BusinessBecause.com recently published an interesting look at the ways in which language skills are shaping how businesses recruit new MBA’s, noting that “global companies want business graduates with language skills, particularly the major European languages but also Mandarin Chinese.” The article continues:

MBA-level jobs are increasingly of an international reach, said Alessia Domenico, former director of career education at IE Business School In Spain.

He said that an increasing number of positions require more than one language to deal with foreign clients and other stakeholders from different countries. “Languages are highly valued,” he added.

But recruiters also seek candidates with knowledge of the cultures of the countries they operate in.

[…]

Graduates are often recruited by multinational companies who are looking for multilingual graduates to act as connectors between global strategy and local implementation.

This is increasingly the case in Asia, as education and business there becomes more closely connected to the west.

It’s a quick read, but the bottom line is that global companies are seeking business graduates to lead their expansions who are:

1) capable of communicating in multiple languages and

2) knowledgeable about other cultures

Two of the major benefits students in effective dual immersion language education receive are additive bilingualism and biliteracy. Simply put, this means that on top of learning all their core subjects, the students receive the added benefit of fluency and literacy in a second language. As the MBA recruiters in this article explain, it’s these very skills that help open the door both to further educational opportunities and to many fulfilling vocations in an increasingly global marketplace.

It’s critical for educators, business owners, and policymakers to consider how to effectively prepare a multilingual workforce that can meet the demands of the 21st century, and how to promote understanding among culturally and linguistically distinct groups. We believe dual language immersion education is poised to play a significant role in addressing these challenges.