La Prof – Language Learning for Professionals in ICT and Agriculture
La Prof project is a multilateral project, financed by the European Commission, that aims to increase language awareness to immigrating workforces in two sectors: ICT and agriculture. LaProf assists the candidate immigrants and ease their cultural integration by familiarizing them with the terminology and cultural issues in the 2 sectors.
LaProf is a multilateral project that aimed at promoting language awareness (by developing computer-mediated multilingual language learning resources) to immigrating workforces in two particular sectors, ICT and agriculture. The main goal was to provide free access to language learning resources that would help candidate immigrants get more familiarized with the terminology and cultural issues in their sectors, through developing and disseminating a number of language learning exercises. The main idea of the project was to encourage ICT teachers living in Estonia (and Baltics in general) to learn Finnish and give them assistance in an overall immigration process to Finland by increasing their knowledge about working environment and culture of the target country. Accordingly, LaProf aimed to teach Greek and cultural issues to agricultural specialists living in Romania, who want to move and work in Greece.
Year(s): 2009
Target group(s): Vocational teachers/trainers, workplace instructors, and Migrants students and trainees
Website: http://www.laprof.eu http://wiki.agroknow.gr/laprof
Methodology
La Prof project analyses the language competencies and learning needs of two targeted user groups: IT teachers from Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia that want to move and work in Finland, and agricultural professionals from Eastern European countries like Romania that want to move and work in Greece. To achieve this, LaProf:
- raises the awareness of available language learning activities,
- develops and disseminates language learning materials,
- develops and promotes language learning methodologies and resources to motivate the language learners
- enhance learners' capacity for language learning so that they have greater ease acquiring language and cultural familiarity.
The main aspects of the Laprof project concern the entire process of the mobility process. It is essential that the language learning is embedded in the overall process. The use of WebQuests will provide the opportunity to incorporate existing resources.
The project encourages innovation in the development of high quality language learning and teaching tools both for teachers and professionals by creating:
- a language learning guide containing: a description and guidelines for the English language modules; and links to online resources to facilitate immigrants’assimilation - with information about work opportunities, available language schools, and accommodation in the target countries (Greece and Finland)
- a LaProf Web portal where learners can access learning resources and methodologies and where producers of digital language learning resources can upload their resources and make them publicly available for all interested users to find
- interactive online language learning modules in English, French, Romanian, Hungarian, Estonian and Russian in the agricultural and ICT sectors providing practice in these sectors’ relevant terminology
- a set of policy recommendations for language teachers, professional associations and decision makers that deals with both language learning, vocational education and training around Europe
The pilot user communities addressed are (a) ICT teachers living in Estonia (and the Baltics, in general) who want to move and work in Finland, and (b) agricultural professionals living in Romania who want to move and work in Greece.
Type of product
Paper-based material
Online resource
Course / Training
Policy recommendations
Brief description of the product / outcome / method
- Language learning guide
- LaProf Web portal
- interactive online language learning modules in English, French, Romanian, Hungarian, Estonian and Russian in the agricultural and ICT sectors providing practice in these sectors’ relevant terminology
A set of policy recommendations for language teachers, professional associations and decision makers that deals with both language learning, vocational education and training around Europe.
Impact on target groups / Transferability potential
LaProf encourages innovation in the development of effective and high quality language learning and teaching tools for the two targeted sectors: teachers’ education and professionals’ (vocational) education. By using the developed pedagogical approach and the produced learning materials, LaProf enables the targeted user groups to improve the preparation of their translocation process, supporting European mobility and exchange. The LaProf multilateral project focused on raising awareness of the advantages of language learning for the immigrating workforce in the targeted sectors and countries. In this way, the multilingual character of the EU is enhanced.
Promoter of the initiative
Name of organization / individual: Information Technology Research Institute University of Jyväskylä
Country: Finland
Website: https://www.jyu.fi/it/en
Contacts: Information Technology Research Institute University of Jyväskylä, P.O.Box 35, 40014 Finland Tel: +358 / 14 260 2596, jan.pawlowski@titu.jyu.fi