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FEATURES subjects (SIVS), which triggers additional support to ensure the continued availability of languages places in Higher Education (HE) institutions. Would it be asking too much to aspire to an increase in places available? For international experience, Erasmus is the European Union���s educational exchange programme for HE students and staff. Since its creation in 1987, more than 200,000 UK students have undertaken a placement abroad. Traineeships were added to the traditional study visits in 2007 and have met with increasing success. A recent Hefce (Higher Education Funding Council for England) study showed that 75 percent of Erasmus students obtained a 1st or a 2:1. Six months after graduating, 29 percent of those who had spent a year abroad earned more than ��20,000 a year, compared to 15 percent of those who didn���t go abroad. All English students studying abroad are eligible for a maintenance loan to assist with their living costs, and the fee-waiver for students on the Erasmus programme spending at least 24 weeks abroad will continue until 2013/14. After that, English HE institutions will be allowed to charge year-abroad students a tuition fee of up to 15 percent of the maximum fee. For the first time, this support extends to student placements at overseas institutions outside the Erasmus scheme, both within and beyond the EU. Knowledge and proficiency in the languages of the emerging economic powers will become increasingly sought after. To that end, the second phase of the UK-India Education and Research Initiative will receive ��2 million of BIS (Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) funding. Each year, 200 UK students go to India to learn about Indian culture and language on a three-week Study India programme. In 2010, 1,350 students applied. There is no shortage of interest. A similar UK-China Partners in Education initiative will also receive ��2 million funding. This year it will take more than 400 UK students to China for three weeks. Students learn about cultural diversity on trips to Europe ��� how much wider will contact with China and India open their eyes. Moving into work Languages are an invaluable asset for employment. When I worked for City & Guilds I was involved in developing and promoting vocational qualifications within the UK and overseas. Skills for construction, engineering, hairdressing and care may be transferable to other countries, but even the most skilled craftsperson or technician will not be fully employable in a country where they have no linguistic competence. City & Guilds was founded in the 19th century to promote the UK���s trading prosperity. Sir Lacon Threlford, the Institute���s founder, was a Liveryman who belonged to some of those guilds. I am also a Liveryman, and Past Master of the Worshipful Company of World Traders. Our members bring expertise in countries including Ukraine, China, Malaysia and Sweden, and work with the Lord Mayor on trade missions overseas, where language proficiency is an immense asset. Within the City many businesses require staff to be multilingual PICTURES �� ISTOCKPHOTO qualification. So there has been progress in some aspects of language learning. In a recent House of Lords EU Committee Report, The Modernisation of Higher Education in Europe, one recommendation reads: ���Universities could also do more to encourage language skills among their students through language centres and extra-curricular courses.��� And this is happening. UCL, for example, says: ���We believe that knowledge of a modern foreign language and the possession of intercultural skills are an integral part of a 21st-century education.��� From this year, they are introducing a foreign language requirement for UK students. This could be a GCSE, but there are also options of doing a UCL language summer school, taking a language course as part of a degree or studying for a language certificate at UCL���s Language Centre, where 18 languages are offered. Aston University, which prides itself on its graduate employability, is offering free language tuition for all eligible first-year feepaying undergraduates. Courses are available at three levels, with a choice of Arabic, French, German, Chinese, Portuguese or Spanish. UCAS figures show that the number of applications for languages in 2011 far exceeded the number of places available, which has remained pretty constant in recent years. Provisional figures suggest this was also the case in 2012. Since 2005, modern foreign languages have been classified as strategically important and vulnerable