Pensplan

The project is carried out on behalf of Pensplan, the regional institute for supplementary pension schemes. It aims at developing multilingualism and language competences within the company. The main focus lies on fostering passive language competences and functional bilingualism. Strategies for multilingual knowledge management and developing a language policy at company level are also central within the project.

During the first two years, the researchers assess the existing language competences with the help of focus groups, a survey, interviews, and a language test. The collected information is used to prepare a tailored plan of actions and measures to be implemented within Pensplan (e.g. training and specific projects). During the second part of the project, Eurac Research helps develop a language policy at company level and monitors the developments and the implementation of specific actions and measures. The Institute for Applied Linguistics offers scientific advice and support for the entire duration of the project.

In December 2016 the project won the European Language Label - subsection lifelong learning. The label is an award that encourages new initiatives in the field of teaching and learning languages, rewards new techniques in language teaching, and spreads the knowledge of languages' existence, thereby promoting good practice.