YOUNG people from Lochgelly High School joined 12 schools from across the central belt to engage with local businesses at the University of Dundee to examine how important languages are now in the business community.

The S3 learners, accompanied by Miss Anderson, heard from a range of business leaders who view language skills as key to the growth and success of their company. The Business Brunch demonstrated the relevance of languages in a work context and aimed to encourage pupils to continue with their language studies into the senior phase of their secondary education, and beyond school.

Miss Anderson said: “Today’s event has given our S3 pupils a real insight into the advantages of learning a language at school. "The group of pupils selected to attend have always been enthusiastic about learning Spanish, but the Business Brunch was a great opportunity for them to see the value that languages have in today’s society. "Numbers in the Senior Phase continue to grow each year and we are delighted to be presenting pupils at all levels up to Advanced Higher this session. We hope that after this event, this will be continue to be the case. I must commend all 10 pupils who were an absolute credit to the school.”

Paul Sheerin, from Scottish Engineering, commented: “This was a great opportunity for Scottish Engineering to press the importance of languages to our future workforce. Engineering and Manufacturing, by its nature, tends towards international operations, and we will increase our competitiveness as a trading nation with people who, through language learning, understand how to communicate and connect with people around the world.”

The event was organised by SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages, in partnership with the University Council for Modern Languages Scotland (UCMLS).

The Business Brunch gave young people the opportunity to ask questions and find out more about the role of languages in the business world. Through hearing from a range of business leaders and interacting with employees, the aspirations of the young people who attended were raised. Pupils heard from companies such as Michelin Tyre PLC, Scottish Dance Theatre, Scottish Engineering, Al-Maktoum College and the Royal Air Force.

The pupils selected to attend the event were Brodie Adam, Ellie Davie, Kyle Graham, Teigan Kirk, Molly Lynch, Kayla Paterson, Emily Powell, Mackenzie Thomson, Tyler Thomson and Ryan Wood.