LLAS Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

The METIKOS Project

LLAS has been invited to be a partner in a project to promote the social inclusion of immigrants in EU's societies through by improving their skills in the language of their host country. This project will be exploring a number of models of achieving this from café-style learning groups to tandem learning arrangements. It will also look at virtual modes of support for language learning for this target group. The main aim of the project is to develop a methodology of informal language learning for immigrants by adapting existing informal language learning methodologies (language cafe, TANDEM, cyber language café) to the specific needs of the immigrants. This process will be supported by the introduction of a curriculum for these informal language courses (which will make the whole process more structured and will facilitate the monitoring of the learning outcomes) as well as by the identification of existing and freely available support materials and the development of additional support materials where necessary.

Integration of university careers and volunteering services, curriculum provision and local voluntary organisations

This project aims to identify the opportunities for students to develop sustainability skills (promoting community cohesion, environmental sustainability and organisational social responsibility) in volunteering activities and work placement, as well as in aspects of the curriculum that support and accredit the development of these skills. The project will involve partnership working between the London Met student volunteering service (‘Reach’), the Department of Applied Social Sciences and local voluntary organisations in the social and environmental sectors. It aims to produce a report analysing the sustainability skills valued by voluntary sector employers, and best practice guidelines on how to develop these skills.