Enhance your chances of gaining future employment by learning a 2nd language

A recent BBC News article demonstrated the continued increase in dominance of English being the common global business language as the reluctance of many British students to push forward with their mandatory studies to learn a 2^nd fluent language.

Many of the current generation of current and future graduates would significantly enhance their chances of gaining employment within a difficult and competitive job market by furthering their skill-base through looking at language requirements that are commonly difficult to find within the UK employment market.

European countries which tend to have high-standards of living and lower unemployment levels will always see a lesser movement of workers into the UK market. Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland all fall comfortably under this banner and any candidates with the relevant language capabilities from these countries will typically find many career opportunities open to them that otherwise wouldn’t be there for other British workers.

Based on a study of multilingual recruitment requirements during the past twelve months, Park Street People have seen that any companies requiring fluency in German, Dutch, Swedish or Danish will commonly see these needs open longer than any other roles within their organisation. This dearth of local talent in the market should be seen as an avenue for savvy students to benefit from in the coming years. Similarly with countries such as China becoming far more dominant in global economics, considering learning languages such as Mandarin is a smart choice for many business stars of the future.

Educating the youth of today that learning to not rely on English as your sole means of communicating in a business environment should be seen as a key message when teaching our children languages from an early age. Had my school emphasised the benefits of these studies and what I could gain in my later life, I’m confident that I’d now speak at least one further language to a high standard.

As a business, we’re always keen to hear from applicants with multilingual capabilities as we know our clients can derive additional benefit from harnessing those skills. Our message will always be clear to anyone considering learning another language; why haven’t you started already?

James Bessant
Director- Park Street People