posted by Isabelle Gall, Principal Teacher Modern Languages, Carnoustie High School

After the significant impact of our SCILT

(Scotland’s National Centre for Languages) event last year on S4 uptake of languages, we had the pleasure of inviting experts from various professional fields to talk to the young people in S3 at the end of September.

The morning opened with a introductory talk by Dr Meryl James of SCILT. Then pupils chose from workshops in German, Japanese, Mandarin, Polish, British Sign Language or Communication. These were led by both staff – not all of whom were from Modern Languages – and pupil volunteers.

After break, the young people attended workshops led by the guests. One of our aims was to raise awareness of the value of language skills combined with STEM skills. Karen Webster, HR manager in the Dundee based engineering firm of Tokheim International, explained how they make specialist equipment for a global market and how languages, especially French and Mandarin, are central to their everyday work. Itziar Ferreira Cores, a STEM ambassador, and Lucy Wakefield of the Dundee Science Centre presented a hands-on engineering challenge in Spanish which completely engaged the pupils.

Thomas Hulvershorn, from the popular field of games design, explained how games are created and marketed for a global audience. David Valentine, owner of the famous Simpson’s Golf Shop in Carnoustie, described his expanding businesses in China – many times the size of the shop the pupils all know. Micaela Church, a returnee from a Project Trust year in Africa, inspired the pupils with her volunteering experiences and what she had learned about human communication.  Pauline Cawdery, a Glamis Castle guide, highlighted the importance of language skills in Scottish Tourism.

Pupils and staff concluded that the morning was challenging, fun and informative. We are grateful for SCILT’s support.