Winner of a
Languages for Export award in 2001 for its innovative Flag Award for Schools scheme,
British Airways Community Learning Centre is being funded by the Nuffield Languages Programme to expand this highly successful project.
The scheme was devised when British Airways discovered, on introducing a language requirement as part of the recruitment criteria for new cabin crew, that the necessary skills were not to be found amongst the majority of UK applicants.
The Flag Award is a 'qualification' requiring communication skills and focusing on the practical application of the language. The test is a 15 minute oral exercise including:
- general conversation on everyday GCSE-type topics;
- making a public announcement in the target language;
- two role plays without scripts;
- paraphrasing statements from the target language into English and vice versa.
Schools and colleges offering the test have noted that the BA programme:
- supports them to meet some of their objectives as Language Colleges;
- encourages the partnership between their school and BA;
- illustrates the need for languages in the workplace;
- motivates young learners to continue language learning;
- supports them in raising the profile of community languages;
- challenges young learners to test their own limits in a stress-free situation.
An article in
TES (May 2002) stimulated a number of enquiries from schools keen to take part in the scheme. The BA Community Learning Centre is taking advantage of the interest shown by promoting the scheme to schools around airports in areas outside their base in the South East and Central South regions – Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol. 20-25 schools will be involved, with up to 60 teachers being trained to deliver the Flag Award. A range of at least 10 languages will be offered.
