The Walloon government has prepared a new plan that aims to improve language skills for students and job seekers in order to increase their chances on the labor market. The ‘Language Plan’ is mainly intended to boost knowledge of Dutch, says Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo.
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In concrete terms, the intention is to organize language courses in the context of professions and vocational training where language knowledge offers added value to finding a job. The Walloon employment service Forem will develop new modules each year for a range of professions.
Both job seekers and students will be able to receive a so-called immersion grant. Priority will be given to young people who are following specific training and/or who are eligible for an education grant, or who have limited opportunities to learn languages as part of their training.
With the plan, the government also wants to tackle the shortage of teachers and trainers.
The ‘Plan Langues’ has a price tag of 2.75 million euros. ‘It is mainly aimed at boosting the language skills of the Walloons, especially with regard to Dutch’, says Prime Minister Di Rupo. ‘In this way we stimulate their integration into the labor market. We also improve job seekers’ chances of finding a job that meets their expectations.’
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