WHICH COMPETENCES FOR WHOM? SUPPORTING THE SUPPORTERS OF WORK-RELATED L2 DEVELOPMENT BY MIGRANTS AND ETHNIC MINORITIES Текст научной статьи по специальности «Языкознание и литературоведение»

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Which competences for whom? Supporting the supporters of work-related L2 development by migrants and ethnic minorities

by Matilde Grunhage-Monetti

Matilde Grunhage-Monetti European Centre for Modern Languages, Council of Europe matilde.monetti@unitybox.de Received 29.08.2020 | Revised 30.11.2020 | Accepted 10.12.2020

Recommended citation format: Grunhage-Monetti, M. (2020). Which competences for whom? Supporting the supporters of work-related L2 development by migrants and ethnic minorities. Training, Language and Culture, 4(4), 62-77. Doi: 10.22363/2521-442X-2020-4-4-62-77

Competences is one of the key words used to describe performance improvement in language learning and teaching and management training. Training is not just concerned with knowledge but with competence -the ability to perform successfully. Competences and the achievement of competency are key indicators used in quality assurance and assessment of student success and course validity. This paper takes a systemic stance on how to support migrant and ethnic minority learners develop their work-related communicative skills in the language of the country of residence (L2). It looks beyond the classroom at other places where work-related L2 learning take place and/or can be supported, including job centres and the workplace itself. It considers other actors than L2 teachers and providers including employers, managers and labour administration staff. Based on small-scale empirical research into work-related L2 teaching and learning practice, the article presents some findings of the Language for Work Network (LfW) and describes competences, which have been found helpful in practice to different actors supporting L2 development for and at work.

KEYWORDS: competences, teachers, CEFR, migrants, minorities, LfW, Language for Work, ECML

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In recent decades, few concepts have had such great success and lasting impact on pedagogy, economy and politics as that of competence. Since the sixties, the term competence has been used to describe 'the self-organised, creative capacity of individuals and collective subjects to act' (Erpenbeck, 2014, p. 20). The concept is connected with a fundamental change in the world view, which has taken place in the late 20th century and will prob-

1. INTRODUCTION

ably reach far into the future. Complexity and self-organisation theories and the insight that they are applicable to social processes have replaced the classic 'mechanistic' thinking that prevailed in previous centuries.

Self-organisation, constructivism, empowerment didactics and competences are the key concepts of a new, future-oriented pedagogy (Erpenbeck, 2014, p. 20). What do these concepts mean? Self-organisation characterises processes of spon-

© Matilde Grunhage-Monetti 2020 This content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

by Matilde Grünhage-Monetti

taneous generation of organised structures, initiated, but not generated from outside and based on inner laws of the self-organising system (Erpenbeck, 2014, p. 20). As to thinking and cognition, constructivism maintains that the human brain does not produce photographic pictures of reality but constructs its own representations of the world. Finally, empowerment didactics means that teaching is not a transfer of knowledge from teachers to learners but a process of enabling leaners to construct knowledge in a self-organised way.

In language education, competency has played a central role since the 1970s with the introduction of the concept of communicative competence as a system of language learning. As Newby (2019) points out, the term has been explored from different perspectives.

Learner competences describe what skills learners need to acquire and how they acquire language and related skills (Newby, 2019, p. 40). Teacher competences focus on what teachers need to know and do to support the development of their learners' competences, and how they acquire these didactic skills.

The Common European Framework of Reference defines competence as the "sum of knowledge, skills and characteristics that allow a person to perform action' (CEFR, 2001, p. 9). Central to

the concept of competence is the focus on action-orientation and on the ability to act in complex situations.

The Language for Work (LfW) network and website, emerging from two ECML (European Centre for Modern Languages) projects, take a systemic stance on the issue of competences, building on the understanding of language as more than a formal system of vocabulary and grammar to be taught in a classroom or online. The language we use in any context is shaped by social norms and power relationships and therefore not just the business language but also the business environment matters (Language for Work, 2019).

2. THE LfW LISTS OF COMPETENCES

LfW therefore investigated actual practice in order to identify desirable competences for the various actors in education, labour administration and business supporting work-related L2 development. The checklists were then organised by setting (i.e. where the work-related L2 learning is being supported, e.g. in a language classroom, or in the workplace itself, etc.) and support role (i.e. actors present in the setting who can provide support, such as teachers, job centre staff, volunteers, managers and colleagues, etc.) (Language for Work, 2019) (Figure 1).

Figure 1. The four Language for Work (LfW) settings (source: LfW Lists)

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The following lists of competences have been developed by the international coordinating team of the Language for Work projects and network (LfW), sponsored by the European Centre of Modern languages of the Council of Europe. They are not prescriptive, nor are they a 'to-do' list for professional development. These checklists aim simply to make visible a number of competences found to be useful in practice. The authors regard them as a tool to help the many actors supporting migrants and ethnic minorities developing work-related skills in the language of the country of residence (L2): teachers and learning providers, but also job centre staff, employers, co-workers, etc. These checklists take a more systemic position on the issue of L2 acquisition and development in the context of work in line with the contemporary discourse on language, learning, work, and competences. Therefore, the lists embrace competences useful to the various key actors involved in work-related L2 development.

3. METHODOLOGY

The authors have generated these lists of competences by analysing some 50 practice examples of support for L2 learning at, for and through work contributed by LfW network's members - teachers, teacher trainers, providers and researchers - from Europe and Canada. 35 such practices are documented in the LfW website (Language for Work, 2020). The identified ways of support for work-related L2 learning have been conceptualised in terms of specific constellations of actors, working together in the four settings. On the basis of the data at our disposal the LfW identified the four set-

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tings and named them, using geometric figures with the actors at the angles. As with all models, these settings are analytical constructs and generalisations. In real life practice is usually more complex. Nonetheless, they can be used as basic maps that reveal the salient features of a practice. As further practices emerge, the LfW network hopes to document and add them to this collection and amend the conceptual framework accordingly.

The next section analyses the competences in each of the four settings and describes the role of the actors in each setting, the mode of teaching or training or other learning arrangements and the desirable competences of each actor in the setting, what they should be familiar with and aware of and what they should be willing and able to do.

4. THE LfW COMPETENCES

4.1. Setting 1: The triangle

The key actors in Setting 1 are the learner, the L2 teacher and the L2 learning provider. The learners are mostly job seekers, but they may also be employees wanting to improve their L2 skills to find a better or more secure position. The provision is classroom-based and often structured as a course. Work placements may be included, but more common are visits to workplaces of interest to learners. Instruction is the predominant mode of support for learning, but with some support for self-directed and autonomous learning, such as encouragement of Internet research by learners and the use of language observation tasks focused on communication at work or in everyday life outside the classroom; also, peer-learning and peercoaching (Table 1).

Table 1

Setting 1 key actors' competences

L2 TEACHER COMPETENCES

The teacher is familiar with: • the local/regional labour market;

• work-related languages skills in workplaces of interest for learners;

• analysis of work-related language requirements;

• analysis of learning needs.

by Matilde Grünhage-Monetti

• each workplace is a functional system with its own aims and goals, power relations, priorities, structures, procedures, etc.;

• learners' autonomy can be valuably fostered by exploiting the language learning opportunities of L2 environments;

• the psycho-social situations of migrants and refugees may impact their L2 learning;

• learners may have very different educational backgrounds, including on VET (vocational education and training);

• learners may have very different levels of literacy and in some circumstances work-related L2 instruction may include basic skills, such as numeracy.

• engage with the learners' field of work (actual and prospective).

• work cooperatively with other actors, including vocational teachers, job centres, non-professional mentors/volunteers, employers, workplace instructors;

• adapt methods of needs analysis and requirements analysis to own specific situation, e.g. no access to companies, or learners working in different sectors, etc.;

• develop a learning programme that addresses the needs and requirements of diverse groups of learners;

• address the learning proprieties of the relevant stakeholders, such as job centres;

• use a range of approaches to support learning, including, for example, the arrangement of work placements in local companies;

• offer information, guidance and advice to learners on work-related L2 issues.

L2 LEARNING PROVIDER COMPETENCES

The provider is familiar with: • the local/regional labour market;

• the process of L2 acquisition, including enablers and barriers to L2 acquisition, and can relate to the specific situation of learners in own institution;

• language requirements of a variety of jobs (accessible to the learners);

• qualification structure and forms of education and vocational training provision;

• needs and requirements analysis, how to support staff to implement/adapt them.

The provider is aware that: • each workplace is a functional system with its own aims and goals, power

relations, priorities, structures, and procedures, etc.

The provider is able to: • network in order to organise work-related L2 support activities for learners with

other actors, including (1) local employers in order to organise work-placements, visits to companies, requirements' analysis, etc.; (2) job centres, voluntary sectors, chambers of commerce, trade unions, employers associations, local government, round tables/economic development initiatives; (3) VET schools and centres; (4) migrants' organisations/communities; (5) volunteers and volunteer organisation;

• provide professional development for own staff regarding work-related L2;

• support teaching staff with equipment, contacts for placements, visits, etc.;

• provide information, advice and guidance (for learners) to support their language and vocational development.

The teacher is aware that:

The teacher is willing to: The teacher is able to:

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4.2. Setting 2: The square

The key actors in this setting are the learner, the L2 teacher, the L2 learning provider, and the job centre. The profile of learners, teachers and types of course are similar to Setting 1. This type of pro-

vision is usually initiated by the local labour market administration (municipality, job centre) working with teachers and learning providers and aims to integrate migrants into the labour market (Table 2).

Table 2

Setting 2 key actors' competences

L2 TEACHER COMPETENCES

In addition to the skills in Setting • qualification structure and forms of education and vocational training provision;

1 the teacher is familiar with:

• procedures for the recognition of qualifications acquired abroad or informally;

• how to research education and VET systems of learners' countries of origin;

• language and communication requirements in workplaces, which are of interest/ accessible to own learners;

• methods and tools of needs and requirements analysis and can adapt them to the concrete situation.

The teacher is aware that: • education, work, administration are different functional systems with own aims

and goals, requirements etc. and is ready to find a realistic and satisfactory interface for the work-related L2 development of the learners.

The teacher is able to: • cooperate with other actors/stakeholders, in particular with job centres, mentors,

employers, VET teachers, supervisors, etc.;

• strike a balance between own aims/goals as a teacher and aims/goals and interests of the language provider, the labour market administration and those of the learner;

• assess language and communication requirements of specific workplaces, and work-related language needs and skills of learners;

• develop a realistic curriculum accordingly;

• negotiate the curriculum with learners and other relevant key actors, such as job centres, to accommodate possible different needs/requirements;

• implement work-related language specific classroom management including use of digital and mobile devices, e.g. (1) by developing tasks which link classroom and workplace/every-day life; (2) by enhancing learners' capacity to identify language-related requirements in workplaces/jobs of interest for them; (3) by enhancing learners' capacity to self-evaluate and monitor own L2 progress; (4) by using coaching approaches or initiating/supporting peer learning;

• implement blended learning;

• provide information, guidance and advice for learners on work-related L2 issues.

L2 LEARNING PROVIDER COMPETENCES

The provider is familiar with: • qualification structure and forms of education and vocational training provision;

• procedures for the recognition of qualifications acquired abroad or informally;

by Matilde Grünhage-Monetti

• the educational and VET systems of the countries of origin of learners or is able and ready to search for such information;

• language and communication requirements in workplaces, which are of interest/ accessible to own learners and requested by the local/regional labour market;

• legislation and regulation on the employment of migrants and refugees;

• legislation and regulation on training provision, especially in VET at workplace;

• language requirements of jobs of interest for learners and/or job centres;

• methods and tools of needs and requirements analysis and can support own staff to implement/adapt them.

The provider is aware of staff needs and is ready to:

• support staff with whatever equipment, contacts for placements, visits, finding information on recognition of foreign qualifications, foreign educational systems, etc.;

• provide professional development in response to challenges of the labour market.

The provider is able to:

• provide information and advice and guidance to support learners' language and vocational development and/or support teachers to do so;

• network with, in particular, (1) local employers to organise work placements, visits to companies, needs analysis, etc.; (2) voluntary sectors, chambers of commerce, trade unions, employers' associations, local government, round tables/initiatives to boost local economy, etc.; (3) VET schools and centres; (4) migrants' organisations;

• raise awareness among non-educational actors of the difference between L2 needs and educational needs due to lack of formal education and between language/communication and vocational competence;

• advise job centres on educational needs of clients or how to find out educational/ language needs of clients;

• negotiate fair conditions for work placements, qualification courses, etc.;

• carry out needs and requirements analysis or support own staff to do so,

• organise teachers/supervisors staff meetings to ensure the monitoring of training;

• organise steering committee to oversee all training;

• promote the issue of work-related L2 development and market own offer/provision with job centres and employer in different ways;

• reach out to gig-economy workers whose contracts are precarious;

• plan different sort of interventions, e.g. communication training for staff in job centres for accessible communication, advise employers on screening documents, how to support L2 development on the job, etc.

JOB CENTRE STAFF COMPETENCES

Job centre staff are familiar with:

• assessment and training systems and can advise clients accordingly;

• systems and procedures for the recognition of foreign qualifications or informally achieved qualifications and can advise clients accordingly;

• issues related to psycho-social situation of migrants in particular refugees (living, family, culture, housing, insecure life prospects, trauma, limited L2 networks, etc.);

• language requirements for different jobs;

• barriers, enablers for L2 acquisition and development by adult migrants/refugees.

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Job centre staff are aware of:

• the catchment area and its needs;

• different educational systems and educational backgrounds of the clients;

• issues related to psycho-social situation of migrants and refugees that may impact L2 learning.

Job centre staff are willing and able to:

• investigate the educational backgrounds of the clients, including the educational systems in their countries of origin;

• match needs and offers;

• investigate the educational/language needs of clients;

• distinguish between L2 needs and educational needs of clients (e. g. those with limited, interrupted or no formal education);

• reconcile needs of the migrants with the requirements of the system;

• make some judgment on the L2 skills and language needs of clients;

• communicate accessibly (in writing and orally);

• avoid taking either paternalistic or maternal positions in relation to clients.

4.3. Setting 3: The pentagon

This setting may include quite a number of different partners, including the following actors: learners, L2 teachers, L2 learning providers, job centres, VET providers, volunteers and/or other

partners in the community. In other cases, there are just a few partners. The learners may be unemployed, job-seekers or participating in VET programmes. Aims may include social integration (Table 3).

Table 3

Setting 3 key actors' competences

L2 TEACHER COMPETENCES

The teacher is aware that/of: • education, work, administration are different functional systems with their own

aims and goals, requirements, procedures, etc. and is ready to find a realistic and satisfactory interface for the work-related L2 development of the learners;

• the difference between work-related language skills and vocational competence (the difference between the language skills requested by the workplace organisations and those requested by the work content/tasks as such) and can raise awareness among the other actors, in particular VET teachers;

• the impact that the specific psycho-social situations of migrants in particularly refugees may have on the language learning process (e.g. very limited networks with L2 speakers, co-presence of different languages in every-day life, traumatic life experiences, etc.).

The teacher is able to: • cooperate with VET and other teachers, e.g. to assess/identify jointly the age-ap-

propriate L1 literacy and grade/level-appropriate content knowledge of the learners in order to develop tailored provision;

• cooperate with other actors/stakeholders, volunteers, job centres, employers, etc.;

• establish, maintain and support contacts with the communities to which the learners belong, in order to promote the importance of work-related L2 learning;

• raise awareness among actors/stakeholders of the difference between work-related language L2 skills and vocational skills;

• strike a balance between own aims/goals (as L2 teacher) and aims/goals and requirements, interests of the language provider, of the labour market (administration) or other stakeholders and those of the learner;

• analyse the language and communication requirements of specific workplaces, and work-related language needs and language competence of learners;

• develop a realistic curriculum accordingly;

• negotiate the curriculum with learners and other relevant key actors, such as job centres, to accommodate possible different needs/requirements;

• implement work-related language-specific classroom management including use of digital and mobile devices, e.g. (1) by developing tasks which link classroom and workplace/every-day life; (2) by enhancing learners' capacity to identify language-related requirements in workplaces/jobs of interest for them; (3) by enhancing learners' capacity to self-evaluate and monitor own L2 progress; (4) by using coaching approaches or initiating/supporting peer learning;

• provide information, guidance and advice to learners on work-related L2 issues.

VET TEACHER* COMPETENCES

The VET teacher is familiar with: • the concept of integrating language learning with subject-matter learning (Content

and Language Integrated Learning, CLIL).

The VET teacher is aware that: • VET instruction can support the L2 learner to develop language skills, including

language for study.

The VET teacher is able to: • cooperate with the L2 teacher to support language development through VET in-

struction.

L2 LEARNING PROVIDER, VET PROVIDER COMPETENCES

• the local/regional labour market situation;

• the qualification structure and forms of VET provision in place;

• procedures for the recognition of qualifications acquired abroad or informally;

• the educational and VET systems of the countries of origin of learners or is ready and able and to search for such information;

• language and communication requirements in workplaces, which are of interest/ accessible to own learners and requested by the local/regional labour market;

• legislation and regulation regarding the employment of migrants and refugees;

• language requirements of jobs;

• funding sources;

• barriers and enablers for L2 acquisition and development by adult migrants and refugees.

* The term VET teacher includes any non-L2 teacher, e.g. teacher of engineering skills, health & social care skills, mathematics/numeracy skills, etc.

The L2/VET provider is familiar with:

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• the challenges of acquiring L2 and vocational competences at the same time, in particular for those learners with limited, interrupted or no formal education;

• the needs of staff and is ready to support staff with equipment, contacts for placements, visits, finding information on recognition of foreign qualifications, foreign educational systems, and provide professional development for own staff in response to new challenges, new job profiles, new work content through digitalisation, etc.

• identify (and combine) funding sources;

• provide information, advice and guidance for learners to support their language and vocational development and/or support teachers to do so;

• network, in particular with local employers (in order to organise work placements, visits to companies, needs analysis, etc.), voluntary sector organisations, chambers of commerce, trade unions, employers' associations, local government, round tables/initiatives to boost local economy, etc., VET schools, centres and migrant organisations;

• advise job centres on educational needs of clients;

• negotiate fair conditions for work placements, qualification courses, etc.;

• carry out needs and requirements analysis or support own staff to do so;

• promote the issue of work-related L2 development and market own offer/provision with job centres and employer in different ways;

• reach out to workers whose contracts are precarious;

• plan different sort of interventions, e.g. communication training for staff in job centres for accessible communication, advise employers on screening documents, how to support L2 development on the job, etc.;

• support L2 acquisition and development of adult migrants and refugees;

• build relevant relationships, e.g. with labour market actors;

• raise awareness with employers, instructors, job centres, migrant/community organisations regarding the challenges migrants face as L2 learners.

JOB CENTRE COMPETENCES the same as in Setting 2

VOLUNTEER COMPETENCES

The volunteer is familiar with: • barriers, enablers for L2 acquisition and development by adult migrants/refugees;

• the current system of (1) language provision for adults; (2) certification and assessment; (3) recognition of qualifications.

• their own role, that is they are supporters, not teachers, of L2 learning/development but can act as role models for learners.

• find the relevant information;

• cooperate and network with other actors: teachers, language providers, job centres, employers /representative bodies, etc.;

• make a case/be an advocate for the importance of work-related L2 development with the learners, their community, the majority community (individuals and institutions like local government, job centres, employers' representations, trade unions).

The L2/VET provider is aware of:

The L2/VET provider is able to:

Volunteers are aware of:

The volunteer is able and willing to:

COMPETENCES OF OTHER PARTNERS IN THE COMMUNITY

The partner is familiar with:

• barriers, enablers for L2 acquisition and development by adult migrants/refugees;

• the current system of (1) language provision for adults; (2) certification and assessment; (3) recognition of qualifications.

The partner is able and willing to:

• act as a 'mediator' between institutions of the majority society, such as educational providers, job centres and own community members (in this context, can promote the issue of work-related L2 development, informing own members, inviting providers and job centres to present their services, etc.);

• support own members of the community (in particular women) so that they can attend work-related L2 provision;

• reach out to workers on precarious contracts;

• attract volunteers;

• organise volunteers' support;

• celebrate role models (from the community) and achievements.

4.4. Setting 4: The hexagon

This setting focuses on the workplace and its actors and stakeholders: learner, L2 teacher/coach, L2 learning provider, employer/manager, colleagues (e.g. as mentors), trade unions and workers' representatives (Table 4).

Teaching can take place in groups or individually, directly at the workstation or in a separate space on the company's premises or at the learning provider's. In this setting formal, non-formal and informal learning arrangements may be all present. Next to traditional instruction, coaching and mentoring - well-established approaches in VET and adult education - are used to support work-related L2 development.

Coaching is a way of helping an individual employee or group of employees to improve their work-related L2 performance. There are two main forms of coaching, directive and non-directive. In directive coaching, the coach sets goals, suggests strategies to achieve them, identifies resources, monitors the learners' performance and gives them evaluative feedback. Directive coaching is instructional, and the coach is the expert. It is another form of teaching or training. The coach requires expert knowledge of performance in the given context. In non-directive coaching, the individual or group is the expert and they set the agenda. The

coach helps them to think through the agenda and apply their own expertise to achieve the outcomes they want. Non-directive coaching is facilitative. It is based on reflective learning and structured problem-solving. The coach requires knowledge only of how to help people learn and problem-solve for themselves. In the data examined, characteristics of both types of coaching occur. The coach is often an L2 teacher. The company usually sets the learning agenda, etc. On the other end, the learner is clearly the expert in his/her work and the coach provides support in L2 problem-solving and learning to learn.

Mentoring describes informal guidance from someone with more expertise. Mentors share their own expertise to support the development of someone with less expertise. In this setting colleagues or front-line managers usually act as L2 mentors. They often fulfil a double function: they support migrant co-workers to improve their L2 performance, and at the same time they may raise the management's awareness of L2 workplace communications and suggest the most appropriate improvements.

Learners and Learning. In this setting, the learners are usually employees but can also be job seekers. The focus is on the requirements and needs of the workplace. L2 development is neces-

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sary to meet the demands placed on language and communication skills through globalisation, modifications in work content and organisation as well as new technologies and companies' needs for L2-speaking employees. It aims to improve the work

processes, the communication between management and employees and among them. It aims to contribute to securing jobs, improving the learners' participation in work and enhancing their career prospects.

Table 4

Setting 4 key actors' competences

L2 TEACHER/COACH COMPETENCES

The teacher/coach is • the local/regional labour market situation;

familiar with: • relevant training adult and further education and VET offers in the area;

• ethnographic methods and instruments to identify the language and communication needs of learners and employers;

• the impact that the specific psycho-social situations of migrants, in particularly refugees, may have on the language learning process (e.g. very limited networks with L2 speakers, co-presence of different languages in every-day life, etc., traumatic life experiences);

• instruments to support employers/managers to identify and lower (structural) barriers to the workplace communicative requirements and learners' performance (in particular, a coach is familiar with instruments to facilitate learning and support learners to learn autonomously).

The teacher/coach is ready • engage with the field of work in question;

and willing to- • cooperate with labour market actors such as employers, HRM, supervisors, in-

structors, mentors, trade unions, as well as job centres, etc.;

• engage in non-formal and informal learning arrangements;

• raise awareness among workplace actors of (1) the role of language as part of vocational competence; (2) the basics of L2 acquisition by adults; (3) enablers and barriers to L2 acquisition and workplace communicative performance; (4) the challenges of L2 learning by adult migrants, in particular those with limited, interrupted or no formal education;

• support employers/managers to identify and lower (structural) barriers to L2 acquisition and the workplace communicative requirements and learners' performance.

The teacher/coach is • education, work, administration are different functional systems with their own

aware that/°f: aims and goals, requirements etc. and is ready to find a realistic and satisfactory inter-

face for the work-related L2 development of the learners;

• learners' different educational systems and backgrounds;

• the interdependency of work content and organisation and communication (e.g. flexibility/rotation poses more and higher communicative demands on operational staff working at different workstations);

• enablers and barrier to L2 acquisition and workplace communicative performance, particularly at structural level;

• the impact that the specific psycho-social situations of migrants, in particular refugees, may have on the language learning process (e.g. very limited networks with L2 speakers, co-presence of different languages in every-day life, etc., traumatic life experiences);

• particular challenges of learners with limited, interrupted or no formal education;

• own role, need to avoid taking paternalistic or maternal positions, taking sides, etc.

The teacher is able to: • analyse the language and communication requirements in specific workplaces,

and the work-related language needs of learners;

• develop a realistic curriculum accordingly;

• negotiate curriculum with managers and learners in order to accommodate possible different needs and interests;

• guide and advise learners on work-related L2 issues;

• guide and advise managers and other workplace actors;

• apply different teaching methods and tools including digital devices, in particular (1) to link the classroom with the workplace/every-day L2 learning opportunities; (2) to foster learners' autonomy so that they can exploit the opportunities of living and working in the L2 environment; (3) to support learners to identify L2 requirements in workplaces/jobs of interest for them; (4) to enhance learners' capability of self-evaluating and monitoring own L2 progress (helping them to identify concrete goals reached on a continuous basis and to name them); (5) delegate specific questions from learners to professionals;

• listen attentively/actively;

• focus on learners' resources, potential and capability;

• focus on realistic problem-solving and action orientation.

L2 LEARNING PROVIDER COMPETENCES

The provider is familiar with: • the local/regional labour market situation;

• the language requirements of jobs in question, if not he is willing and able to identify them;

• legislation and regulations relevant to the employment of migrants and refugees;

• educational systems in countries of origin of learners or information sources;

• psycho-social situation of migrants and particularly refugees and its impact on (language) learning such as legal status, living, family, culture, housing, trauma, few L2 speaking networks, etc.);

• different formal, non-formal learning arrangements.

• raise awareness among workplace actors of (1) the role of language as part of vocational competence; (2) the basics of L2 acquisition; (3) the challenges of L2 learning by adult migrants, in particular those with limited, interrupted or no formal education; (4) the advantages, limits and requirements of different arrangements of formal, non-formal and informal learning;

• reach out to 'gig economy' workers on precarious contracts (see extra dimension);

• support and enable own staff to offer tailored L2 provision.

The provider is willing and able to:

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The provider is aware that/of: • work as a functional system is different from education, public administration, etc.

with its own aims and goals, priorities, power relations, logics, dynamics, etc. and is willing to find an interface between their own aims as L2 teachers, the aims of learners, providers and employers;

• learners' different educational systems and backgrounds;

• the impact of structural factors of work organisation and content on L2 requirements and L2 acquisition.

The provider is able to: • network, in particular with (1) employers in order to organise work placements,

needs analysis, etc.; (2) actors and stakeholders such as chambers of commerce, trade unions, employers' associations, local government, round tables/initiatives to boost local economy, etc.; (3) VET schools and centres; (4) migrants' organisations;

• provide professional development for own staff;

• support teaching staff with whatever is needed: equipment, contacts for placements, visits;

• provide information and advice and guidance (for learners) to support their language and vocational development;

• provide guidance and support for company actors (employer, managers, mentors, trade unions);

• carry out needs analysis or support own staff to do so;

• promote the issue of work-related L2 development and market own offer/provision with job centres and employers;

• evaluate results and analyse impact;

• market own provision, in formal and informal ways;

• plan different sort of interventions, e.g. intercultural communication training for supervisors, screening of documents, etc.

EMPLOYER/MANAGEMENT COMPETENCES

Management is familiar with: • the basics of L2 language learning, enablers and barriers;

• relevant legislation, rules particularly regarding migrants/refugees employment;

• how and where to get support e.g. regarding learning providers for language teaching, for language needs and requirements analysis, assessment of individual language skills;

• tools available for better communication in the workplace, e.g. how to talk to employees about language learning needs, how to discuss language requirements with staff, how to use reflective discussions to improve language, etc.

Management is aware that/of: • work content and organisations technologies and communication are interdependent;

• language is not learnt automatically when someone is in employment;

• language and communicative skills that are needed for the particular workplace and for employment (can be related to the CEFR; general or specific, but often a more specific description is needed);

• structural and personal enablers and barriers to L2 acquisition and performance.

Management is ready/willing to:

Management is able to:

offer training and support for mentors.

support communication and language development in the workplace; connect language learning with the operational development of the work activity; identify (and combine) funding sources;

develop a language policy and a strategy for language in the workplace.

STAFF COMPETENCES

Staff are familiar with: • local procedures on what to do and who to contact when misunderstandings arise.

Staff are open-minded towards: • colleagues speaking another language, and/or with a different cultural background.

SUPERVISOR/TRAINER/MENTOR, ETC. COMPETENCES

Supervisors/trainers/mentors, etc. are familiar with:

• the communicative requirements and the social norms of the company/workplace;

• ways of supporting L2 learners, in particular how to give support without taking over the work task;

• the basics of language, communication, inclusion and intercultural issues;

• different tools for correcting language and solving misunderstandings, etc.;

• simple tools and methods for creative language development;

• basic digital competence.

Supervisors/trainers/mentors, etc.

are aware

of:

• what language is needed for the particular workplace, task, etc.;

• structural and personal enablers and barriers to L2 acquisition and performance;

• relevant training adult and further education and VET offers in the area or willing to find out information.

Supervisors/trainers/mentors etc. are able to:

• cooperate with other supervisors, key persons in the workplace, teachers, etc.;

• give management relevant information and help to establish routines and a supportive environment for language learning;

• communicate effectively with migrant workers who are still developing L2 communicative competence;

• build a relationship of trust and respect with mentees.

TRADE UNION STAFF COMPETENCES

Trade union staff are familiar with:

• the basics of L2 acquisition by adults and what are the enablers and barriers and relevant training adult and further education and VET offers in the area or willing to find out information.

Trade union staff are aware that/of:

• the central role of language in modern workplaces as part of vocational competence and necessary for participation (strategies may be needed to communicate effectively with migrant workers who are still developing L2 communicative competence).

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Trade union staff are able to: • communicate effectively with migrant workers who are still developing L2 com-

municative competence;

• give management relevant information and help to establish routines and a supportive environment for language learning.

5. DISCUSSION

5.1. Using the lists of competences

The lists of competences offer support for quality assurance programmes for educational providers, including adult and continuing education, L2 language providers, VET providers and employers generally; organisational development programmes for educational providers and employers generally; training and train-the-trainer programmes; policy makers concerned with migrant integration, in particular labour market integration.

5.2. Case study

It is important that teachers and education providers, as well as related agencies in employment, recognise the LfW competences and work to improve their skills, recognise the actors who can support them in training in LfW and build the relevant relationship competences. In order to test this out, LfW carried out a survey with teachers and education providers of German as a second language. The survey was linked to a learning activity within a training scheme for teachers and providers of work-related German as second language. Due to the Covid-19 lockdown the exercise was mainly conducted online and broken down into self-learning phases.

The survey took place in two stages. Stage 1: LfW translated the competences into German. Stage 2: The teachers and education providers were asked to review the lists of competences, focus on the setting relevant to their practice, consider the following questions and answer the one most important for their work. The two questions were:

Question 1: 'What can you do in your function - as teacher or provider - to support a specific actor you cooperate with?'

Question 2: 'If you want to market your work-related L2 German offer, which competences would you stress as your unique selling points?'

The response to the survey was that all the participants (most of them teachers or providers in pre-employment work-related L2 courses with limited experience with German provision in companies) chose the first question.

5.3. Results of the case study

The results of the survey demonstrated two key issues. First, the results showed a deeper awareness of the complexity of the linguistic integration of migrants at and through work. Secondly, it showed an awareness that support for language learners' integration is not just a matter of the teacher's or education provider's marketable skills but involves the ability to communicate with and relate to organisations beyond the immediate language teaching environment to ease access to employment for immigrants and minority groups learning the target language of the country they are living in. The case study showed that in the opinion of language teachers and education providers language support goes beyond teaching and is part of a larger process involving actors with whom teachers and sometimes providers are rarely in contact but are now being asked to cooperate with. Examples of these new partners are job centres, trade unions and employers.

The results of the case study reinforce relevant issues in the training scheme, such as the impact of work organisation on learning opportunities and the role of non-formal and informal learning supporters such as coaches and mentors. In the meantime, this type of exercise has become an integral part of the modular training scheme offered by different training providers sponsored by the German federal programme Integration through Qualification (IQ). Further research and case studies are needed on how to make this happen as effectively as possible and to use the LfW competences as a way of quickly recognising possible avenues of cooperation.

by Matilde Grünhage-Monetti

6. CONCLUSION

The increasing number of migrants and minority communities in European countries and elsewhere need to work to be able to feed their families and thrive in the community. Mastery of the language of the country they are living in is essential to getting work and promotion within the organisations they work for. There is plenty of evidence that in contemporary workplaces langue and communication have become part of vocational competences (Grünhage-Monetti & Brad-dell, 2019). Involved in the process of mastering a new language to find work are a number of agencies, some educational, such as teachers and training providers, and some professional, such as job centres, trade unions and employers. In between are the voluntary and other agencies working to help unemployed members of society to find work.

The problem is that these agencies belong to different social systems like education, labour market administration, business, charities, etc. and have different aims and approaches and different qualifications, experience and competence. The purpose of our research is to identify the competences of the different agencies and to explore means of cooperation to support the future workers.

As we can see from the above, the Language for Work competences list the skills and competences that have proved useful for different agencies or actors in order to meet the needs of language mi-

grant and ethnic minority students learning languages in order to access employment and make progress in their work for their own benefit and the benefit of employers and the whole society.

What we have learned is that language learning for employment is not just the job of teachers and educational providers but also involves employers and intermediary agencies, such as job centres, trade unions and other actors. In the future, the issue of competences will become a key element in professional development. The feedbacks from teachers and providers in current trainings prove the importance of raising their awareness for the need for new cooperations. The lists of competences may help them to identify ways how to enlarge their networks, support the new partners and how to market their own offer to companies and labour administration in a more effective way.

Acknowledgments

I would like to stress that the lists of competences were compiled by the coordinating LfW team including, beyond myself, Alexander Brad-dell, Christophe Portefin and Kestin Sjosvard. I thank my colleagues for their expertise and for giving permission to publish our joint work. I also thank the members of the LfW network who contributed the underlying data, i.e. examples of practice. Finally, my thanks are due to the European Centre for Modern Languages and the Council of Europe for supporting our work and for giving permission to publish the lists of competences.

References

Grünhage-Monetti, M., & Braddell, A. (2019). Language for work matters. Training, Language and Culture, 3(4), 27-35. Doi: 10.29366/2019tlc.3.4.3 CEFR. (2001). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment. Strasbourg: Council of Europe. Erpenbeck, J. (2014). Stichwort "Kompetenzen". Die Magazin, 3, 20-21. Retrieved from https://die-bonn.de/zeitschrift/32014/kompetenz-01.pdf Language for Work. (2019). Language for work competences. Retrieved from https://languageforwork.ec

ml.at/ResourceCentre/Competences/tabid/5423/ language/en-GB/Default.aspx Language for Work. (2020). Examples of practice. Retrieved from https://languageforwork.ecml.at/Re-sourceCentre/Collectionofpractices/tabid/5424/ language/en-GB/Default.aspx Newby, D. (2019). Teacher and learner competences. In S. Newby, F. Heyworth & M. Cavalli (Eds.), Changing contexts, evolving competences: 25 years of inspiring innovation in language education (pp. 40-47). Strasbourg: Council of Europe.