UK: Language Skills at Fore of Battle

[Harold F. Schiffman]

Forwarded from Edling at ccat.sas.upenn.edu
20 April 2006

http://www.fenews.co.uk/newsview.asp?n=1380

Language Skills at Fore of Battle

SSDA, CILT, GoSkills All Allies in the Language Battle


The United Kingdom is a multicultural country, writes Maria Vitale,
Language Learning Correspondent for FE News, with an enormous amount of
international businesses: more and more companies work on a global level.
And, in order to simplify and streamline business operations, one should
know ones partner or even fellow - competitor well. A good start-point is
to speak their mother tongue. Languages play a central role in this area
and the demand for this type of skills is increasing day by day. As Peter
Huntington, Chief Executive of GoSkills asserted: Employers have already
woken up to the need for better language skills and have expressed concern
about the decline in the number of young people taking languages.

A New Strategy

The battle for languages is a long and exhaustive one but everyday new
initiatives and solutions are developed to change the situation of the
undervaluing of languages in the UK. Recently, it was announced that the
Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) the National Centre for Languages
(or CILT) and GoSkills, the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for Passenger
Transport were joining forces and creating a new body: The Languages
Skills Alliance. This is a new strategy that seeks to understand the new
needs of the employers, and the requirements for languages skills and
abilities for their staff and new employees. Also, this association
intends to restructure the education and training programmes for adults
and young people all over the country. Consequently, languages could start
to be an integral part of their skills and qualifications in many sectors
of the economy.

Furthermore, language skills may then become integral in the areas of
management and leadership. Languages will start to be considered and
recognised across all the employment sectors and in decision-making forums
on skills and employability, especially trough the Skills for Business
Network.

A Small Step for a Big Future

The Language Skills Alliance is one of many revolutionary strategies to
promote the acknowledgement that languages are a key skill and are
essential, especially in the UK. In a global scenario of international and
also individual competitiveness, the more employable and adaptable ones
workforce is, the easier our businesses will find their competitive ethos.
Isabella Moore, Director of CILT, the National Centre for Languages,
concluded: This is a major step forward for developing the UK workforces
competence in languages. It provides the basis for language skills needs
to be properly identified and fulfilled, so both private and public sector
employers will reap the benefits of language skills, our young people will
be better trained and more confident on the international stage, and the
UK will be more competitive in the global economy.

Joana Lage, International Languages Correspondent

http://www.fenews.co.uk/newsview.asp?n=1380