The Language Centre is pleased to welcome students and staff from the Université Blaise Pascale, Clermont Ferrand, France this week as part of the Clavier project. Students are being hosted by Warwick language students and have been participating in a range of visits and activities including a guided tour of the Life Sciences facilities, a celebratory meal at Wagamamas in Leamingont and trips to London and Stratford. The students have connected to each other through our virtual exchange #warcler an innovation in language exchange which involves using social media and computer-mediated communication to reduce intercultural barriers. The Clavier project began in 2010, is research led and has led to staff and student exchange visits supported by Erasmus funding.

Tow new important language campaigns were launched today:

1. The All Party Parliamentary Group on Languages is launching its Manifesto Campaign for Languages aimed at all political parties in the run-up to the next election. Download the campaign document here. See also: http://blog.britishcouncil.org/appg-modernlanguages/

2. UCML is launching a campaign aimed at all universities to ask for a language qualification as an entry requirement regardless of subject of study. UCML members are urged to forward this to their senior management teams and heads of university admissions and to support this campaign.

Languages at work
The Confederation of British Industry recently found 74% of employers look to hire candidates with conversational competence in another language because it helps businesses to communicate with customers and clients on a wider scale: