A report released in Britain last week found that knowing a foreign language is a major advantage in finding employment.

Being bilingual was second only to computer skills in a list of the most important qualities employers look for. A quarter of the 500 recruiters in the poll named it as a factor that gave potential employees the edge over other candidates.

While the traditional second languages of French, Spanish and German were highly valued, Urdu, Punjabi and Polish were found to be of increasing importance in the workplace.

The research was carried out by the National Centre for Language Skills. Now the UK Government's Department for Children, Schools and Families has launched a nationwide campaign to encourage young people to learn a new language.

The Try Life in Another Language campaign is being supported by almost 300 companies, including major employers such as HSBC, British Airways and leading pharmacist Boots.

"Languages are vital for the success of the UK economy," said Dr Lid King, Britain's National Director for Languages, "but for young people themselves they can also have tangible benefits, as just having a language on your CV could be the key to getting your foot in the door."

Cheryl Morgan of Jobsite.co.uk told Personnel Today: "Having language skills can give jobseekers an advantage over other candidates trying out for a position, and in the current climate giving yourself the edge is especially important - whether that's through your language skills, work experience or volunteering work, for example."

The survey showed that Russian, Mandarin and Cantonese were also valued as languages of industrial countries with increasing global importance.

28 February 2010