Innovation in Language Learning

This paper will introduce the CES&L (Crafting Employability Strategies & Languages) project. This is a two year Erasmus+ funded collaboration between partners from Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland and the UK. The output, 10 workshops, is a resource for practitioners working with Modern Languages students that aims to enhance their employability by engaging them in work related activities as part of their academic studies. The Project Team has worked with employers across Europe to seek their views on how HEIs can support students to become more employable and recognise the significance of their modern languages degree in the international job market. This has informed the adaptation of the generic AHECS (Association of Higher Education Careers Services in Ireland) Employability module into a resource localised to, and translated for, each of the member countries. Two new workshops have been created that address intercultural awareness, during residence abroad, and entrepreneurship as a career pathway. Each workshop has comprehensive facilitator notes that include: an introduction, activities and timings, (with information and activity sheets supplied), learning outcomes, assessment strategies and PowerPoint slides. A website that includes online activities and areas for higher education practitioners, students and employers will be launched on project completion in September 2017.

Key messages:

1.     Graduates with language skills are required by employers (as evidenced by needs analysis results) and there are plenty of career opportunities for them;

2.     Language graduates have many more transferable skills than they are aware of;

3.     New employability resource, ten workshops, for careers advisers and staff teaching languages to students.

http://languages4work.eu/ (Live from September 2017)

www.facebook.com/languages4work

AHECS Employability module: http://www.tcd.ie/Careers/downloads/ahecs_final_module_08_14.pdf