German in the Workplace: Workplace Learning for Immigrant and/or Ethnic Workers

Abstract

Although the importance of communicative competences in the workplace is conjured up in most discussions, there is little empirical research (in Germany) describing formal and informal communications in companies and branches with a high percentage of immigrant workers, particularly in the production sector. The study group “Deutsch am Arbeitsplatz/German in the workplace” (DaA), made up of researchers and practitioners, has responded to the urgent need to provide empirically based support for language development for immigrant employees, using instruments of company ethnography and linguistic analysis (DaA1). The follow-up project DaA2 has developed and carried out a training scheme for providers and teachers based on the findings of DaA1. The train-the-trainers concept has been evaluated. Keywords