International expansion has been, and continues to be, a part of the global strategy for many businesses and organisations across the UK. The fundamental need for businesses to communicate on a local level, in order to develop new business and execute sales in new territories, has contributed to the widespread end of monolingual and mono-cultural teams.

Teams are typically made up of both native and non-native English speakers, bringing a wide range of experience and cultural benefits to the work place. The UK relies heavily on workers from Europe to form these multilingual and multicultural teams. However, as Brexit approaches and Britain looks to close its doors, companies face an enormous language gap that will need to be filled.

In addition, whilst most international organisations rely on English as their common language, statistics show that only 7% of non-native English speakers in global companies believe they communicate effectively at work.

These factors lead to two key requirements. Firstly, that English, as an international common corporate language, needs to be bench-marked and trained to a level where all employees communicate effectively. Secondly, foreign language training and cross-cultural training need to be part of a global strategy that facilitates continued international expansion and wins business abroad.

Whilst Brexit dictates the urgent need for both English and other languages to be trained to a high level, the benefits of business language training are far reaching and are business critical. Language training positively impacts individual employees, team performance, employee productivity, customer and client satisfaction, and sales revenues.