We are pleased to signpost a couple of articles that have appeared recently in The Conversation, and which make a strong case for the value of language learning, intercultural education and international mobility.
‘The UK is poorer without Erasmus – it’s time to rejoin the European exchange programme’, by Sascha Stollhans (Associate Professor of Language Pedagogies, University of Leeds).
The chair of the UCFL Year Abroad Special Interest Group has responded to Stollhan’s article, writing that: “Most of us working to support students during the Language Year Abroad will know how damaging the UK’s withdrawal from Erasmus+ has been to our institutions and our students. This well-researched article highlights why the Turing scheme is far from being a suitable replacement.”
The UCFL Year Abroad Special Interest Group was created in recognition of the challenges that the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequently Brexit have posed for international student travel. In the post-Brexit context it has particularly focused on the introduction of visas for study and work placements in European countries, the withdrawal from Erasmus+, and the challenges around UK replacement schemes for international student exchange.
The SIG offers a point of contact for year abroad tutors across our member organisations. The SIG Chair convenes regular meetings and liaises with the British Council and Universities UK International to ensure a coordinated approach in line with the relevant national agencies, including the national directors of the Turing Scheme. Technical and legal/regulatory issues pertaining to fees, funding, insurance are also being integrated into the Year Abroad planning by the UCFL YA SIG Chair.
For any queries relating to the Year Abroad and supporting guidance, please contact the Chair of the UCFL Year Abroad SIG, Dr Claire Reid.
The Conversation has also published an article on language learning in schools which may be of interest: ‘Young people in Britain aren’t bad at learning languages – but the school system doesn’t make it easy for them‘, by Abigail Parrish (Lecturer in Languages Education, University of Sheffield).
UCFL congratulates both authors for their articles, and looks forward to taking these conversations further in our special interest groups and at this year’s summer plenary.
This piece was first published on the University Council for Languages website on 25th April 2024.
You can read the post in full here.