Fall in number of students taking up foreign languages prompts Brexit concerns

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The Press Association's analysis of Ucas figures shows that as of 30 June this year, there had been 15,140 applications from UK applicants to study European languages courses at university, down from 19,620 at the same point in 2012 – a drop of 22.8 per cent. In addition, the number of UK applications to study degree courses related to non-European languages fell by 17.5 per cent over the same five-year period, from 5,720 in 2012 to 4,720 this year. “If the UK is to remain internationally competitive – particularly as we prepare to leave the EU – we need far more young people, not fewer, to be learning languages in schools and beyond. “While it is positive that these languages are becoming more accessible to schools – and more popular amongst pupils – these modest gains sadly cannot compensate for the decline in language learning overall.” Pippa Morgan, CBI head of education and skills, said: “Language skills are often a valuable asset to businesses operating in a global marketplace and for those young people equipped with modern languages, it can open up real opportunities.