In order to equip students with proper tools for communication and career development we have developed a series of English language teaching and learning materials that will meet the needs of the hotel and tourism sector in Turkey. The materials will be used as classroom materials in a network of 110 vocational schools with 23,000 students starting in the 2009/10 academic year.

The materials consist of three sets of support materials for the vocational English element of the Turkish curriculum in Hotel and Tourism (H&T) covering accommodation, food and beverage and entertainment.

With the University College of St Mark and St John in Plymouth, we have trained a group of 12 textbook writers comprised of English language and subject specialists to prepare the materials. In 2009/10 this group will train the remaining 350 teachers in the hotel and tourism vocational school system to use the textbooks.

This is the first time in Turkey that an approach combining English language and subject specialists in textbook development has been used.

Our goal is to transform the skills of 23,000 students studying in Turkey's 110 Hotel and Tourism High Schools.

In 2009-10 we also plan disseminate the approach taken in Turkey to several other countries taking part in the Skills@work project.

To find out more, please E-mail Murray Keeler.