If you are a young adult about to finish college or university, you probably know you have to make your own opportunities. And, you are supposed to make your own opportunities without any support or encouragement from your country. Taking control and making decisions about your own learning is one way you can make those opportunities. Reseach shows that learning a second or third language is one way to support the process.
Life is harder for 16 to 24 year-olds all over the world than it is for their parents and grandparents. The situation British young people is a good example of why and how young adults need to protect their own economic and professional interests.
On January 31, 2020, Britain left the European Union. That day, its citizens lost the right to seek and accept employment all over Europe and were suddenly limited to their own small Island. Young people, most of whom voted against Brexit, felt betrayed by their own grandparents who supported leaving the EU.
“That anger and despair was echoed by young people around the country, who chose overwhelmingly to stay inside Europe and now feel betrayed by the older voters who secured victory for Brexit About three-quarters of 18- to 24-year-olds who voted cast ballots for Remain, while three in five over-60s opted to Leave, surveys show,” said a Guardian article about the referendum results.
The number of jobs new grads in the UK have open to them is now shrinking even more. British secondary schools are revising their standards so that graduates will no longer be required to study a foreign language. That’s a mistake, says new research. Another language, the study suggests, will increase the chances of those graduates finding a job.
Dr. Begoña Rodríguez de Céspedes is a Senior Lecturer in Translation Studies at the University of Portsmouth in the UK. She also serves as an Executive Committee member of the University Council of Modern Languages.
Over a month last summer, Dr. Rodríguez de Céspedes, and her team monitored job listings across the UK. They identified 619 job postings where speaking a foreign language was listed as a requirement. Of those jobs, 237 asked for German-speaking candidates to apply, while French was required by 209 of the postings. Spanish was needed for 96 positions, and Italian for 71.
Across all jobs with foreign language requirements, 171 were Customer Service or Customer Support and Call Centre positions. 120 positions in Sales, Account Management and Business Development required foreign languages.
“It is clear that employers are crying out for job candidates to speak additional languages, with the government also recognizing the crisis that has developed due to a big fall in the number of students studying them,” said Dr. Rodríguez de Céspedes. “Our research has shown that across multiple employment sectors, an additional language isn’t just desirable it is essential. Students wanting to get ahead in the world of work should be studying an additional language to give themselves the opportunity of being qualified for hundreds of jobs.”
You can read more about the study in the press release.
It’s never too late to learn another language. Learning how to complete simple retail tasks in French or German does take effort, but the role playing scripts used in online language courses can make the vocabulary easier to acquire.
Besides, not everyone learns the job skills they need in secondary school. Teenagers make bad decisions all the time! As young adults, the learning game is not over. Cudoo.com offers hundreds of language courses online. Check out these great introductory courses to help you get a job like those Dr. Rodríguez de Céspedes identified. Once you’ve made a start, you can stick with the learning habit and advance your skills.
Learn German Online (Retail) Level 1.
Learn French Online (Useful Phrases) Level 1.
Learn Spanish Online (Retail) Level 1.
Learn Italian Online (Useful Phrases) Level 1.
Disclosure: A shorter version of this article appeared in Cudoo’s weekly LinkedIn Newsletter.
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