Graduates from Scottish universities are becoming “non-competitive” on the global job market as the number of students studying foreign languages continues to decline, academics have warned. 

To reverse the trend, the Scottish Government has been urged to provide more support for language instruction across the country's schools and universities.  

According to a report by the University Council for Languages (UCFL), increased language proficiency among Scottish students must “form an integral part of Scottish global strategy.”

“As an increasingly diverse community Scotland aims to resist the insularity provoked by the

Brexit withdrawal from the EU,” the document states.

“[Scotland’s] future success as an outward-looking nation depends on avoiding the penalties associated with monolingualism and the illusion that ‘English is enough.’”

Last year, management at the University of Aberdeen sparked anger amidst attempts to close down the ancient institution’s language department.

After widespread public protest, single honours degrees in French, German, Gaelic, and Spanish were axed in December, while dual honours degrees were maintained. 

And two weeks ago, The Herald revealed that foreign language courses at Glasgow Caledonian University would be phased out. Beginning in 2025, no new students will be able to study languages alongside their degree. 

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The decline of Scottish multi-language learners is well documented, and includes a 24% drop in the number of pupils studying languages as part of their Highers between 2019 and 2023. 

This has led to a corresponding decrease in students enrolling in modern language programmes at universities. Similarly, the number of foreign language teachers in schools has decreased from 1,700 in 2008 to fewer than 1,400 last year.  

These factors have left graduates “non-competitive” when looking for jobs at multinational corporations, one senior language professional at a Scottish university told The Herald. 

“High level employers are saying they need UK graduates with language skills and we don’t have them,” the professor, who asked to remain anonymous, remarked. 

“The government needs to support language learning for economic and political reasons,” the boffin added. 

“Think about the funding model for language instruction, which is very expensive to deliver… we should be funded like the sciences, which are allocated resources for lab-based work.”

There is a financial incentive to buck the trend, according to research conducted by Cambridge academic Wendy Ayres-Bennett. 

The linguist contends that UK exports could be increased by £19bn each year if “language barriers with Arabic, Chinese, French, and Spanish speaking countries” are eliminated. 

The Scottish Government launched the ‘1+2 policy’, which aimed to provide every pupil with the right to learn one foreign language, and the opportunity to learn another, back in 2013. 

However, a decade on, questions have been raised over the scheme’s efficacy, as the number of language learners continues to drop. 

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“I don’t think it's been a great success,” the senior language professional said. 

“There’s not enough time and the curriculum and teachers don’t feel they are provided with enough support.”

“[We need] to think much more clearly about the ‘pipeline’ issue,” they added. 

“There needs to be a more joined up thinking about language instruction, where secondary teachers can support primary teachers.”

“The government should provide a language entitlement so more people can study, as well as recognising the heritage and home languages of Scotland’s students… We must recognise our linguistic capital.”

The calls for increased support come at a turbulent time for the Scottish government.

More than 500 million pounds were cut from the annual budget last month amidst concerns over “enormous and growing” financial pressure, according to Finance Secretary Shona Robison. 

Government ministers have taken a range of controversial decisions, including the return of peak rail fares, scrapping free bus passes for asylum seekers, and introducing cuts to mental health and transport spending. 

A Scottish Government spokesperson responded to the calls for support. They said: “The Scottish Government recognises the importance of learning additional languages, as it equips our young people with the skills they need in an increasingly globalised world.

“We have invested over £50 million since 2013 to support additional languages learning in schools and continue to promote language learning through a range of initiatives, including continued funding for Scotland’s National Centre for Languages.

“For pupils who choose to study languages, attainment continues to be high and the number of entries to languages grew at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher in 2023/24 compared to the previous academic year. When comparing to other parts of the UK, the proportion of French, German and Spanish entries to Highers was greater than the equivalent entries to A-Levels.”