The UK risks being held back as it comes out of the recession as not enough graduates boast foreign language skills, it has been reported, which could highlight the need for more training.
A report by the National Centre for Languages has claimed that there has been a decline in the take-up of foreign language courses, the BBC reports.
In light of this, the centre is calling for languages to be promoted with the same importance as science and maths.
The government claims that it is set to review modern language education imminently.
Chief executive of the centre Kathryn Board said that although widely used in business, English could only take people so far.
“Our engagement with the non-English speaking world will remain superficial and one-sided unless we develop our capacity in other languages,” she added.
Meanwhile, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development recently claimed that varied and flexible skills were currently more important to employers than traditional qualifications.
ÂÂ
