NewsWelcome to our news area! Read down the page for all the latest stories on languages and culture in London. For previous stories, you can visit our news archive - or for news delivered direct to your desktop, sign up to our newsletter, business bulletin and news releases. Employers rank languages the most desirable skill after IT8 March 2010 A recent survey conducted for CILT, the National Centre for Languages has revealed that employers rank foreign language skills as second only to IT in prospective candidates. 43 per cent of recruiters say speaking a second language gives a jobseeker the 'X-factor' when applying for work. Close to 300 of Britain's top employers who agree with this message are championing the importance of languages through a campaign to help young people bolster their employability by adding a language to their CV. Boots, HSBC, Arsenal FC, Weetabix and Royal Mail are among the British businesses who have united to inspire the next generation to learn a language, by becoming Business Language Champions. CILT Language Trends survey8 March 2010 The results of the latest Language Trends survey by CILT, the National Centre for Languages show that the number of students choosing to take a language at 14 is still in decline - but schools have an appetite for initiatives to reverse the trend. The findings, based on a survey sent to 2000 schools in England, revealed that the proportion of schools where more than 50 per cent of pupils study a language in year 10 has dropped from 45% in 2008-9 to 40% in the current school year. Schools are taking part in a wide range of new initiatives to improve take up - such as CILT's Business Language Champions programme - and these are already starting to show an impact on pupils' attitudes. Languages and the 2012 Games debated by the Lords9 January 2010 Baroness Coussins led a motion on 5 January at the House of Lords, drawing attention to the vital importance of languages in connection with the 2012 Games and the need for interpreters, linguist volunteers and supporting programmes like RLN London's Welcoming the World. The Baroness emphasised the need for further awareness-raising and continued funding to support languages in London, pointing out both the preparation that other Games organisers had undertaken and the potential legacy in terms of employability for young Londoners. "We have much of the raw material at our fingertips in a richly multilingual capital city, as more than 300 languages are used by Londoners. Sadly, however, some of the people with exactly the language skills that we need to harness do not necessarily yet feel that their skills are being recognised or used." Mandarin 'should be available for all pupils'9 January 2010 All secondary school pupils in England should have the chance to learn a less familiar language such as Mandarin, says Children's Secretary Ed Balls. Mandarin has become increasingly popular in schools - with one in seven now teaching the subject. As well as Mandarin, he pointed to the growing importance of Portuguese for trading with Brazil, Spanish in Argentina and Bahasa Indonesia in Indonesia. "A growing number of schools are now teaching Mandarin and in the coming years I think we will see this subject sitting alongside French, Spanish and German as one of the most popular languages for young people to learn," said Mr Balls. "In this new decade our ties with emerging economies like China will become even more important and it's vital that young people are equipped with the skills which they need, and British businesses need too, in order to succeed in a rapidly-changing world," he said. HSBC, BA and Hal Jaffer win national Business Language Champions awards London businesses HSBC, British Airways and Hotel La Place were amongst those commended at the national Business Language Champions celebration event on 30 November for the work they have been doing with school students to highlight the links between learning foreign languages and being successful in business. Event promotes languages in the media
Aiming to promote multilingualism and encourage college students to consider studying a language in higher education, 'Languages and Media Future Skills' took place at the University of Westminster on 25 November 2009. A total of 35 students from City of Westminster College and The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London came along. International sports correspondent Andy Brassell recounted how his language skills have helped in interviewing sports personalities such as Cristiano Ronaldo. RLN London and others explained the benefit of speaking languages for a number of career paths. Participating students were also given a taster of Chinese or Arabic, before making a short video for the London 2012 category of the Language and Film Talent Awards (LAFTAs) based around one of three languages French, Spanish and Turkish. LinkedUp award scheme - funding for innovative language learning projects22 November 2009 Are you working on an innovative language learning initiative that you could develop further by sharing it with others? If so, you could apply for funding through LinkedUp. The LinkedUp award scheme, which will fund more than 100 projects including initiatives involving local employers, offers funding for curriculum development projects carried out in primary, secondary or 16-19 education in England. The next deadline for applications is 15 December 2009, for projects running from February to November 2010. Petition to reinstate the compulsory teaching of languages to age 1617 November 2009 Study of foreign languages is currently optional at GCSE. If you'd like to see languages reinstated in the compulsory curriculum, you can sign a petition at number10.gov.uk - there are currently over 2,000 signatures. Since becoming optional in 2004, GCSE language study in England has slumped from 73% of students in 2003 to 44% in 2009. London is number one in Europe for business and languages6 November 2009 According to the recently published European Cities Monitor 2009, London remains the top rated city for languages spoken in Europe - followed by Brussels and Amsterdam. London is also considered the best city overall for business in Europe - a position it has held for 20 consecutive years - rating highest in half of the 12 major rankings, including easy access to markets, transport links with other cities, availability of qualified staff and quality of telecommunications. Games talk by RLN London at the 'Languages meet Sport' conference5 November 2009 London and the UK were well represented at the first European conference on languages and intercultural dialogue through sport, held in Trieste on 16 and 17 October. Jane Collis of RLN London was among the speakers from eighteen countries who presented a wide range of European, national and local policy and projects. Her talk focused on the potential of the 2012 Games as a catalyst for language learning and intercultural skills development. Visit RLN London's 2012 Games area. Internet set for language shake-up5 November 2009 The internet is on the brink of the "biggest change" to its working "since it was invented 40 years ago", the net regulator Icann has said. The body is finalising plans to introduce web addresses using non-Latin characters, allowing domain names to be written in for example Chinese, Arabic and other scripts. "Of the 1.6 billion internet users today worldwide, more than half use languages that have scripts that are not Latin-based," said Rod Beckstrom at the opening of Icann's conference in Seoul, South Korea. The first of these 'internationalised domain names' could be up and running by mid-2010. Review of languages provision in higher education21 October 2009 A wide range of recommendations to address falling numbers of languages students in higher education and a dramatic reduction in provision have been made by Professor Michael Worton - Vice-Provost of University College London - in his 'Review of Modern Foreign Languages provision in higher education in England'. He calls on stakeholders to take a number of steps to ensure the long-term sustainability and vitality of modern foreign languages provision - in particular encouraging universities and their partners in the languages community to work together to promote 'a clear and compelling identity' for the subject. Double Club exchange students meet Arsenal star16 October 2009 Arsenal's star midfielder Samir Nasri handed 10 lucky German Double Club pupils an award for their language and football achievements at Emirates Stadium this month. The pupils received the prizes pitchside ahead of the Gunners' 6-2 victory over Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League. The German youngsters from partner club Hertha Berlin were on an international exchange in England as part of Arsenal's Double Club project. As well as meeting Samir and watching the game, they went sightseeing in Greenwich, participated in a football tournament and visited other Double Club partner schools in the UK. You can find out more about Arsenal's activities as a Business Language Champion on our website. Read more about the Double Club exchange on Arsenal's website CBI HE report cites value of languages9 October 2009 This report titled 'Stronger Together' published in September by the CBI sets out what business wants from higher education, and how it can work with government and universities to improve outcomes. It emphasises the value of language skills in an increasingly globalised workplace, encouraging students to develop these skills which are not 'an optional extra' alongside their academic qualifications. According to financial service employer Thomson Reuters, "... by developing language skills and awareness of cultural variations, UK graduates will be able to compete on an even playing field with those of Continental Europe and beyond, where this is increasingly the norm." Awards for businesses supporting language learning in schools5 October 2009 The national Business Language Champions Awards are being launched by CILT, the National Centre for Languages to recognise and celebrate companies that are supporting language learning in schools. RLN London co-ordinates Business Language Champions in the capital - are you interested in getting involved in our programme or putting your company forward for the awards? Entries are invited for the following awards:
Deadline for all applications is 30 October 2009. UK held back by lack of language skills18 September 2009 The UK needs to boost numbers of languages learners, as it seeks to emerge from recession. CILT, the National Centre for Languages has pointed to a worrying decline in the take-up of modern languages, and wants languages to be treated as strategically significant subjects in the same way that science and maths have been championed. As CILT launched their new agenda for languages, calling on government agencies and employers to help safeguard languages, Chief Executive Kathryn Board said: "Our engagement with the non-English speaking world will remain superficial and one-sided unless we develop our capacity in other languages." Research from Cardiff Business School suggests improving languages could add an extra £21bn to the UK economy and that export businesses that use language skills boost their sales by 45%. Continued Government backing to tackle language skills gap15 September 2009 Following the successful bid for DCSF (Department for Children, Schools and Families) funding by CILT, the National Centre for Languages to run the Language Employer Engagement project, the Business Language Champions programme for London will be launched in October 2009 and will continue to run until March 2011. RLN London is working hard to get more businesses on board to help improve young people's chances of entering the global job market with the advantage that language skills offer and tackle the decline in language take-up at schools and universities. New tourism action plan for London21 August 2009 The London Development Agency launched the London Tourism Action Plan 2009-2013 on 13 August 2009, following a two month consultation with the capital's tourism industry earlier in the year. Priorities within the plan include supporting jobs in London's tourism businesses; delivering and promoting a world class sense of 'Welcome' throughout the visitor experience; and capitalising on the exposure that the 2012 Games and Cultural Olympiad provides to ensure London maintains its position as a leading destination for international leisure and business tourism. You can find out how RLN London is playing its part in improving the visitor experience through its Welcoming the World programme. 12,000 additional 'City Volunteers' for the 2012 Games19 August 2009 The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson has announced plans to recruit a new army of volunteers to greet and assist the thousands of visitors arriving in London for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012. The Mayor wants approximately 12,000 new City Volunteers to complement the work of the estimated 70,000 London 2012 volunteers and ensure visitors receive the warmest of welcomes and first class advice on getting around the capital and to London 2012 events. Language knowledge is likely to be a real advantage in these roles - visit our volunteering area for advice on volunteering and the 2012 Games. Mayor Johnson speaks out for languages30 June 2009 Pledging his support for RLN London and our Welcoming the World programme, Boris Johnson explained the importance of welcoming overseas visitors to our Capital: "As the most diverse city on earth, where more than 300 languages are spoken on our streets, London is superbly placed to welcome the world both now, in the run up to and beyond the 2012 Games. It is, therefore, vital that we get to know the hundreds of different nationalities who will inevitably visit and do business with our city during and after the Games. To win business and attract visitors ... means more than offering a warm welcome. We must also demonstrate that we are first rate communicators, to show we understand and empathise with their different needs." The statement from the London Development Agency (LDA) drew attention to the training opportunities available to businesses across London, as well as the online resources hosted on the RLN London website. Find out more about the Welcoming the World programme and our range of downloadable resources. Languages and Film Talent Awards - LAFTAs20 June 2009 Young people from universities, colleges and schools across the UK are competing to make the most creative two minute clip on the importance of languages. Co-ordinated annually by CILT, the National Centre for Languages, this year's LAFTAs promise to be bigger than ever. The awards have the support of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory actor Freddie Highmore, and Lord Coe is judging a special London 2012 award category supported by the 2012 Games Organising Committee. |
30 November 2009
25 November 2009
