Regional Language Network Yorkshire & Humber

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Ancon Building Products Inspires Students to Embrace Language Learning A group of GCSE students recently visited Sheffield-based Ancon Building Products to see how modern languages
are used in a busy commercial environment.

Ancon designs and manufactures high integrity steel products for the construction industry, supplying customers
worldwide in a variety of sectors from small-scale residential developments to major infrastructure projects. The
company employs 350 people at three sites in the UK and nine overseas offices located in Mainland Europe, Middle
East and Australia. The head office is located in Sheffield, South Yorkshire.

The visit from pupils of Minsthorpe Community College in Wakefield was organised by the Open University as part
of Routes into Languages, a national initiative to encourage language learning beyond secondary education.

Ancon is well placed to demonstrate the value of languages in the workplace. The company manufactures a wide
range of steel products for masonry and concrete construction which it exports worldwide. It has distributors
throughout Europe and a sales office in Austria, Germany and Switzerland.

Hervé Poveda, Manager of Ancon's UK-based Products for Structural Concrete sales division, said,
"In the business world, language barriers can limit sales growth. It is essential that Ancon is able to communicate,
from the UK, with its colleagues and customers overseas. The foreign language skills of our staff are invaluable
and our export sales continue to grow year-on-year."

The students completed various activities whilst at Ancon. They read and interpreted French business correspon-
dences from a product enquiry through to a sales invoice, and conversed in French with UK employees from the
Sales and Marketing departments, who use language skills in their everyday work duties.

Margaret Senior, speaking on behalf of the Open University and Routes into Languages, said, "Ancon was able to
show the relevance of language learning to the world-of-work, something which is difficult to achieve from the
classroom. The students thoroughly enjoyed their time at the business and embraced the opportunity to practise and
develop their French language skills."

The visit clearly had the desired effect on the students. Feedback forms included such positive comments as "It has
made me want to continue to study a language after school" and "It has made me more aware of how languages
are used by Industry".

The commitment shown by Ancon to this and similar educational projects in its local community has earned the
company 'Business Language Champion' status. "We are delighted to acknowledge Ancon Building Products as a
Business Language Champion," said Ruth Linden, Regional Language Network Yorkshire & Humber."The
international philosophy of the company is excellent and provides exactly the kind of inspiring and motivating role
model that will have a positive influence on young people."

The Business Language Champions is a project supported by the Department for Children, Schools and Familie
through CILT, the National Centre for Languages.

Hervé Poveda, Divisional Manager of Ancon helping students from
Minsthorpe Community College with their French Hervé Poveda from Ancon (far right) and Margaret Senior (second from
left) with teachers and students from Minsthorpe Community College in
Ancon's conference room

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