Developing Innovative Practices to Encourage Languages for Life and Skills for Future Employment

Our project will focus on developing pupil's desire to learn a foreign language by showing the opportunities for future employment that language learning can unlock. We aim to do this whilst developing the skills pupils need for learning, as well as those needed for future employment opportunities. By linking with schools so far apart, we can challenge pupil perceptions that foreign languages only have a limited scope and broaden their horizons by being multilingual in two of the most widely spoken languages.We plan to do this by developing a number of projects and resources which require a range of defined skills, and then sharing the outcomes through Twinspace, newsletters and other online and marketing methodologies such as transnational mobilities and links with other schools and teacher training providers in our local areas. Students will work in intercultural groups wherever possible. In doing so, our project leads to a better understanding of European identity, the link between languages and future employment, and the diverse and changing nature of the common education and employment market of Europe. Moreover, by actively looking for the common European identity, we will promote and consolidate acceptance and encourage students to examine identity and culture, and the role of language within that. Students will have a chance to get to know their European peers from across the globe and keep in touch with them through ICT and planned exchange trips. As well as developing pupil's skills, we also wish to share best practice amongst staff so that all partners can provide training and resources for the partners in their strengths, and access support to help them with any areas they wish to develop. This will ensure the project is as cross-curricular and embedded as possible, but will also lead to developed resources and experience that can be shared with stakeholders outside of the partnership through open access websites such as Twinspace, and eventually training and conferences that can encourage KA1 projects.Project activities are going to include active teaching methods including new technologies, school trips and workshops. These aim to encourage our students to participate in the project and develop their sense of citizenship, literacy, and language as well as stimulating their interests in the cultural and linguistic diversity of Europe.Our schools all support students from disadvantaged backgrounds who for various reasons face social exclusion and challenges in finding further and higher education, training and employment opportunities. The partners have worked on a project of a similar nature which has been very successful. The intention of this project is to build further on this success and refine our resources so that we can eventually develop this into future KA1 and KA2 projects. We will predominantly be focusing on our older students (aged between 14 and 19) with careers and skills development guidance to help reduce the number of students at risk of early school leaving, and instead broaden their horizons to the opportunities for training and education in the common European marketplace. Activities include: 1. Intercultural Communication: in this scheme of work, students consider the nature of culture; the impact of colonialism on culture; how humans communicate; the origins and diversity of language; the link between language and culture; the negative use of language and how repeatedly in history the control of language has been sought. 2. Languages for future employment: in this scheme of work students will look at how multilingualism can contribute to future job prospects. 3. Careers: in this scheme of work students will focus on developing skills and resources for future careers. 4. Skills record Log: this will be in the form of a booklet, with examples of ways students can show and develop the skills targeted by this project. 5. Mobility blogs to help with the dissemination and marketing process as well as encourage students to develop their digital literacy.We hope to develop the skills our students and staff through this project, as well as have a lasting impact through developing close connections with our local community and businesses.