The Department of Languages & Humanities, GMIT, together with support from Languages Connect, has launched a new languages competition for secondary school students designed to promote the study of languages in general and encourage students to continue with the study of a language into third level education.
This competition is primarily aimed at transition year students who are studying French, German, Spanish, or Gaeilge, however entries are welcome from all class groups. Each entry will submit a short video (less than one minute ) showcasing why they love to learn languages. Entries will be judged by GMIT languages lecturing staff and prizes will be presented at a special event in GMIT on Friday, April 8. The winning videos will be used to promote the study of languages at both second and third level education.
The competition is supported by Languages Connect, which promotes the personal, social, professional, and economic benefits of foreign language skills to principals, teachers, guidance counsellors, parents, and students.
The Languages Connect awareness raising campaign is delivered by Post Primary Languages Ireland (PPLI ) in partnership with stakeholders such as GMIT. It is funded by the Department of Education as a key objective of the Languages Connect – Ireland’s Strategy for Foreign Languages in Education 2017 – 2026.
“We are delighted to partner with Languages Connect to launch this new and exciting competition to showcase the importance of learning languages, and ultimately to encourage students to continue learning languages into third level education," said Diarmuid Ó Conghaile, head of the Department for Languages & Humanities at GMIT. "In GMIT we deliver French, German, Spanish, and Gaeilge across a range of courses and disciplines. We recognise the ever-increasing importance of developing the languages skills of our students to better equip them to become full participants in the global community, and also to improve their employability upon graduation.
"GMIT has a range of international placements and Erasmus+ study abroad opportunities available to students who choose to study a language on the courses where languages are available as an elective," he added. "In recent years, more and more employers are seeking graduates with language skills and fluency in at least two European languages. Ireland is now the largest English-speaking country in the EU, and as a result there is a greater demand for our graduates who possess these language skills.”
Nellie Tattersall, project officer with Languages Connect, said: “We are delighted to fund this project under the Languages Connect awareness raising campaign. This project enables GMIT to connect with post-primary students and show them what subjects are on offer. We look forward to seeing the winning entries and hope the competition encourages students to appreciate the benefits of learning foreign languages.”
Teachers of second level language classes (French, German, Spanish, and Gaeilge ) can enter the competition on behalf of the class group and respective school by emailing [email protected] or by visiting www.gmit.ie/study/schools-liaison-office/schools-activities/gmit-languages-competition-2022 Multiple entries from individual schools are welcome. Entries close on Thursday, March 31.
