This document summarizes a study on university graduates' workplace language needs as perceived by employers in Finland. The study used interviews and surveys to investigate the language skills employers expect from graduates. Key findings include: - Employers expect graduates to be proficient in Finnish and Swedish, the two official languages of Finland, as well as English which is widely used in professional contexts. - While many graduates may not be fully proficient in both Finnish and Swedish, employers emphasize the importance of strong communication skills and confidence using multiple languages. - Employers also value cultural competence since workplaces often involve multicultural interactions. - The study's findings suggest universities should better prepare students for the demanding multilingual nature of today

1. University graduates’ workplace language needs as perceived by employersInstructor: Dr. Pi-Ying HsuPresenter: Wei – Ting ChienDate: April 13, 20101

2. Citation Lehtonen, T., & Karjalainen, S. (2008). University graduates’ workplace language needs as perceived by employers. System, 36, 492-503.2

3. Contents I. Introduction II. Literature Review III. MethodologyIV. Discussion & ConclusionV. Reflection3

4. BackgroundFinland is a bilingual country. (Finnish/Swedish)4Employees in the public sector are required to be able to function in these two official language.(Lehtonen & Karjalainen, 2008)

5. BackgroundThere is an apparent need for English at work, and the knowledge of some other foreign languages is assumed to be a bonus. 5(Huhta, 1999)

6. BackgroundAll university graduates are required to show they are proficient in both official languages of the country and at least one foreign language.(Finland, 2004)6

7. BackgroundStudents’ future careers and language skills needed at workplace should be largely emphasized by language educators at universities. (Lehtonen & Karjalainen, 2008)7

8. Purpose of the studyto investigate the language needs of university graduates at today’s workplace according to the views of their employers8

9. Literature ReviewIndividuals working in a particular context are expected to have specific skills in a particular language, and that the language often differs from that used in other contexts. (Dlaska, 1999)9

10. Literature ReviewThere is a insufficient attention of workplace language needs in language teaching at universities.(London communique, 2007) 10

11. Literature ReviewGraduates’ need for language skills should be paid enough attention by language course designers to bridge the gap between language teaching and the linguistic needs of the workplace. (Horppu & Niskanen, 2004)11

12. MethodsLanguage Needs at the WorkplaceInterviewswith employersPostal Survey to employees (Horppu, 2005)

13. Methods13(Horppu, 2005)

14. Questionnaire ResultsAlmost all Swedish-speaking respondents use Finnish regularly

15. 1/3 Finnish-speaking respondents use Swedish regularly

16. English is needed on a regular basis14

17. Methods15

18. Interview FindingsNeed for languages Language skills are important and even decisive in recruitment.English 16 English is widely spoken throughout Europe since its fluent use in professional matters at workplace.

19. 17Interview Findings The national languages of the country Finnish and Swedish are required at the workplace, but the majority of language speakers do not be proficient at both official languages at the same time.

20. 18Interview FindingsLevel of knowledge Good communication, presentation skills, confidence to use a foreign language and the ability to interact and adapt to various cultural conditions Knowing one or two foreign language proficiently is more useful than several languages at an elementary level.

21. 19Interview FindingsKnowledge of culture(s) needed Graduates are required to have cross-cultural knowledge since the workplaces are in the multi-culture contexts.

22. Discussions & Implications The demanding plurilingual workplaceLearning to use two or more languages in one situation20

23. Discussions & Implications Communication paramount in preparing students for real life

24. Cultural sensitivity21

25. ConclusionForeign language skills are important basic components of professional academic skills.University graduates are expected to use foreign languages in advanced level.knowledge of some other languages is advantaged for employees at workplace.Cultural competence is needed at a international communication. 22

26. Reflection Collecting sufficient qualitative data since the interviewees are from different fields.Providing interview protocolGiving valuable suggestions to language teaching courses at universityGiving supportive ideas to conducting similar researches in other contextsNot providing the sample questionnaire23

27. Thanks for your attention!24