FOREIGN LANGUAGE TRAINING OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS OF ECONOMICS IN THE MODERN PRACTICE OF UNIVERSITIES OF GREAT BRITAIN

Abstract

The article describes modern practices of organizing the mastery of foreign languages by undergraduate students of the economic field at universities of Great Britain. The relevance of the study is due to the need to increase the flexibility of educational systems in response to the challenges of the globalized labor market and the strategic aspirations of Ukraine to integrate into the European educational space. The transformation processes in British higher education, which take place against the background of the country’s new linguistic strategy aimed at overcoming the consequences of the «language deficit» and Brexit are analyzed. It is established that foreign language training in British universities is a diversified phenomenon, which is implemented through a combination of traditional academic standards and innovative learning models. The structural features of degree programs, where a foreign language can act as a major or minor discipline, are examined in detail. Particular attention is paid to the functioning of institutional language programs (IWLP), which ensure interdisciplinarity and allow economics students to individualize their own educational trajectory. Using the example of leading higher education institutions – the University of Leeds, Southampton and Sussex Universities – a comparative analysis of training criteria was conducted, including: models of combining disciplines according to selected degrees, a level system of language acquisition according to the CEFR, the use of digital language laboratories and a computer network environment, the integration of a year abroad into the curriculum, the systematic use of extracurricular forms of work (“language cafe”, “language zone”, which contributes to the creation of a practical real foreign language environment), resource centers, consideration in the diploma and certification. It was found that British practice is based on a list of modern principles and approaches. The results of the study emphasize the importance of implementing mobility and intensive language modules and other innovative tools for the formation of competitive human capital in the conditions of modern global economic interaction.