Internationalising Higher Education

In this session we shall review the role of English in two contexts. The setting for David's part will be India, where the focus is increasingly on the quality of education at all levels. The government's new agenda alsob includes the expansion of vocational and higher education. If current aspirations are fulfilled, Indian society will be transformed with English a skill to which all classes can aspire. David will present findings of research for the recent British Council publication English Next India. This examines current social and economic trends, asks how much English India needs and explores the main challenges now facing schools and universities. The second part of the session will focus on the workplace. Employers are increasingly aware that their workforce needs to have good communication skills, in their first language and in English. But despite the effort and resources being dedicated to language training, employers and employees are often dissatisfied with the results. Philida will categorise language skills that are key to effective communication in the workplace. She will identify factors which
currently make it hard to deliver effective learning, and suggest ways in which these barriers can be overcome. These findings have implications for national policy, methodology and partnership building