Learn Mandarin to get ahead, UK students told

More than three in four British business leaders believe Mandarin-speaking abilities give school-leavers a career advantage over their counterparts, according to a new survey.

Among more than 1,000 senior business decision-makers questioned by YouGov on behalf of the Mandarin Excellence Programme, 77 percent said the ability to speak Mandarin at a high level would be beneficial to students in their future careers.

On average, 28 percent thought the advantage would be "significant", with the proportion rising to 31 percent among those working for companies with an annual turnover of 10 million pounds ($14.2 million) or more.