CILT is deeply concerned at the impact that recently announced research funding reductions are expected to have on provision to study languages at university.

For more than a decade now UK universities have been failing to supply enough competent linguists to meet our strategic and economic needs. This was well-documented by the Nuffield Inquiry in 2000, and echoed by the 2005 Roberts’ report which declared languages strategically important and vulnerable subjects.

While overall student numbers have been increasing, the supply of language graduates has been in decline and provision for lesser-taught languages which are growing in economic and strategic importance, remains worryingly low. Since the Roberts’ report HEFCE and the DCSF have commissioned important initiatives such as Routes into Languages to stimulate uptake, but now cuts to provision precipitated by a loss of research funding threaten to cancel out the benefits of this investment.

Kathryn Board, Chief Executive of CILT said: ‘At a time when the employability of our young people and the need to regain our economic position in the world are at an all-time high on the UK’s agenda, we need to increase the number of UK graduates competent to work internationally, to enable them to compete with multilingual counterparts from across the world.

Languages are important for our economic prosperity, for our security and for our cultural and intellectual clout in a globalised world. British graduates without language skills are disadvantaged in the international jobs market, and lack of language skills limits research and acts as a brake on trade.’

CILT welcomes HEFCE’s decision to appoint the highly respected Professor Michael Worton, Vice Provost of University College London, to conduct a review of languages in Higher Education. He will have our full support. (03/06/09)