The ethos of the Language for work project

The Language for work (LfW) project is built on two fundamental ideas: that diversity is a key resource and that cooperation is a powerful motor for progress. 

European realities are diverse in many ways, including the nature of work-related language learning, the way work is organised, the structure of the labour market and approaches to learning, especially with regard to migration issues.

Different approaches and practices to support language learning have been developed across Europe in response to such different realities. LfW considers this diversity a resource, since it reveals a range of possible solutions to the challenges of supporting work-related L2 development by migrants and ethnic communities. LfW does not consider these solutions as examples to be “copied” and transferred to other contexts, but as a source of inspiration. Experience proves that such practice examples can trigger new local solutions and create innovation.

Cooperation among different actors in the field has also proved to be a crucial factor in the full exploitation of the potential benefits offered by difference and diversity. The LfW Network embraces a large choice of possible partners and supports dialogue between and among researchers and practitioners, professionals across countries, languages, disciplines and sectors (from language for social care to language for the processing industry).