 Business Language Champions
Business Language Champions is a nationwide employer engagement programme, supported by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), which aims to bridge the gap between school and the workplace and increase foreign languages uptake.
The BLC programme, delivered in the West Midlands by the RLN, aims to:
- Encourage students to continue with their language learning by demonstrating the importance of language skills beyond the classroom environment.
- Help teachers to understand the language needs of businesses.
- Enable businesses to support their local communities through sharing language experience and knowledge with schools in their area.
Who we've helped so far...
Since the Business Language Champions programme was launched in the West Midlands in 2006-07, over 30 schools have benefitted from interactive presentations, language quizzes, company visits and access to authentic language tasks.
Several schools and businesses are already signed up to work together in the 2009-10 programme and many of last year's partnerships are set to continue the good work.
For updates on activies please check out our news pages.
Case studies
Read our Business Language Champions case studies and find out how other schools and businesses have been working together to increase awareness of the importance of language skills.
Press releases
During the 2008-09 programme, the RLN secured twenty-eight pieces of media coverage detailing the activities and impact of the Business Language Champions programme.
Visit our Business Language Champions press releases page to find out more and read the latest news releases from the programme.
Other examples of best practice
Visit our Business Language Champions case studies page to read other examples of successful collaboration between schools and businesses.
Resources
Visit our online Business Language Champions resource bank, where you can expand your knowledge on the programme, download examples of activities and resources used in previous partnerships and find out more about schools and businesses working together.
Reports
The RLN has produced reports detailing the activities that took place in the Business Language Champions programme, the press coverage secured and the impact the activities had on languages uptake within participating schools:
Download 2007-08 BLC one-page overview (pdf 144 KB) 
Download 2007-08 BLC full report (pdf 198 KB)
Want to get involved?
For further information on the programme, including details of the benefits to schools and businesses, you can download the following documents:
BLC Guide for Businesses (pdf)
BLC Guide for Schools (pdf)
If your school or business would like to become involved in the Business Language Champions programme please contact Frances Pallett, BLC Project Manager, on 0121 329 3297.
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