Rethinking Education: Language Competences for Employability, Mobility and Growth – Summary

Language competences are a key dimension of modernising European education systems, and this Staff Working Document is part of a larger policy initiative contributing to Europe 2020. It offers analysis and insight to support the Commission Communication on “Re-thinking Education: a blueprint to invest in the skills of the future for better economic and social outcomes.”

Raising the language competences of children, young people and adults will foster the mobility of workers and students and improve the employability of the European workforce.
Therefore, improved language competences will contribute to achieving the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy of growth and jobs.
Language competences should be useful in real life and match, in particular, labour market needs. This applies for national and European labour markets, and the work of EU enterprises operating on an international scale. Poor language skills are a serious obstacle to seizing professional opportunities abroad and in enterprises or organisations active at international level.
This SWD presents ground-breaking evidence. It draws on the new European Survey on Language Competences (ESLC), which assesses pupils’ knowledge of the first and second foreign languages at the end of lower secondary education. It provides, for the first time ever, empirical evidence on the ability of young Europeans to communicate across borders, their attitudes, expectations and exposure to foreign languages, as well as teaching methods and approaches in this field. The SWD uses, in addition, the outcome of a special Eurobarometer on languages and the 2012 edition of EACEA/Eurydice’s Key Data on Teaching Languages at School in Europe.
The key findings are:
1. The outcome of foreign language learning in Europe is poor: only four in ten pupils
reach the ‘independent user’ level in the first foreign language, indicating an ability to have a simple conversation. Only one quarter attains this level in the second foreign language. Too many pupils — 14% for the first language and 20% for the second — do not reach the ‘basic user’ level which means that they are not able to use very simple
language, even with support. At the same time, almost half of Europeans report that they are unable to hold a conversation in any language other than their mother tongue.
2. There are considerable differences in Member States’ performance: the new data
show that the share of pupils reaching the level of ‘independent user’ in the first foreign language varies from 9% (England1) and 14% (France) to 82% (Malta and Sweden).
3. English is becoming de facto the first foreign language. It is the most taught foreign language, both in Europe and globally, and it plays a key role in daily life – but: it is proficiency in more than one foreign language that will make a decisive difference in the future. This calls for language policies and strategies inspired by a clear vision of the value of language skills for mobility and employability.
4. Member States should make teaching and learning foreign languages significantly
more effective by action along the following lines:
• Quantity: more hours need to be invested into the teaching and learning of languages (both in general and vocational education and training). Pupils should start earlier in life to learn foreign languages and at least two foreign languages should be taught to all pupils during compulsory education.
• Quality: teaching should be improved with the help of innovative methods, including Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) where non-language subjects are taught through the medium of a foreign language, initial and in-service training of language teachers, increased opportunities for using language skills and the development of ICT-based language learning resources.
• Focus: language learning outcomes must be geared to support employability, mobility and growth. Education systems have to respond better to pupils’ learning and professional needs and work more closely with employers, chambers of commerce and other stakeholders, linking language teaching to the creation of EU-level career paths.
• Guidance: in line with this focus, Member States should provide adequate guidance
to pupils and their families.
• Monitoring: developments in learning outcomes should be monitored to identify
strengths and weaknesses and, ultimately, to improve the effectiveness of the system.
5. The considerable variations in Member States’ performance mean that countries have different starting points from which to develop the quality of foreign language teaching.
Member States should make an assessment of their own needs and identify a tailored
strategy to improve quality and efficiency.
6. Member States already invest considerably in the teaching of foreign languages.
However, smarter approaches based on the specific needs of the country and drawing on best practice can increase the return on this investment. Further funding for language learning will pay back in the long term through increased capacity for growth and internationalisation of the economy.
7. To step up work on language competences, the Commission proposes the first ever EU benchmark on language competences. The proposal responds to a request by the Council. It is based on the results of the ESLC and has been elaborated in cooperation with Member States’ representatives, namely the Advisory Board for the European Indicator of Language Competence, the OMC group on indicators and the OMC group on languages.
8. The Commission proposes a benchmark that is based on a dual approach, due to the current availability of data and the situation of language teaching in Europe. This dual approach combines two elements: the outcomes of learning in the first foreign language, and the quantity of pupils learning a second foreign language:
• by 2020, at least 50% of 15 year-olds should attain the level of independent user of a first foreign language (compared to the present 42 %);
• by 2020, at least 75% of pupils in lower secondary education should study at least two foreign languages (compared to the present 61 %).

Geoff Scaplehorn