Coleshill pupils get the drive to learn languages - 28 January 2008
Pupils from the Coleshill School were encouraged to continue with their language studies recently when they visited BMW’s Hams Hall engine plant.
Nineteen Year 9 students toured the Coleshill-based plant, which builds four-cylinder petrol engines for the BMW group worldwide. All engines made at the plant are exported, mainly to Germany and Austria, making language skills essential within the company.
Pictured: (front) Quality Engineer Nigel Grainger, responsible for the product audit and test processes at Hams Hall, with students and teachers Mrs Angela Green (left) and Mr Willis (right) from Coleshill School.
Students were shown around the premises by corporate communications manager, Jason Reakes and took part in language-based activities and discussions.
This project is part of the Business Language Champions programme, which is co-ordinated by Regional Language Network West Midlands (RLN WM). It is designed to bridge the gap between school and the workplace and to reverse the recent decline in the take up of modern foreign languages. The ‘Champions’ bring language skills alive by highlighting the problems local companies have recruiting staff that can speak more than one language and helping pupils to see how important these skills are in the workplace.
The visit was enjoyed by all, as head of languages, Angela Green, who accompanied students on the visit, said:
“We are very grateful to staff at Hams Hall for taking the time to show our pupils around the plant and demonstrate how languages are used on an everyday basis. I hope that seeing languages in a business context and witnessing people speaking German in their everyday jobs will inspire our students to carry on with their language studies. ”
Jason Reakes was delighted with the reaction from students:
“It was good to see how inquisitive the pupils from Coleshill were. They made good use of the opportunity to put questions to the BMW associates who work here and, I believe, gained a real insight into the kinds of career paths that are open to people with language skills.”
Click here to find out more about the Business Language Champions programme.
Back to RLN News