A 'Languages for Jobs' Initiative

This paper argues that the promotion of foreign language instruction should be a national priority in the United States. In an increasingly competitive international economy, a workforce with more market-relevant foreign language skills is an economic asset for the U.S. Yet, foreign language education is on the decline, particularly at the primary level when foreign languages are best learned. Federal policy is not stepping up to the challenge. To solve this problem, the authors propose that the federal government launch an interagency 'Languages for Jobs' initiative, with funding levels at least equal to security language programs.

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