Tim has always recognised the importance of language and intercultural skills for business success, and was surprised and dismayed to learn that Wales has seen a continuing drop in pupils choosing to study Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) at GCSE.
Therefore, he has been delighted to support ”The Business Language Champions Scheme”, sponsored by the Welsh Government and delivered by The National Centre for Languages (CILT Cymru). The scheme was designed to help young people develop vital language skills to compete successfully in an increasingly globalised business economy. The programme, focused on 12 to 16 year olds, inspires students to continue studying languages for GCSE/A-Level; it also forms part of the NVQ Languages for Business course.
In 2012, Tim became a Business Language Champion with CILT Cymru. In this role he has visited schools across Wales, sharing his career path with pupils and encouraging them to seriously consider the power of including a Modern Foreign Language in their GCSE subject mix. Pupil feedback on Business Language Champions’ visits shows that they capture the imagination of pupils, allowing them to realise the importance of MFL in the workplace, and suggesting new opportunities in multilingual communication.
Tim is delighted that his work in schools across Wales was recognised with the CILT Cymru ”Best Newcomer” Award for 2012 and the “Outstanding Individual Commitment” Award 2014 and his work in this area now continues through the “Routes into Languages” Project.
