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Language Training for Social Inclusion

By October 26, 2009July 7th, 2010No Comments2 min read2,428 views

The next Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) Forum is devoted to “Language training for social inclusion” and will be hosted at Macquarie University’s MGSM Conference Centre on November 12 and 13. There will be plenary addresses by the Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs and Settlement Services, the Hon. Laurie Ferguson, Professor Janet Holmes and our very own Ingrid Piller.

Ingrid will be speaking about “Language training for the workplace in a global perspective.” She will show how labor markets have changed drastically since the inception of the AMEP, both domestically and internationally, including the role of language in the workplace. Language needs of the production sector, which has shrunk significantly in Australia, are minimal while communication skills often play a central role in the service jobs of the new economy. She will argue that, against this background, the role of the state lies much more in the regulation of labor (key concerns include the segmented labor market for migrants; and the “living wage” debate) rather than language training for “the workplace,” which as such doesn’t exist. This means that the AMEP will be best able to achieve its social inclusion mission by concentrating on basic English instruction for the purposes of social, civic and democratic engagement.

A full program of this exciting event will be available on the website of the AMEP Research Center some time soon.

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