Reuters -
Pilton Community College
Pilton Community College have already made good use of their partnership with Reuters, with Marcus Rees visiting the school to open the new Modern Foreign languages Suite. Students have also visited the company's European strategic site in Tiverton to find out how language skills can help them in the world of work.
Authentic materials
Reuters is one of the biggest employers of linguists in the South West at its strategic European site in Tiverton. Another important aspect of the Business Language Champions project is the opportunity for schools to see authentic foreign language materials used by the businesses, and Reuters will be supplying examples of these to the school. Teachers can see just what the company employees are likely to encounter, and use materials as the basis for lessons.
Marcus Rees explained his reason for getting involved in the initiative: ‘Reuters are very keen to encourage students to continue their foreign language learning as they are the future of successful South West businesses. Without them companies like ours will not have a pool of talent to draw from.
‘In our Tiverton operation, the ability of our staff to have first-class language skills is critical to sourcing timely and accurate financial data for our customers.
‘So much of our business requires the ability to communicate and operate internationally. Having skilled language speaking staff means we can compete successfully in the financial information industry. We are only too happy to spread the message to the region's students that learning languages is an essential asset in international business.’
John Davies who teaches languages at Pilton Community College described the value that the students got from the presentation: “The students were able to see first hand how important languages are for their future career opportunities and that there is a market for these skills in the South West with companies such as Reuters.
The key message for our students from this Business Language Champions partnership is that continuing to study foreign languages will enhance their employment prospects in an increasingly competitive job market.'
