A partnership to help businesses in the Tees Valley improve their language skills is about to take off.

Teesside International Airport and the University of Teesside have teamed up to mark the European Year of Languages by promoting part-time evening courses at the university.

French for Work and German for Work have been designed to provide students with the language skills to handle phone calls, face-to-face meetings, and to correspond in their chosen language.

The airport is patron of the Languages for Work initiative and is staging an event for the Tees Valley business community on Monday night.

There they will be able to meet tutors and find out about the initiative.

The airport is also sponsoring a European Year of Languages prize, a trip to France or Germany, which will be awarded to the two business people making the most progress in their particular language. The awards will take place in July next year.

Pascal Fintoni, marketing manager at Teesside International, who is French by birth, said: "Research has shown that language ability is vital in the modern world, and there is a real need for those working in the business sector to have a basic knowledge of other languages."

For information on the courses, call the university's School of Business and Management on (01642) 342871.