It is a very widely held belief that everybody speaks English and that if you go abroad, it is okay if you speak English. English is my second language but it is not the case that everybody speaks English. Research by the Council of Europe, the European Language Centre and the British Council exposes that misconception. Although English is taught as the first foreign language in Europe, that does not automatically mean that people have attained the skills to use it freely, because people only build up those skills if they back up their learning with exchanges, for example.
That belief that everybody speaks English is an obstacle in the mindset of society, which permeates many different areas, as people say that they do not need to learn other languages. Especially if you look at the employment market—not only for graduates but more widely—it is highly important that people have flexibility of mind or a global mindset. It is not just about language skills or the ability to say a little, but neither does it mean that somebody needs to be an absolutely fluent speaker. It is about having that understanding and having the willingness to learn languages and pick them up at different stages of your life. Lifelong learning also comes into that. It is highly essential that we develop that attitude in people.
Also, English as a language on the internet is going down. It is one of the biggest languages on the internet, but Mandarin and Arabic are catching up very quickly, as is Spanish. We cannot rely on everybody speaking English—and in any case, it is always much better if you can talk to people in their own language. Also, UK English is only one variety among many different world Englishes. International English is a specific variety, for example.
Most people in the European Union will have learned two languages. Certainly, if you go to university, it is expected that you are relatively fluent in two languages. In many cases, the graduates who come to us already have two languages and English, and are learning more. Our young people have to compete in the global market and here.
Yesterday, at the business event that we ran with SCILT, which is one of many events across Scotland, several large employers spoke to us and said that they have difficulties in recruiting appropriate staff at all levels, not just graduates, and they have to look to the EU to find people with the right skills such as selling skills and phone marketing skills. They just cannot find enough people who have the skills.