Expanding global workforce through language excellence

June 13, 2012

URI President David Dooley is working to increase language proficiency at the University through the engineering program, as well as others. Ultimately, Dooley wants every URI student to graduate with proficiency in a foreign language.

PROVIDENCE – Federal leaders, local and state elected officials and educational leaders gathered at the state house Friday, June 8, for the public launch of the Rhode Island Roadmap to Language Excellence.

Program leaders and panel members, all with Rhode Island ties, described their experience as multilingual U.S. citizens and harped on the importance of language education, which is tied directly to an increase in cultural acceptance and understanding.

The “roadmap” outlines a series of recommendations for Rhode Island’s schools, from kindergarten to post-secondary education. The goal of the roadmap is to give students linguistic skills, which will allow them to compete in a constantly expanding global workforce. Rhode Island is the sixth state to develop a roadmap to language excellence.

“Preparing young people today for a global workplace is a high priority,” said Senator Jack Reed. “I think it will give Rhode Island an advantage in a very competitive global world.”
 

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