Welsh Conservatives today expressed concern at figures showing a decline in take-up of modern foreign languages at GCSE and A Level.

In a written answer to Welsh Conservative AM Nick Bourne, the Education Minister confirmed that entries for traditional language subjects such as French and German have dropped by a quarter since 2005, while others such as Italian are down by almost 50%.

Welsh Conservatives have been calling for measures to ensure that young people leave school with the skills Wales needs to create an innovative and more prosperous economy.

Paul Davies AM, Shadow Minister for Education, said, "These figures reveal a worrying decline in the uptake of modern foreign languages over the past five years.

"In an increasingly competitive global economy, where inward investment is key, we need young people with language skills, who can help attract foreign investors to Wales.

"It is concerning that GCSE entries are dropping not only for the traditional languages of French and German, but also for Chinese and Japanese, the languages of the world's two great super-economies, which have fallen by two thirds.

"These figures reveal that the Assembly Government is failing to address the decline in uptake of languages, which not only help the economy but give young people the opportunity to broaden their understanding of foreign cultures.

"We must ensure that the education system is fit for purpose so that young people have the skills our economy needs, including entrepreneurship, financial management and a range of modern foreign languages."