Nick Gibb MP was interviewed at 6.30am on Good Morning Britain about the Department for Education’s proposals to boost the uptake of pupils studying a foreign language GCSE. The interview was live from the Bognor Regis Seafront.
The proposal is for 9 centres of excellence in the teaching of foreign languages across England, with the aim of spreading best practice and encouraging more young people to study a language.
Nick Gibb said: “Currently 47% of young people study a foreign language to GCSE. We want that to rise further still.
“Languages are essential when it comes to understanding cultures and widening opportunities. Nearly two-thirds of employers say they value language skills among their employees.
“West Sussex is an important tourist area with 1.6 million visitors a year of which 663,000 are from overseas, including 95,000 from France, 58,000 from Spain and 45,000 from Germany in 2016. “