Graduates 'need another language' - graduate jobs

A communications expert has said that speaking a modern language is as important to graduates' job prospects as having maths and IT skills.

Teresa Tinsley, the director of communications at CILT, the National Centre for Languages, said the ability to speak another language could bolster a job-hunting graduate's CV as much as number crunching and computer knowledge.

She said that graduates who had not spent time learning to speak a foreign language before leaving university could end up missing out on valuable job opportunities.

Her comments were backed up by CILT research showing that employers valued candidates who can speak Mandarin, Cantonese and Russian.

She said: "It is going to be much more important to have a second language in the future, than it has been in the past.

"There's going to be competition for jobs, competition from English speaking people from other countries as well who can offer a language. Languages have as much importance as maths, science and ICT. It's about understanding the wider world around you and being a rounded person as well."