English
Dansk
Sprogcenter Midt was visited yesterday by the chairman of the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions (Fagbevægelsens Hovedorganisation), Morten Skov Christiansen, who, on the initiative of and together with Hanne Pontoppidan, the chair of the Union of Education Denmark (Uddannelsesforbundet), came to learn about the work language centers do with Danish language education. During the visit, he had the opportunity to meet both his members (the teachers), our students, leaders, and some of our close partners from the Social and Healthcare School (SOSU) Fredericia-Vejle-Horsens.
Morten Skov Christiansen had the chance to observe the teaching firsthand and had the amusing experience of seeing himself portrayed in a personalized, case-based language lesson. We discussed the important role that language centers play and the specialized expertise required to teach “Danish as a second language.” We also shed light on some of the legal and other challenges that prevent us from doing more to help more foreigners learn Danish and strengthen their ties to Denmark.
Department head Anette Junker Hansen and instructor Lisbeth Olesen from the SOSU school, together with our language teacher Laura Lemvig Krag, presented our joint pre-program “Ready for SOSU” as a good example of how SOSU skills, language, and intercultural competence can be built through close, qualified collaboration. This is exactly what will be needed when we, in the future, aim to improve recruitment and completion rates for bilingual students in SOSU education. Morten Skov Christiansen also had the opportunity to ask questions to Jonna and Kirstine from the Philippines and hear them talk about what drives them in their profession and why the integration of language and vocational training helps them succeed. As Kirstine expressed it, “We (bilingual students) need to learn, for example, about hygiene regulations, but just as much, we need to learn the language itself, like how to communicate with the citizen in front of us.”