The world is changing and English learning is now a global issue. More people speak English than any other language and it’s the preferred language of choice for many countries around the world. If you want to learn English, your options are pretty limited. You can either spend years in school learning the “old way” or you can go online and find a wide variety of programs, courses, and resources to help you with your English studies. See also, how to learn English.
As we enter the digital age, it is crucial that we equip our students with the tools they need to succeed in a global workforce. But, many students are not prepared for the real world. For example, they have never used a cash register before and do not know how to use technology effectively. This can be remedied by implementing innovative learning programs into your teaching methods.
A few years ago, a friend told me about the problems she was having with her English. I thought she was complaining and asked her to give me a break. But later, I realized that there was more to it than that. She wanted to learn English and knew what things needed to be done. But she couldn’t find a way to achieve this goal.
English is one of the most popular languages in the world. More than a billion people speak it as their first language, and hundreds of millions more use it as a second or third language. As English continues to grow in popularity, more and more people will want to learn the language for its educational benefits.
Employees see the urgent need to improve
92% of global employees surveyed say that English is important for career progression, and in fact, they can’t wait years to improve. In Pearson’s 2014 Customer Survey of more than 20,000 business English learners, 74% of respondents stated that they wanted to improve their English significantly in a year or less; one-third aimed to improve in six months or less.
This recognized need and urgency to learn English around the world has altered how we view English itself. at the recent Innovate ELT Conference in Barcelona. She stated that the very nature of English has changed – it is no longer “owned” by Great Britain, the U.S., or other “native” speaking countries, but rather it now belongs to the world:
…in 2008, David Crystal estimated (conservatively!) that for every person who speaks English as their first language, there were 3 to 4 people who used it as a second language (or third, fourth, etc.). So as Barbara Seidlhofer succinctly put it in 2011, for many people nowadays, English has become “the communicative medium of choice, and often the only option.”
A better way to learn English
If learning English is the oxygen of business, then it must follow that ultimately learners would be best served by learning English in a professional and task-based context—e.g., the ability to compose and understand e-mails, deliver presentations, and have business meetings in English. If one is learning English for work, he/she needs to know what that really means. Unfortunately traditional curricula, assessments, and benchmarks are often focused on “general” or “academic” English learning and not catered to the specific needs (and timetable) of workers to learn English on-the-job and about the job. One can’t measure English progress or set learning goals without a granular measurement scale applicable for business.
This is why Pearson developed the Global scale of English (GSE) as a scale and benchmark made for that purpose, to be the most robust and precise global standard for measuring English language proficiency and progress. And most importantly, it’s all about the context—the GSE is tailored to four groups—adult learning, academic English, professional English, and young learners. The GSE enables personalized learning and leads to improved outcomes in this 21st Century context.
The GSE learning objectives for professional English give teachers and learners a clear and precise definition of what learners can be expected to do at a particular level across reading, writing, listening, and speaking. It allows teachers and learners to easily and accurately assess and track improvements across all of these areas, all in the context of using English for business. This first truly global research into the language skills required in a business context ensures employers are able to fully understand the levels of English proficiency that their teams and individuals need in order for their company to be more competitive and more productive. And individual employees ultimately know where they need to be to be successful in their jobs and meet their career objectives. See also, English reading.
Today, it’s not uncommon for global businesses to list English competency as a crucial skill. That’s because a growing number of workers must communicate in English—both within their company and outside their company—on a regular basis. In fact, because they recognize competency in English:
- Improves collaboration across global teams
- Helps the company to reach global markets
- Makes integrating foreign acquisitions easier
All in all, Many of the world’s largest corporations are now focused on developing and implementing global language competency standards. This is why we are launching a global research project to develop a new international standard for business English.
We want to make sure that all students—and adults—have access to these critical language skills, which will help them succeed in today’s increasingly globalized economy.
A critical aspect of the GSE is that it provides language competency levels that can be universally tracked and benchmarked across businesses. It is a method of analysis based on authentic, data-rich settings like business meetings and workflows where global workers communicate with each other one-on-one in English, or stand up to present. This enables us to see which employees have the right level of proficiency in reading, writing and speaking skills necessary for their workplace activities.
“Business students need these skills because their jobs will require them to communicate effectively with others throughout the 21st century. It’s important for our economy that we find ways–and a language competency standard–to support and empower today’s workforce. If combined properly, these new standards could mean significant savings in lost productivity while providing true value to businesses across Canada.”