Education and Culture Main initiatives and events 2013 Multilingualism

Educationand Culture

Main initiatives and events 2013

Multilingualism


Content

• Follow up of Rethinking Education

• Languages in Erasmus+

• Languages in European Higher Education in the world

• Languages in Opening up Education

• European Day of Languages

• London Language Show


The Rethinking Education Strategy

• An evidence based outline for reform of E&T, implementing the Agenda for new skills and jobs

• Focusing on the supply of skills, reinforcing and complementing the Employment and Youth Employment packages

• Supported by policy guidance documents developed through the Open Method of Coordination

• Proposes benchmark for language competences


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Creating an effective internal market Skills and adaptability of the workforce Promoting mobility of labour and

professions Removing barriers to growth Stimulating job creation and enterprise Innovation, research and development Social cohesion, personal development

Languages contribute to competitiveness and growth


1. Technical considerations in support of the adoption of the language benchmark

2. Consolidated and validated country analyses

3. Report on key challenges and how to address them

4. Comments on the CSR 2013

Deliverables from the OMC-group


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• Languages are a competitive advantage in globalised markets

• Currently 11% of SMEs lose contracts and business opportunities through lack of language skills

• But 46% of SMEs think to have export potential

• Only English is widely taught, but not in voctional training

• German and French is in decline across the board

• Practically no place for other languages than EN, FR, ES, DE (and RU) in school curricula

• Limited use of existing language resources for labour market guidance

A gap between the supply and the demand of language skills


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Keys for closing the gap…

Through bringing languages as a standard feature to national educational policies and business strategies

More systematic research on actual needs

Lifelong language learning – in all sectors of education and training


Basic skills levels are still lacking in many countries

Source: OECD (PISA)

Percentage of low achievers in reading (15 year-olds, %), 2009


Great diversity in Vocational Education and Training (VET)

Distribution of upper secondary (ISCED 3) students by programme orientation (general or vocational). %, 2010

Source: Eurostat Database, UOE data collection, 2010


• Modernise language teaching• Realistic learning outcomes• Motivation of learners• Assessing competences• Validation of informal skills• Promotion of learning mobility

Languages for jobs


• Language learning part of a strategy offering every learner a chance to move abroad

• New methods needed to motivate learners to take up / keep up studying languages

• Content and language integrated learning, especially for VET

Languages for jobs

Educationand CultureLanguages

Languages in Erasmus+

• LLP KEY Activity 2

• E4A No specific activity, transversal topic in KA1, KA2, KA3

Specific objective: improve the teaching and learning of languages and promote linguistic diversity

Indicator: % of participants who have increased their language skills


Budget allocation


Languages for mobility• Systematic linguistic support based on some

main principles:• Mainly long-term• All mobility types and voluntary• Agreement between partners• Differentiation mobility type• Differentiation language• Assessment• Online service


Languages in cooperation

• Possibility offered by strategic partnershipsinnovative teaching methods, exchange of

good practices in language teaching and learning, joint educational projects, early language learning

• Knowledge Alliancescreativity and innovation


Languages for policy support• Policy experimentation

Assessment of transversal competences

• EU policy agenda on multilingualism

Languages for jobs and growth, Language diversity



1. Languages for mobility and work in Europe

2. Translation and interpretation for active citizenship

3. Languages in the digital domain

Report soon available on conference website http://www.multilingualism2013.lt

Three themes


European Day of Languages


London Language Show

• European perspectives on language learning in Britain

•The UK has the worst foreign language skills in Europe, and there is a strong argument that limited language abilities and cultural awareness are acting in effect as a tax on UK trade.

• CBI Education and Skills Survey 2012

Documents

Education and Culture Main initiatives and events 2013 Multilingualism