The award includes a prize of 50,000 Norwegian kroner. Program manager Kerstin Jeske stated during the award ceremony that this recognition is a significant acknowledgment and a motivation to further develop the initiative.
Award for Outstanding Results in Language Education
The European Language Award is given to language institutions that have completed an Erasmus project with exceptional results. The Language Mentor Scheme was recognized for its ability to improve workplace communication, boost participants’ confidence, and promote a more inclusive workplace culture.
The project has enabled more individuals to gain work experience with support from language mentors. The method is now being extended across the offices in Frogner, and the service will be available citywide through NAV Oslo.
The Start of the Language Mentor Project
In collaboration with Oslo Adult Education, NAV Frogner has trained 100 language mentors from various workplaces where employees need additional Norwegian language training. The project began in 2020. The language mentors help clarify linguistic and cultural misunderstandings and assist the entire workplace in fostering language development. Many businesses that have sent employees to the language mentor training are in the healthcare and social services sectors.
Permanent Implementation in Regular Operations
During the project period, funding from Erasmus+ was used to adapt the Swedish model to the Norwegian context. The Language Mentor Scheme is now part of regular operations at several workplaces. NAV Frogner has hired a full-time language mentor coordinator.
The language mentor coordinator at NAV Frogner organizes and conducts language mentor courses for companies seeking to foster language development in the workplace. This initiative helps more employees and interns integrate into the workforce.
How did it all begin?
In 2019, the Nordic Network for Adult Learning (NVL) and Kompetanse Norge invited Swedish linguist Olga Orrit from Vård- och omsorgscollege, Stockholm, to a breakfast seminar on workplace language education. Orrit presented the Swedish Language Ombudsman Project (Språkombuds-prosjektet). With her extensive experience in developing language-adaptive workplaces, especially in care services (read more here), Orrit’s presentation inspired Mark Gaughan from Oslo Adult Education Service Center (Oslo voksenopplæring servicesenter) and Deputy Chair Helge Sporsem from Fagforbundet’s Vocational Section for Health and Social Care (Fagforbundets Yrkesseksjon for helse- og sosialfeltet).According to Sporsem every workplace should have a language mentor.
NAV Frogner and Oslo Adult Education Service Center reached out to Vård- och omsorgscollege in Stockholm and received permission to adapt the Swedish model for Norwegian workplaces. In Norway, the project was renamed “Language Mentor.” Since 2020, the project has developed its own handbook, course literature, and other materials. The course content and materials are continuously updated as the initiative expands to new professions and workplaces. Several members of the union, Fagforbundet, have completed the course and applied their knowledge in healthcare and social services.
By providing extra language support alongside Norwegian language courses, workplaces enable adults with immigrant or refugee backgrounds to function more effectively on the job.
Upcoming Language Mentor Courses
The next language mentor course begins on February 26, 2025. It includes three full-day sessions: February 26, March 12, and March 26.
For registration, contact Language Mentor Coordinator Yuri Sali for more information and enrollment: yuri.sali@nav.no.
This text is a translation of a NVL news piece from 04.11.2024. Read the original text (in Norwegian) here.
