A pilot course in the School of Modern Languages at Queen's University, Belfast, catering for undergraduate students of German, aims to give them a taste of what it's like to work in German industry. Traditionally, undergraduate students spent a year abroad as part of their degrees. Usually, this consisted of teaching English in a German school.
This course, however, aims to broaden student experience of Germany. A number of industrial giants - Siemens in Munich, BASF in Ludwigshafen and BOSCH, IBM and Mercedes-Benz in Stuttgart - have agreed to co-operate with Queen's in providing an industrial placement for suitably qualified candidates.
The aim is to provide the student with work experience through German and to help him or her develop business and management skills. Course tutor Sabine Woods says: "We think that it's important nowadays not only to offer a degree but also business skills because employers will be looking for that more and more. That's a degree, plus transferable skills, plus business skills and, if possible work experience.
"We are aware that there will be specialised vocabulary for students and we will introduce them to the vocabulary as the course progresses. The course consists of business oriented translation classes; crosscultural and communication skills, interview training; presentation skills and analysis skills.
During the placement, it is hoped to add to these abilities and develop new ones including technical and commercial skills and an insight into German commercial and PR practises and marketing skills.
Dr Susanne Marten-Finnis, the course director, emphasises the wider importance of the course. Germany is Northern Ireland's biggest trading partner and German is spoken by more people than any other language in western Europe, she says. Marten-Finnis originally approached the participating firms in 1996 and is delighted that they were receptive to the idea.
"It's an advantage to have a placement with the big firms because the big companies in Germany are quite fond of employing students on placements," she said. "They have people responsible for students. Supervision of projects and project-related learning would be insured. Proper supervision would be there."
She also emphasises that the course is the first of its kind to be undertaken by Queen's School of Modern Languages: "It's the first work-related learning project in the College of Humanities which I think is quite important. German studies had the reputation of sometimes being `traditional' . . . we are proud of our long tradition of teaching the classical aspects, such as literature, history and so forth.
"We have included this course, however, because not all the students want to become teachers and spend their year abroad as a teaching assistant. There is no doubt that there will be a need for people with business skills in German in the near future; people who are locally based.
"It's a wonderful departure for those students. Business skills in German is one of the new pathways which we are opening up."
Marten-Finnis also says that students will be able to continue this pathway on a postgraduate basis by doing an integrated `Germany in Europe' vocational MA which is also offered by German studies in collaboration with the Institute of European Studies at Queen's. This course offers the opportunity to become familiar with the structures, processes and policies of the European Union. Emphasis is placed on the German language, contemporary European economics politics and society.
The vocational training, which is integrated in the course, seeks to enable students to acquire practical skills in communication, presentation and translation. There are also plans for an MA in translation and interpreting.
Contacts: Dr Susanne Marten-Finnis or Mrs Sabine Woods, German Studies, School of Modern Languages, Queen's Univeristy, Belfast, BT7 1NN - phone (08) 01232 335363/335361. Email: smfinnis@clio.arts.qub.ac.uk swoods@clio.arts.qub.ac.uk
