English at Work

Anthony Fitzpatrick & Robert O’Dowd

An Overview for
Employers and
Training Providers
Summary
Employers whose workers need English training, and the language
professionals who provide such programs will benefit from a new report,
published by The International Research Foundation for English Language
Education (TIRF). Written by Anthony Fitzpatrick and Robert O’Dowd, the
report is intended for anyone planning or delivering language training solutions
in the workplace. It will also be useful for CEOs, human resource directors,
and other decision makers, in both the private and public sectors, who are
considering such training.

The authors look at the role English plays in the 21st-century workplace and
how learners and workers around the world are being prepared to use English
effectively. The study presents findings from academic research in this area,
incorporating the results of twenty specially commissioned case reports of
language training projects from around the world.

The key findings of the report include:

• the importance of workers being able to use English effectively in

informal situations;
• the need to address cultural issues when designing courses and
materials;
• the benefits of integrating online activities and resources into teaching
materials;
• the advantages of personalizing language courses and the importance
of employers taking a long-term view of the benefits of such courses.
The report also contains a preliminary checklist that employers can use to help
them set up or evaluate language courses in the workplace.

This brief summary

sets out the key
findings of the report.

You can read the full

report, available online
at www.tirfonline.org
English in the 21st-Century Workplace
English is the language of international business. It plays an integral role in
the globalized economy, not only in countries where English is the majority
language but also where it is a foreign language used as a lingua franca by
the local workforce. Workers around the world are increasingly required to
apply the skills of collaboration, problem solving, e-literacy, etc., in English.
They must use this language to work and collaborate with clients, colleagues,
and supervisors who may come from many different cultural backgrounds.
Workers are also using English to communicate in online contexts (e.g., email
communication, webcam-based conference meetings, etc.).

The English language is often seen by non-English speaking companies as

the key to gaining access to global markets. Many employers need their
employees to be proficient in English, whether it is to do business in English-
speaking countries or to operate in other markets where English can be used
as the lingua franca.

Employees in multinational companies are increasingly expected to

use English not only with their international clients but also for internal
communication with their own colleagues from other language backgrounds.
At the same time, companies operating in English-speaking countries are
employing an immigrant workforce. Some of these immigrants may not be
able to communicate efficiently in English. More and more companies are
becoming aware of the need to provide in-house English language training for
their immigrant workers in order to improve efficiency.

English is no longer seen as something to be taught separately from other

subjects and skills. Rather, it is a tool to help people utilize a range of skills in
their daily practice. Thus, English language training for current employees or
for those preparing to join the workforce should reflect and be combined with
the development of other skills needed in the 21st-century workplace. These
21st-century skills complement the specific job-related expertise that graduates
and workers bring to the workforce in their own disciplines. 21st-century skills
include those that enable workers to communicate and collaborate with
others, organize and analyze information, make informed decisions, and then
take decisive action.

The expanding area of information-based employment in the 21st-century

means that those entering the workforce need far more knowledge than
simply to be informed about their area of expertise. New graduates must enter
the workforce with a repertoire of applied skills, including the ability to solve
problems, to communicate effectively with others (from the same culture
and also from other cultures), to work in teams, to use online technologies
effectively, and to engage in critical analysis.

Language Training for the 21st-Century Workplace

Courses which have traditionally been called “business English” and “English
for specific purposes (ESP)” have mainly emphasized developing future
workers’ skills in the classic business tasks of formal presentations, letter and
email writing, formal negotiations, etc.

However, recent studies highlight the importance of English for informal

interaction and socializing in workforce contexts. In meetings, the ability
to take part in discussions is often considered much more important than
actually carrying out formal presentations. Participation in teamwork is vital
for job success. Increased awareness of cultural differences in both oral and
written forms of communication is essential in the contemporary workplace,
where personnel are of different ages and represent a range of linguistic,
ethnic, and social backgrounds.

It is becoming more and more common to find English as a foreign language

programs being refocused to enable learners to develop not only their English
language proficiency, but also to learn how to master and integrate other
competences, such as digital competence and cultural awareness.

In recent years, closer integration among language and business and cultural
content has emerged. This connection has led to a curricular approach called
content-based instruction (CBI). In CBI, students learn some content (e.g.,
business, nursing, ecology, etc.) through the target language while they also
develop their language proficiency. In Europe, this approach is known as
content and language integrated learning (CLIL).

Many universities in non-English speaking countries are now offering content

courses in English in order to better prepare their own students to use the
language as a lingua franca in their future careers. Such course offerings
also make these programs more attractive and accessible for international
students. This practice reflects the growing belief in foreign language
education circles that individuals learn more effectively and more naturally
when they are using language to accomplish tasks related to a specific content
area. In such contexts, learners engage in genuine communication, rather than
learning a language for its own sake.

Trends in Language Training for the Workplace

The twenty case reports developed for this study also identify a number of
specific trends:

Specialization and personalization of English language training

Educators are moving away from a one-size-fits-all model of business English
or ESP courses, and are striving to develop courses that clearly reflect the
particular aims and needs of their clients. The different areas of professional
and vocational English training are so diverse that effective courses need to
focus on the special needs of those working in particular fields.

Consolidation of online technologies as tools for learning and teaching

Online activities are no longer seen as add-on activities. Rather they play
an integral part in English language training for the workforce. This trend is
emerging largely because many clients of English language training providers
use online technologies themselves on a daily basis for their work and need to
learn how to use English in this context.

Cultural aspects of language and communication gain recognition

The development of intercultural communicative competence and global
competence has become one of the key aims in training English language
learners to operate in organizations characterized by international travel,
immigration, and multicultural workforces.

The use of project-based learning and authentic materials

Classroom procedures adopted to prepare 21st-century workers for their
English-language encounters involve the integration of project-based learning
with role plays and simulations that reflect the immediate and future needs
of learners in their workplaces. There are also examples of fully authentic or
real world projects or tasks being used in English language courses, in which
learners use English with members of the world outside the course itself.
The importance of autonomy and developing learner independence
Considerable research has been done in the area of learner independence in
foreign language education. This research has culminated in the development
of tools for developing learning strategies and learner independence, such
as learners’ diaries and portfolios. The concept that learners need to develop
language learning skills and awareness, which they can then apply to different
learning contexts and situations outside of the classroom, is well established in
foreign language education.

Interdisciplinarity and teaching qualifications

In some of the commissioned case reports, there is a clear movement towards
teamwork between language specialists and subject-matter specialists. Thus
English language trainers must be prepared to teach life skills and professional
uses of language essential to integration into the workforce and for society as
a whole.

Organizational support of English programs seen as vital

In-company training is considered most successful when it is integrated into
the employing organization’s basic philosophy, and when it receives adequate
support and recognition from management and other sectors of the company.

Online Teaching and Learning

Online technologies in educational contexts are important tools for facilitating
project-based approaches to English language learning in professional
contexts. By integrating such technologies, educators have greater
opportunities to connect their classrooms with the real world of business and
their students’ future professions.

The emergence of mobile learning has meant that educators and learners can
use their phones, laptops, and tablets to access information and participate in
online courses, no matter where they may be working or studying. The internet
also allows learners to carry out projects which involve communicating and
collaborating with fellow learners or with members of the learners’ target
profession who are located in other regions.
Recommendations for Employers and
Training Providers
• Workers need to be able to use • Trainers need to ensure that online
English effectively in informal activities and resources are fully
situations in the workplace. In integrated into language courses,
order to establish relationships rather than simply representing an
and maintain rapport with their occasional add-on activity.
co-workers, superiors, and
clients, English learners need to • Decision makers should
be sensitized to communication remember that in-company
strategies. Being able to participate training is most successful when
in small talk can sometimes be it is given adequate support from
even more important for workers’ management. Staff members
promotion chances than carrying need to feel that English language
out daily work tasks in English. training is valued by their company
and that their efforts to improve
• Training providers and materials their language skills will be a great
developers must address asset to their long-term careers.
the themes of intercultural
communicative competence and • Employers and learners who
cultural sensitivity in courses and wish to improve English language
materials. Non-native speakers skills should refer to the checklist
who are being prepared to work in published as Appendix A of
English-speaking workplaces need the report. It will help them to
to be prepared for these culturally determine whether an English
specific aspects of English course deals with their own
interaction norms. Of course, the particular requirements. It is
influence of cultural norms and important that, when making
perspectives on work is not limited contact with the person or
to face-to-face communication. organization offering a specific
course, learners are able to
• Employers should take a long-term articulate what their needs are
view when deciding whether or and what they expect to find in
not to undertake the extra cost their course.
of personalized courses that are
tailored to the specific English
language needs of individuals or
groups of workers. While this type
of course may be more costly than
a general off-the-shelf course in the
short term, personalized courses
may be both more motivating
and more useful and efficient for
workers in the long run.
About TIRF
TIRF, The International Research Foundation for English Language Education, is
a non-profit organization whose mission includes generating new knowledge
about English language teaching and learning. TIRF applies research findings to
practical language problems by working collaboratively with companies, teachers,
researchers, authors, publishers, philanthropic foundations, and government
agencies. Visit www.tirfonline.org for more information.

About the Authors

Anthony Fitzpatrick is the former Director of The International Language Network
(ICC). From 1975 to the present, he has served as a language expert and advisor for
the Council of Europe.

Robert O’Dowd is from Ireland. He teaches English and Applied Linguistics and is
the secretary for International Training at the University of León, Spain.

English at Work was produced with support from National Geographic Learning.

Summary produced by University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations.

© TIRF 2012 EMC/8572/2Y10