The global STEM workforce is multilingual. Is your institution keeping up?

Students in engineering classrooms, research labs and lecture halls often move between two, three or more languages in their daily lives. They may speak Spanish with family, English in class and another language through professional, cultural or community networks. Too often, universities view these language abilities primarily through a support lens: something to accommodate, assess or help students navigate. But multilingualism is more than a student characteristic. It is a professional asset.

In engineering and other STEM fields, graduates increasingly work on teams distributed across countries, collaborate with international partners and design products for global users. While English remains the dominant language of research and business, the ability to understand, communicate and build relationships across languages can create advantages that English alone cannot provide.

As an engineering education scholar focused on workforce readiness and student success, I believe universities should begin treating multilingualism as a form of capital that strengthens innovation, collaboration and global engagement.

From support service to strategic asset

One useful framework comes from educational scholar Tara Yosso's community cultural wealth model, which highlights the assets students bring with them rather than focusing on perceived deficits. Among those assets is linguistic capital: the knowledge, skills and perspectives developed through communicating across languages and communities.

• Multilingual learners don’t need extended time – they need intentional design
• Unlock the benefits of multilingualism in higher education
• How can we embed students’ ‘cultural wealth’ in STEM teaching?

In higher education, multilingualism is often discussed in terms of support. How can institutions help students navigate academic English? What services should be available? These questions are important – but they are only part of the conversation. The larger question is this: how can universities actively leverage multilingual abilities as strengths that enhance learning and professional preparation?

The answer matters because employers increasingly seek graduates who can operate in complex global environments. A multilingual engineer may be able to gather user feedback directly from communities in multiple countries, build trust with international partners or identify cultural considerations that monolingual teams overlook. These are not simply language skills, they are business, design and innovation skills. And, despite a significant push towards “durable skills” – of which multilingualism is one – universities still fail to prepare their students for a multilingual, global workforce. 

Make multilingualism visible in STEM learning

English may be the common language of research publications, but engineering practice extends far beyond journal articles. Consider that engineers work with suppliers, clients, regulators and communities around the world. They design technologies that will be used in different cultural and linguistic contexts. They participate in multinational teams where colleagues may communicate in English while thinking, problem-solving and building relationships in other languages. Universities can help students recognise the value of these experiences by making multilingual perspectives visible in coursework.

For example, students designing a health technology product might compare user feedback gathered in English and Spanish-speaking communities. A civil engineering team studying infrastructure projects could examine how local needs and stakeholder priorities are communicated across different linguistic settings. Computing students developing software could analyse how interface design changes when products are adapted for a range of international users. The goal is not to conduct entire courses in multiple languages. Rather, it is to help students understand how language shapes communication, design and decision-making in professional settings.

Design learning for global collaboration

Many instructional practices that benefit multilingual learners also prepare all students for international teamwork. Effective educators provide information in multiple formats, including written, visual and verbal explanations. They create opportunities for students to discuss ideas in small groups before presenting them publicly. They offer materials that students can revisit and review independently.

These approaches are not about lowering expectations or compensating for language differences. They mirror the realities of professional practice, where engineers routinely communicate through presentations, diagrams, reports, conversations and digital platforms.

Similarly, team-based projects can encourage students to draw on different linguistic and cultural perspectives when solving problems. A student who understands both English and Mandarin, for example, might help a team evaluate user needs in a Chinese market. A Spanish-speaking student might contribute insights from community engagement efforts serving multilingual populations.

In these situations, language becomes a resource that improves outcomes for everyone.

Create opportunities without overloading curricula

STEM faculty often worry that adding new priorities will require sacrificing already limited instructional time. Fortunately, elevating multilingualism does not require creating entirely new courses. Instead, institutions can embed these ideas within existing structures. For example, capstone projects can include stakeholders from different countries or language communities. Study-abroad programmes and international research experiences can explicitly recognise multilingual competencies. Career services can help students articulate language skills as professional strengths rather than personal characteristics.

Faculty do not need expertise in every language or culture to support this work. Their role is not to become language instructors but rather to create opportunities for students to apply the knowledge and perspectives they already possess.

Signal what institutions value

Students pay attention to what universities celebrate, assess and reward. If multilingual abilities are never discussed in classrooms, career preparation or programme outcomes, students may conclude those skills are irrelevant to their professional futures. Yet many employers would disagree.

Institutions can change this by explicitly recognising multilingual competencies in learning outcomes, experiential learning opportunities and workforce preparation initiatives. They can highlight examples of graduates whose language skills have enhanced research collaborations, international partnerships or community engagement efforts. When universities signal that multilingualism matters, students are more likely to recognise its value themselves.

Preparing graduates for a connected world

The strongest argument for recognising multilingualism is not rooted in student support. It is rooted in the future of work. Engineering challenges increasingly transcend borders. Global issues such as climate resilience, energy systems, artificial intelligence, healthcare technologies and infrastructure development all require collaboration among people with different languages, experiences and perspectives. Graduates who can navigate those environments bring something valuable to employers and communities alike. They help organisations communicate more effectively, design more thoughtfully and collaborate more successfully.

Multilingualism is already present in our classrooms. The question is not whether students possess these capabilities; the question is whether universities are prepared to recognise them as strengths and develop them intentionally. If higher education hopes to prepare graduates for a truly global STEM workforce, that work should start now.

Sarah L. Rodriguez is associate professor of engineering education in the College of Engineering and is affiliated with the Center for Educational Networks and Impacts at Virginia Tech. She is a co-editor of Latin* Students in Engineering, An Intentional Focus on a Growing Population (Rutgers University Press, 2024).

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