Belt and Road Initiative calls for talent with less commonly taught language skills

Students majoring in less commonly taught languages are popular among employers this year because of the strong demand of projects related to the Belt and Road Initiative, according to the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, the Southern Daily reports.

The university’s School of Oriental Language and Culture currently provides 12 programs in less commonly taught languages: Japanese, Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, Arabian, Hindi, Lao, Burmese, Cambodian, Malay and Urdu. The school added three new foreign language programs this year, including Persian, Bengalese and Turkish, with the aim of satisfying the robust demand of the employment market.

Thirty-two students studying these languages, who will graduate next year, have already signed employment contracts with different employers.

Statistics show that this year’s graduates from the school are mainly recruited by famous e-commerce and real estate companies, big accounting firms and ministerial-level government departments.

Statistics show that apart from Chinese and English, more than 50 official languages are used in countries and regions along the Belt and Road routes. With the implementation of the initiative, there is a more urgent need for talented personnel in less commonly taught languages.

The Ministry of Education issued the Action Plan on Jointly Promoting Education along the “Belt and Road” in 2016, and key language universities, including Beijing Foreign Studies University, Shanghai International Studies University, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies and Beijing Language and Culture University, have opened more less commonly taught language programs.