ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NEWS BRIEF: A language skills strategy was launched by regional development agency ...

A language skills strategy was launched by regional development agency Advantage West Midlands last week, following research that showed half the region's exporting companies suffer from language barriers. Nearly one in six firms said the barriers had cost them business. The strategy proposes better training, pooling of resources by companies and developing translation services. It is available from www.advantagewm.co.uk.