Does the language education of TSE graduates give them the skills to meet the needs of business practice?
Hanna Ruska-Becker & Joachim Schlabach
Objective:
In the first stage (2007) the objective of a questionnaire the survey is to clarify the language competence required in the working life of TSE-graduates. Any findings should be exploited for curriculum development.
In the second stage (2008-2010) the objectives are to carry out intensive interviews and to gather new material in order to generate and develop German language courses at TSE.
Especially with regard to the Bologna-reform, the correlation between university language course content and the practical need of professional proficiency has been a topic of an on-going discussion in Finnish universities. Language and communication skills are and integral part of professional interaction. The question that needs to be answered is: what particular language skills are required in the working life and should therefore be developed by our language institute?
In the field of business education the development of the language- and education curriculum needs concrete and up to date information relating to a range of questions: Which languages are needed in the working life and in which communicative situations? Which level of competence and which competence areas are required? How actual language education meet the challenges of business life? What do respondents name as their strengths and weaknesses in languages? In which direction should the education be developed?