‘English’ is the simple answer to some of the questions I ask my Turkish contacts. It is what many business people mention when I ask about the key skills they are looking for – and often can’t find – in prospective employees.

And if I ask those working in the social sciences about what is needed to help break down the barriers to trust in Turkey, ‘English’ is often part of the answer too.

It is also a key part to the answer to other questions.

The uneven distribution of English and the lack of opportunities for developing it are the main reason people can’t access skills and jobs which will help improve their lives.

There are hundreds of institutions and thousands of people working hard to improve language skills in Turkey.

The Ministry of Education is very committed to this work, and it needs to be. At a conservative estimate, there are at least 60,000 teachers of English in the country and 12 million learners. These are big numbers by any standard.

Recently, the commitment, professionalism and energy of a group of teachers hugely impressed me at one of our events in Ankara.

But the challenge in Turkey is huge and urgent. Although economic growth is robust, poor English skills among the workforce may slow this growth down in the long term.

After all, as the country expands its trade links with Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the rest of Europe, English will usually be the lingua franca.

And although Turkey is making good progress against its Millennium Development Goals, the concentration of English language skills among a relatively small section of the population may prove to be a problem, preventing many people from participating fully in the burgeoning economy.

As we all know, there are many barriers to learning. Some are about economics and teaching methods; others are more subtle.

At a recent event of ours in the historic city of Kutahya, a university student stood up to address a question to an English-speaking panellist in English. He was promptly encouraged by many in the audience to speak in Turkish instead.

Of course, it is normal and natural to use one’s own language in one’s own country, and no one wishes to challenge that or attempt to undermine Turkey’s own rich diversity of language and culture. However, a brave attempt to use a foreign language to make one’s point and increase one’s understanding of international issues is surely to be applauded.

I am delighted to see that Turkey is encouraging learning and teaching around the world through its network of Yunus Emre cultural centres, such as the one that opened in London last November.

I know that Britain will become richer – in the widest sense of that word – through getting more of its young people to study Turkish and other languages. Too many people in the UK seem to leave school without a foreign language, and without much interest in acquiring one.

Meanwhile, English remains a basic tool for international communication that Turkey needs to develop further. To do this, it must maintain its commitment to improving standards of teaching and learning.

The British Council will continue to do its bit.

We offer online and face-to face teacher training, curriculum development projects, free language learning websites such as Premier Skills and, most recently, an innovative Blogathon to help teachers to communicate to a wider audience and make better use of digital technology.

We’d love to do more.

But as well as technology, learning materials and skilled teachers, Turkey needs to retain the openness and willingness to communicate with others shown by that young man in Kutahya.

I hope many others will follow his lead.

Read more blogs from Jeff Streeter, British Council Country Director, Turkey.

Find out more about the British Council in Turkey.