Press Release

‘Spanish can get you places’ Education Minister tells British teenagers

25 October 2006

The Spanish Minister of Education, Doña Mercedes Cabrera Calvo-Sotelo is to set out the practical benefits of learning Spanish in a message to British youngsters next week. The minister will formally launch the latest set of languages and careers materials from CILT’s Languages Work campaign, produced with support from the Spanish Embassy Education Office.

The initiative comes as Lord Dearing opens his review of language teaching in English schools in response to concerns over the numbers of pupils taking languages to GCSE. There have been sharp declines in numbers taking French and German, yet Spanish has held steady and even increased at some levels. However, only 57% of state secondary schools offer Spanish as opposed to 99% which offer French and 71% German.

Mr José Antonio del Tejo, Education Counsellor of the Spanish Embassy in London said ‘Spanish is doing very well where it is taught, it is popular with pupils and has the power to motivate pupils and turn them on to the idea of learning languages in general.  But the number of learners in UK schools does not reflect the status of Spanish as a world language’.

Languages Work materials are designed to help teachers motivate pupils to learn a language by teaching them about the global economy and future opportunities for those able to speak another language. Isabella Moore, Director of CILT, the National Centre for Languages said,

‘The materials highlight the strength of the Spanish economy and the growing presence of Spanish companies in the UK domestic market, as well as the importance of Spanish in the United States and Latin America. They show people benefiting from being able to speak Spanish in an array of different jobs, as well as for travel and voluntary work in exciting locations. We hope they will provide a strong incentive for pupils to choose languages, and help schools make the case.’

Mrs Cabrera, who will launch the materials at the Spanish Embassy on her visit to the UK next week, said ‘The UK and Spain are important partners in Europe. Economically and culturally we have many contacts and it is important that we learn each other’s languages’.

The launch will take place at the Spanish Embassy, 24 Belgrave Square, London, SW1X 8QA on Monday 30 October at 10.30am. Members of the media wishing to attend the event should contact the Spanish Embassy Press Office on 020 7 235 7537.