Date of press release: 8 May 2007
Four innovative regional consortia have been selected to increase the take up of languages in their area. They will focus particularly on encouraging students to continue studying languages in school and then at university.
The funding for the three-year consortium projects comes through Routes into Languages, a £4.5 million programme funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), in partnership with the Higher Education Academy (HEA) Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies, with the University Council of Modern Languages, and CILT, the National Centre for Languages. The Routes into Languages programme is coordinated by a team at the University of Southampton, directed by Professor Michael Kelly.
Professor Kelly comments:
"We have been astonished at the imaginative ideas and the innovative activities that are proposed. The consortia will build on a lot of experience, and we expect they will produce a real 'sea change' in attitudes to language learning around the country."
The four lead universities running regional consortia are:
- Aston (in partnership with the University of Birmingham, Coventry University, Keele University, University of Warwick, University of Wolverhampton)
- Brighton (in partnership with Oxford University, Oxford Brookes University, University of Portsmouth, University of Reading, Southampton Solent University, University of Southampton, University of Surrey, University of Sussex)
- Manchester Metropolitan University (in partnership with the University of Bolton, University of Manchester, University of Salford)
- Newcastle University (in partnership with Durham University, Northumbria University, the Open University, University of Sunderland and Teeside University)
'Each of the consortia will be developing ways of encouraging university students to act as mentors and role models for school students,' continues Professor Kelly.
'These student ambassador schemes will receive significant funding from the programme and will have the added benefit of giving the HE students invaluable experience. Closer partnerships between schools and universities will also be encouraged. Also, in collaboration with Aim Higher networks, the consortia will work to open language studies to a wider social range,' he adds.
The Routes into Languages programme has also invited Westminster University to undertake a research project on the role of languages in major international events, such as the Olympics, to inform future development. Research projects were agreed last month with SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London) who will undertake research on the teaching of Community Languages; and with the University of Leeds who will research the relationship between Language education and enterprise.
The recent Dearing review of languages recommended that additional funds should be allocated to the Routes into Languages programme. If this is approved, it is expected that a further call for bids will be issued in the summer.
Notes
- The Routes into Languages programme is funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (£4.5 million).
- The programme was developed by three organisations working in partnership: the University Council of Modern Languages (UCML), the HE Academy Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies (LLAS), and CILT, the National Centre for Languages.
