The British Council has just published the results of a survey into employment oportunities and concluded that the majority of British employers are having difficulties in employing the right kinds of staff – particularly those who can work comfortably in an international setting. The survey which was jointly commissioned by the British Council and the Think Globally charity found “74% of these business representatives warned that in the UK young  people’s “horizons are not broad enough” for a globalised economy. ” The worry is particularly that the countries emerging as having the strongest economies are the new BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India and China) and for a company to be internationally successful it has to have staff who can work in these international environments. Businesses that work largely with other countries find it particularly difficult to get the right staff – 35% questioned said they found difficulties. The reasons why are no doubt complicated – some business leaders think the school system here is to blame for not focusing widely enough on the world outside the UK but whatever the reason there is a predictable outcome – if companies can’t find the right kinds of staff hjere then they will surely go and find them in other countries. At UIC, once again we have seen a surge in the numbers of students we have taught – whether it is international students joining us to learn English or people in London choosing to learn a foreign language. We are now teaching 8 different foreign languages. So, if you can’t get a job – or want to change in the new year then why not make that resolution and join us to learn a language!

The biggest language exhibition in the UK is about to open – thelanguageshow.co.uk - and in advance there has been plenty of discussion in the press about the value of having a languages degree. As you might know the numebrs of school children in the UK studying foreign languages has continued to drop year on year since the mid 90s and several university departments are threatened with closure. Ironically this is at the same time as a change to the governments curriculum ideals are now making it virtually compulsory to study a foreign language if you want to get the English Baccalaurate (a qualification awarded at age 16) and so there might even be an increase in teaching jobs for modern langauge teachers. Whatever happens in schools emplopyers still seem to value graduates with language degrees – or certainly those who can use a foreign language. The University of Southampton has started to collect reasons for learnign languages and so far has 700. You can find them on this link – http://www.llas.ac.uk/700reasons and then search thorugh the various reasons. One of the biggest sections is on employability and there you will find such reasons as: Companies which buy and sell food products all over the world need people with the ability to speak other languages and a knowledge and understanding of other lifestyles and The ability to function in a new linguistic cultural environment is a skill highly prized by international employers, many of whom will not consider graduates without experience of living and working outside their native land. Interestingly each reason is referenced so you will be able to see where the evidence for the claim has come from. Even with some of the more unusual claims you can at least look at some evidence – for example with the idea that it is good for your health, “Learning a second language “boosts” brain power, scientists believe” Reference: BBC (2004) (citing research from University College, London). Whatever is true you will certainly find that studying a language at UIC in London is going to improve at least one aspect of your life!

Forty one per cent of state school pupils in London speak another language besides English – up from 33% ten years ago, according to new research published by the Institute of Education and CILT, the National Centre for Languages.

Six experts from the fields of demographic research, linguistics and social policy have compiled a unique new publication which literally maps the languages spoken in London schools on to their individual boroughs and wards, providing a fascinating perspective on the complex nature of London as a global city. Comparisons with earlier data show which languages have changed most and how communities across London are evolving.

Multilingualism is on the increase; with almost all the languages recorded having more speakers now than ten years’ ago.  Forty two languages are now spoken by more than 1,000 pupils across London (up from 25) and 12 languages spoken by more than 10,000 pupils (up from 8). Only four languages have declined in numbers: Gujarati, Panjabi, Greek and Chinese – all established communities. The languages which have seen the biggest numerical increases are Somali, which has more than doubled in ten years, Tamil, Polish and Albanian.

The book comes with important background information about each language, and analysis to help policy-makers, planners, or those working in public services to make best use of the data.

Professor Richard Wiggins, who led the research at the Institute of Education, said: ‘Our research shows that language data can provide us with a richer understanding of population diversity.  We can use it together with other information to help make better sense of the city we live in, and to develop more effective social and educational policies.’

Teresa Tinsley, for CILT, the National Centre for Languages, said: “All the major languages of the world are represented in London, including most of those with more than 10 million speakers worldwide, yet most of us would be hard pressed to name more than a few dozen. We want to draw attention to this vast intellectual and cultural resource and stimulate a debate on how it can be developed and used for the benefit of all Londoners.’

Reference www.cilt.org.uk