Project and Methodology
The goal of this project was to develop a “roadmap” to assess and address the economic, social and cultural imperatives for language skills in the workplace that recognizes the importance of multiple language competencies as an integral component in the economic competitiveness of the State of Texas and its ability to provide goods and services to increasingly diverse populations. Language Roadmap for the 21st Century: Texas underlines the respective roles of business, education, and government in the necessary partnership to affect significant change.
In preparation for the development of the roadmap, research was conducted to determine the need for a workforce skilled in languages and cultures in addition to English. Data-gathering consisted of interviews with private enterprises and state and local government agencies. A working session, the Texas Language Summit, was then held with representatives from the business, government, and education communities who provided input into the planning process and helped to define the current and future need for multiple language competencies in their organizations. This one-day session was followed by smaller working group sessions focused on outlining approaches to responding to language needs. With the input and feedback from these various sources, a roadmap toward an effective incorporation of language education, at all levels, was developed.
Preliminary Interviews
Data-gathering began in May, 2007, with forty-six (46) face-to-face and telephone interviews conducted in four metropolitan areas (Houston, Dallas-Ft. Worth, San Antonio, and Austin) with 21 large and 25 small- to medium-sized organizations including 9 NGOs, 9 state and local government agencies and 28 private enterprises. Business categories included construction, healthcare, arts and entertainment, media, oil and gas, technology and engineering, legal services, and transportation. An interview protocol was used to gather information on the current use and future need in these organizations for employees with skills in languages and cultures in addition to English. When permission was granted, interviews were recorded. The preliminary data are intended for qualitative rather than scientific analysis.
The Summit
On June 22nd, the Texas Language Summit brought together approximately 65 members of the business, government and education communities for a one-day session in Austin to help define the “landscape” of language use in the state and local context and to characterize the demand for language skills in their organizations. To begin, participants were asked to think about the top three challenges in their organizations that require or could benefit from language skills.
Then breakout groups worked to define the need for language skills in their sectors: business / government with a domestic / international focus. They discussed the languages needed by their organizations, for what purposes and at what proficiency levels they are need, the opportunity costs associated with a lack of these language skills, and their current solutions and workarounds. Afternoon sessions focused on future needs and challenges to getting a workforce with the desired language skills.
Working Group
After the Summit, a smaller, cross-sector working group met twice in July and participated in an online discussion focused on how to respond to this need. Their task was to determine the critical issues and challenges to be addressed in the roadmap and to delineate approaches to responding to language needs with current and proposed resources, with particular attention as to how best engage the stakeholders (i.e., business and government sectors) in the design of and support for a solution. Approximately 25 participants reviewed previous research, discussed current language education capacity, and learned about various innovative programs in the state as they worked to identify constraints and develop solutions to getting the desired workforce.
The Roadmap
The final product is a roadmap that offers actionable recommendations to close the gap between the supply of and demand for individuals with advanced linguistic and cultural proficiency in languages other than English.
