makers and government employees in attendance vehemently promote at least one stance: that languages are critical, and that Americans' unwillingness and/or disinterest in learning them is holding the country back.

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Launch of Born Global: Rethinking language policy for 21st Century Britain

23 September 2013 (British Academy)

Today the British Academy launched a new policy research project, ‘Born Global’, investigating the nature and extent of language needs in the labour market and the implications for languages education from school to higher education.

As a key project in the British Academy’s language programme, the research aims to develop a deeper understanding of how language is used in the workplace for different purposes, by employees of different levels of skill and accountability. It will explore employers’ expectations of language competence and investigate the reasons for their dissatisfaction with the current language capabilities of school and college leavers and university graduates.

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Why are so few of us learning another language? Call for action by Richard Howitt MEP after decline

23 September 2013 (Cambridge News)

A call for action to reverse the “severe decline” in young people learning foreign languages has been made by Cambridgeshire’s representative in Brussels.

Richard Howitt MEP said knowledge of at least one other European language is important given that so much of the UK’s trade is done with the rest of Europe, despite English being recognised as the world language.

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Key Findings: Languages in business – 70% of companies do not keep record of staff language skills

16 September 2013 (Language Rich Europe Blog)

Language Rich Europe developed a survey to explore the language strategies of companies, to find out whether they prioritise and support language training for their employees, and also to establish the range of languages used to communicate with customers and in promotional materials. The criteria investigated are divided into three main categories: general company language strategies, internal language strategies, and external language strategies.

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Commission highlights benefits of foreign language skills for UK students and business

16 September 2013 (WiredGov)

More needs to be done to encourage British students to study languages at A Level and university, according to the European Commission. The importance of foreign language skills is self-evident in all EU countries, given that businesses increasingly operate internationally: more than half of the UK's trade is with the rest of Europe - and its businesses need staff who can speak the language of their customers. The Commission will underline this at a conference during the London Language Show next month (18 October).

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Calling all multilingual IT whizzes: skills shortage hits firms

31 August 2013 (Irish Independent)

Every year, the Government's Expert Group on Future Skills Needs publishes a snapshot of the supply and demand of skills in Ireland.

Multilingual skills are a key aspect of some of the skill shortages.

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Is only speaking English enough to compete in the jobs market?

19 July 2013 (The Guardian)

English may be a world language, but is it really enough to compete in the global job race?

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Which countries want to be influential and attractive?

19 June 2013 (British Council)

A new British Council report, ‘Influence and Attraction: Culture and the Race for Soft Power in the 21st Century’, discusses global trends in cultural relations and soft power. Anne Bostanci explains.

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Exporters: Foreign Language Skills

18 June 2013 (TheyWorkForYou)

Question put to the House of Lords by Baroness Coussins “To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider introducing financial incentives for non-exporting businesses that train existing staff to export, in line with the recommendations of the British Chambers of Commerce report Exporting is good for Britain but knowledge gaps and language skills hold back exporters, published on 10 June.”

Visit the website to view the Government's response.

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BCC: Knowledge gaps and language skills hold back exporters

10 June 2013 (British Chambers of Commerce)

A survey of more than 4,500 businesses released today (Monday) by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that the share of Chamber members which export continues to increase. However, the findings also suggest that gaps surrounding the general know-how of how to take a product or service overseas are holding back firms from taking the initial step towards exporting. In addition to this, there is a major shortfall in foreign language skills within the business community. Rebalancing the economy towards net exports is vital for the success of the UK economy, so the British Chambers of Commerce is calling for more support for firms looking to trade overseas, while encouraging the take-up of foreign languages – both in school and in the workplace.

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Related Links

Addressing knowledge gaps and the deficit in foreign language skills will boost exports (BCC, 10 June 2013)  The results of the BCC's 2013 international trade survey show that companies continue to be held back from exporting by lack of knowledge and poor foreign language skills.

Poor language skills are deal-breaker for economy, says BCC (The Times, 10 June 2013)

 

British ambassadors struggle with Arabic

31 May 2013 (The Telegraph)

Only six of the 16 British Ambassadors in the Arab world speak enough Arabic to be able to conduct official business in the language, the Foreign Office has disclosed.

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Students go abroad to immerse themselves in a new culture

14 May 2013 (The Guardian)

UK universities are setting up campuses overseas to meet international demand, but studying on a foreign campus also has many benefits for UK students.

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Asos launches ventures in Russia and China as profits leap 19%

30 April 2013 (The Guardian)

Online clothing retailer Asos is launching businesses in Russia and China and planning a new £40m "tax efficient" pay deal for its top 24 staff.  The retailer – which has six million customers in the UK, US, France, Germany and Australia – announced the expansion as it reported a 19% rise in interim profits and a 33% jump in sales to £360m.

The new Chinese-language website, due in October, will cost up to £6m to launch, including a distribution hub with 10% of Asos's current stock.  A new website is launching in Russia on Wednesday.

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The multilingual dividend

13 March 2013 (Financial Times)

A few years ago, when Antonella Sorace visited the European Central Bank in Frankfurt to talk about her research into bilingualism, she was astonished to find the bank’s multinational staff worrying about what should have been one of their families’ principal assets. “They had all kinds of doubts about the benefits of multilingualism for their children; they worried that their children weren’t learning to read or write properly – in any language,” she says. “I found it very instructive.”

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Question to the House of Lords on ‘Languages: The State of the Nation’ report

12 March 2013 (Hansard)

Baroness Coussins put the following question to the House of Lords: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the conclusion of the British Academy's report Languages: The State of the Nation, published in February, that the United Kingdom will be unable to meet its aspirations for growth and global influence unless action is taken by them, businesses and in education to remedy the deficit in foreign language skills.  See the full debate transcript on the website.

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Related Links

Languages: The State of the Nation (British Academy, February 2013)

Cracking the English code

12 March 2013 (British Influence)

(Relates to England) There was much embarrassment recently for Michael Gove when the cabinet's golden boy announced that he would not, after all, be replacing GCSEs with a new English Baccalaureate Certificate (EBC). Part of the reasoning for Gove's EBC had been to increase the take-up of modern European (as well as other) languages – where research shows that there are clear advantages in terms of cognitive skills and understanding.

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Culture at work - The value of intercultural skills in the workplace

5 March 2013 (British Council)

This research, published by the British Council, shows that there is real business value in employing staff who have the ability to work effectively with individuals and organisations from cultural backgrounds different from their own. In particular, employers highlight the following as important intercultural skills:

  • the ability to understand different cultural contexts and viewpoints
  • demonstrating respect for others 
  • knowledge of a foreign language

The findings of this report may help teachers argue the case for languages with pupils, parents and colleagues.

Read more...

Related Links

Avoiding cultural chalk and cheese in the world of business (British Council blog, 5 March 2013)John Worne, the British Council’s Director of Strategy, argues that a lack of intercultural skills can be a big risk in the business world, as our recent research shows.

English as the language of Europe?

26 February 2013 (Language Rich blog)

In this guest post, Christiane Keilig from the British Council in Berlin shares her views on why just English isn’t enough.

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No comprende: are the benefits of languages getting lost in translation?

20 February 2013 (The Guardian)

We need to find new ways to express the importance of learning languages, writes Professor Nigel Vincent. At the British Academy last week we released a report called Languages: State of the Nation. It analyses the worrying state of the current demand and supply of language skills in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and is the latest in a series of reports and position papers we have dedicated in recent years to the declining status of languages in our schools and universities. The aim of all our work is to drive home the message that languages are vital for the health and wellbeing of the education and research base, for UK business competitiveness and political standing, and for individuals and society at large.

Read more...

The Job Profile is Decisive – Foreign Languages in the Workplace

17 January 2013 (Goethe-Institut)

In today's professional world, knowledge of foreign languages is an indispensable skill and a must-have on any resume. Still, studies show that while good foreign language skills play an increasingly important role in the workplace, every situation is different.

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Why aren't languages a more popular choice at university?

15 January 2013 (The Independent)

It seems as if languages are not a popular choice of course at university nowadays. Once upon a time, learning a language and studying its literature was considered a solid choice of degree, but now there's a perception that they might be a bit of a waste of time.

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Accent is on language as Scots coaches prepare to start SFA’s UEFA Pro Licence course

6 January 2013 (Daily Record)

Football has become global. And Scotland’s managers are about to follow suit.

The latest candidates for the SFA’s UEFA Pro Licence will gather at Hampden today to kick off the two-year course they now need to boss at the elite level of European football.

But for the first time since the course began in 1999, candidates must learn a second language as part of their studies.

Read more...

Recent reports stress the importance of language skills for business

17 December 2012 (European Commission)

Communication and languages are crucial to business in a globalised economy. New evidence found in two reports published in the UK and in Ireland.

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Foreign languages: the 10 easiest to learn

5 December 2012 (The Telegraph)

We English speakers have a bad reputation in the world of language. According to a European Commission survey in 2012, 61 per cent of British respondents could not speak a second language. However, with growing foreign economies and more global communication than ever before, languages are becoming a crucial skill for professionals.

The related article below outlines the languages rated most useful to business by UK firm managers.  Ironically, whilst not listed as one of the easiest to learn, German language skills are the most highly sought after by UK businesses.

Read more...

Related Links

Graduate jobs: Best languages to study (The Telegraph, 2012)

Foreign languages - the 10 easiest to learn (in pictures) (The Telegraph, 5 December 2012)

Foreign language skills 'cost Scottish businesses'

27 November 2012 (BBC News)

A widespread lack of language skills could be damaging Scotland's ability to trade abroad, a report has suggested.  The British Council study warned there was a tendency among Scottish firms to limit their export markets to English-speaking countries.

Read more...

Related Links

Fears raised for overseas trade as young Scots shy away from studying foreign languages (The Scotsman, 27 November 2012)
A crisis in foreign language teaching across Scottish education is damaging overseas trade, the British Council warns today.

Analysis: Speaking the lingo goes to prove that it’s not only travel that broadens the mind (The Scotsman, 27 November 2012)

Leaders: Greater language skills key to breaking trade barriers (The Scotsman, 27 November 2012)

Crisis in study of languages a risk to trade (The Herald, 27 November 2012)
A lack of foreign language skills is limiting the ability of Scottish companies to tap into lucrative overseas export markets, according to a new report.

Kaye asks why Scots are so bad at learning foreign languages (Call Kaye, BBC Radio Scotland, 27 November 2012) - programme available until 3 December 2012.

Trade danger of language teaching cuts (Scottish Daily Express, 27 November 2012)

Language cuts 'will hit Scottish economy' (Morning Star, 27 November 2012)

Language Rich Europe - Scotland (British Council, 2012)

Languages and Entrepreneurship. A Guide for Students

21 November 2012 (Higher Education Academy)

The time spent studying, working or volunteering abroad during a degree programme is an excellent opportunity to identify and start up a new business. However, too few students are aware of entrepreneurship before or during their international placement.

This report shows that students who speak foreign languages, travel and understand other cultures have a unique entrepreneurial opportunity. It encourages students to look at placements abroad in a more critical and innovative way, to be aware of business opportunities and to make use of the start-up support, networks and services available when starting a business.

Read more...

Foreign Languages took pride of place at the Institute of Welsh Affairs / Western Mail Business Awards

16 November 2012 (CILT Cymru)

On Friday the 9th of November, the profile of Modern Foreign Languages was raised at the Institute of Welsh Affairs / Western Mail Business Awards.

The newly created Award, The Best Use of Foreign Languages in Business Award recognised those Welsh companies who actively use foreign languages to develop strong markets abroad.

Read more...

European personalities urge EU leaders to back Erasmus

9 November 2012 (European Commission)

More than 100 European personalities from the worlds of education, art, literature, economics, philosophy and sport have signed an open letter to EU Heads of State and Government in support of the threatened Erasmus student exchange programme. The signatories come from every Member State of the EU and include the Spanish film director Pedro Almodovar, the president of FC Barcelona Sandro Rosell, Nobel Prize winner Professor Christopher Pissarides and several Olympic champions.

Read more...

Related Links

Record Number of UK Students Study or Work Abroad in Europe with Erasmus (British Council, 16 November 2012)

A foreign language is the best way to stand out in tough job market

7 November 2012 (Business Insider)

Looking for another way to stand out in a tough job market, plus increase your competitiveness and versatility down the road in your career? If you can commit to adding one or more languages to your resume, you’ll instantly stand out from the crowd.

Read more...

Scotland keen to promote conversation with China: official

31 October 2012 (NZ Week)

Edinburgh, Oct. 30 — Scottish Minister for Learning, Science and Scotland’s Language Alasdair Allan on Tuesday highlighted the importance of Scottish links with China to promote mutual understanding and friendship. Allan made the remarks at a reception at the Scottish Parliament held here for the two-week “Scotland in Conversation with China” under the theme of “Defining Scotland’s Distinctive Identity in an Era of Globalization The Chinese Perspective”.

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Gillard: Australia must embrace 'Asian Century'

30 October 2012 (CNN)

Every Australian child should learn Mandarin, Hindi or other regional language as the nation's future is tied to the rise of the "Asian Century," Prime Minister Julia Gillard said in a policy speech on Sunday.

Read more...

A Point Of View: Making sense of China

12th October 2012 (BBC News)

China's growing importance on the world stage means that the West needs to start speaking its language, says economist Martin Jacques.

Read more...

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