To compete in the modern business space, many organizations are shifting to a more global way of working.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated digital transformation and globalization across industries but, as many businesses look now to sustaining future growth, the question is: what powers a successful, global organization?

Why English proficiency is key to unlocking international success

According to Pearson’s 2022 Power Skills Survey, one of the biggest factors in effective workplace globalization is the use of English as a common language. The report states “Adopting a common language and ensuring that the entire workforce can access it has become more important than ever before.”

It points to statistics from rising economies in Southeast Asia, showcasing the strength of English use and their respective booming industries:

• In Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy in terms of GDP, the service sector employs nearly half of the country’s local workforce.
• In Thailand, nearly 60% of the country’s GDP is generated by tourism and export-oriented production. Vietnam, one of APAC’s fastest-growing markets and a rising manufacturing powerhouse, counts the US among its top trading partners.
• The Philippines’ business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, a key pillar of the country’s economy, employs 1.3 million people.

The power of effective communication

Pearson’s 2022 Power Skills Survey is a drop in the ocean of reports hailing effective communication as one of the top factors to both personal and business success. Good communicators have been linked to higher performance in school, at work and in their personal lives. It is no surprise then that good communicators are highly sought after by talent recruiters.

With many businesses moving to hiring outside of traditional location boundaries, more languages are inevitable in the workplace. So, can good communication transcend language barriers?

As the statistics gathered by the Power Skills Survey show, there is evidence that sharing one common language, and therefore enabling more effective communication, can improve business opportunities, workforce growth and ultimately the economy. In the survey report, Norlida Azmi, Group Chief People Officer at Axiata, said:

“Communication is a critical skill that sets the foundation for not only leadership competencies, such as people management and coalition building, but also for wider and effective stakeholder management in the ecosystem – communicating with our shareholders, customers and the communities that we operate in.”

English: the official language of business

While communication for globalization can look different for different markets, the English language is recognized as the prevailing choice for multinational companies. The Harvard Business Review says:

“The need to tightly coordinate tasks and work with customers and partners worldwide has accelerated the move toward English as the official language of business.”

So, with businesses now fighting to grow in a global marketplace, unlocking the power of the English language is crucial to success.

Assessing English proficiency within your organization

The survey shows that many organizations have work to do in this area, even if they view strong English proficiency as extremely important to their roles. It details the current state of assessing candidates’ English language proficiency and the percentage of organizations that have strategies in place to upskill their employees English proficiency. Both leave room for improvement.

According to the survey, the number one way talent acquisition managers test English language skills is at the interview (58%), although 37% aren't measuring English language skills at all. This can be problematic later down the line, as not all four language skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening) will be accurately represented in an interview.

Meanwhile, 27% of businesses use computer-based tests and 14% use paper-based tests to assess English language proficiency. By getting standardized test results, talent managers can more accurately assess if candidates’ English proficiency is suitable for the role, making for more confident and successful hires.

Strategies for English upskilling

Talent managers can also pass on these insights to learning and development managers to help them implement effective English language upskilling programs. While this investment can empower employees to perform better in their new role, it may also improve employee retention and even lead to succession and impact business growth.

 Whether organizations choose to hire new talent with higher levels of English proficiency or invest in learning and development programs to build their employees’ language skills, there are tools available to help.

Pearson Language Solutions for Work enables talent and learning and development managers to fast-track and simplify their recruitment and training processes, giving you total confidence that your candidates and employees have the English language skills to drive your business forward. Find the best language assessment and learning solutions for your organization here.

Drive your business forward with language training

If you liked this blog post and want to learn more, download our PDF report here.

Find out more about how language training and assessment can drive your business forward by checking out our resources for HR professionals, including articles, whitepapers and research.

Developing collective language proficiency is one of the most dynamic ways you can promote and invigorate diversity, equity and inclusion within your organization. Here’s why.

If you want to save this for later, download the PDF here.

There’s an often-overlooked core workplace skill that, when prioritized within learning and development programs and hiring processes, has the power to energize your diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives - sparking huge potential for international business growth.

That core skill is language proficiency. Effective and inclusive language has the power to reinforce diversity, helping employees express themselves authentically and promoting a sense of belonging across teams.

We know that diversity drives positive business outcomes (companies in the top 25% for ethnic and cultural diversity were 36% more profitable than those in the bottom 25%, a McKinsey survey found). It follows, then, that embracing English language learning across your organization is one of the most effective ways to reinforce your DE&I strategy, unlocking business growth across existing and new markets.

The message that resonates in Pearson’s Skills Report Outlook 2022 is that the most in-demand power skills today are not technical but human, soft skills, like communication. Being able to communicate confidently powers all other business skills and strengthens your DE&I strategy—a strategic imperative for businesses.

Forward-thinking companies know that the driving force behind a truly inclusive workplace is language learning. Let’s explore why investing in language skills is the key DE&I enabler that can help unlock your organization’s potential for growth.

5 ways improved language skills can advance DE&I in your organization

1. Better language skills mean more confident communicators

Strong relationships are the bedrock of an inclusive workplace, and language learning refines core business communication skills like active listening, negotiation, conflict resolution and empathy. Confident communicators can influence, persuade and help advocate a positive DE&I narrative for your business, inspiring others to speak up along the way.

2. Language learning promotes collaboration

Upskilling your team in language proficiency helps to break down language barriers and allows for more inclusive participation and collaboration across diverse groups. Better language skills enable trust to be built and maintained among teams and can promote more inclusive decision-making processes too.

3. Language development fosters a sense of belonging

Gallup says that a sense of belonging develops when identities align. Employees want their individual identity to align with the company’s identity, creating a feeling of connection and belonging. Building English language proficiency helps to cultivate a welcoming environment where everyone feels a sense of belonging. When employees can express themselves and contribute their thoughts and feelings, they feel like an important and integral part of the team.

4. Enhanced language skills spark fresh perspectives

Developing language skills unlocks the door to more diverse views and new ideas. It encourages and empowers employees to have the confidence to voice their opinions. Fresh perspectives and ideas that come from language learning don’t just reinforce your existing DE&I initiatives—they can also unlock new opportunities and drive positive business outcomes.

5. Language proficiency helps you tap into new markets

We know that companies that invest in DE&I are 70% more likely to capture a new market. To thrive in an increasingly global marketplace, organizations are driving language learning to boost market access and open the door to new customer segments. To reach those new markets, you must be able to speak the language fluently, understand its cultural nuances, and communicate effectively to build effective and authentic relationships.

Energize your organizational DE&I strategy by unlocking more confident communicators with Mondly by Pearson—a suite of language learning solutions designed to develop employees’ language skills with flexible, engaging and workplace-relevant content.

Want to find out more about powering your DE&I strategy and driving global growth with language learning?

There are three standout reasons why recruiters use artificial intelligence (AI) tools in their hiring process: to save time, provide valuable insights and to make their jobs easier.

The recruitment process is vital to any thriving business, but it can be time-consuming and labor intensive. Sourcing candidates, screening resumes, conducting interviews and making hiring decisions can be stop-start, with some time-wasting tasks and reprocessing. However, as technology continues to evolve, the role of AI in recruitment is becoming increasingly important.

With the help of AI, Talent Acquisition leads can improve their recruiting processes, save time and find better-quality candidates. 96% of senior HR professionals believe AI greatly enhances talent acquisition and retention.

The modern workplace is constantly evolving and undergoing a paradigm shift in performance management. The focus is now on fostering a culture of continuous learning and development, rather than merely holding employees accountable. It is particularly important to prioritize this shift when it comes to enhancing language and communication skills within your team.

It is important to connect performance management with language learning goals, as English skills are highly valued by both employees and businesses.

In the fast-paced world of business, there is one undeniable fact that holds true: employees are the key to success. Their commitment and expertise propel organizations towards their objectives, which is why investing in a learning culture is essential. The advantages are numerous and include improved staff retention, increased productivity and the goal of higher employee engagement.

Preparing students for the modern world of work can be challenging; it's constantly adapting and changing which can be hard to keep track of. Today's post is a Q&A on the teaching of employability skills and the essential skills and qualities students need to thrive in the 21st century. Dr. Ken Beatty offers insights to answer common questions and help you improve your language teaching skills.

1. How can we make students see the value of employability skills when they prioritize traditional language skills? Any tips to bridge this gap?

My advice is to push the issue back to the students by putting them in groups and asking each group to identify a different job/career that involves people working with others. Then ask "What would happen if this job was competitive instead of collaborative?" You may have to re-explain the concepts, but let students write a little story about a situation in which the workers suddenly all turn competitive.

For example, It was chaos in the women's soccer/football game. All the members of the blue team suddenly became competitive. Each one still wanted to win, but each decided that she would shoot a ball into the other team's net. This included the goalie, who ran up to the front of the field and purposely shoved and tripped members of her team ….

Or for more traditional jobs, In the middle of the operation the nurse pushed the doctor out of the way and picked up the instrument. The patient also wasn’t completely asleep, and he tried to do the operation himself, then …

It's all absurd, of course, but it can lead into other tasks asking students why collaboration is so important in each job. Then, turning it back to language, what kinds of language does each profession require to collaborate? For soccer/football players, this includes shouted requests and commands: Pass the ball to me! Shoot! as well as hand and body gestures. Similarly, doctors require professional jargon: Pass me the scalpel, please. Rather than Give me the pointy knife thing!

2. Considering all the impact of tech, is there a clear future for employability for teachers?

One hundred years ago, in 1923, Thomas Edison predicted that motion pictures would replace teachers and books. Since then, similar predictions have been made for radio, TV and computers. It hasn't happened, and one of the reasons is that we crave the human touch in our teaching and learning. I recently read. "When it comes to getting knowledge to stick, there may be no substitute for human relationships. … I've been to former students' weddings and baby showers and funerals of their parents," says Millard, the high school English teacher in Michigan. "I've hugged my students. I've high-fived my students. I've cried with my students. A computer will never do that. Ever, ever.”(Waxman, 2023, para. 21-22)

But, that doesn’t mean teachers should stop learning about new technologies. We need to keep finding ways for them to help us and our language learners in the classroom. It can seem overwhelming, though, which is why I recommend shifting responsibility to students: “Do any of you know about ChatGPT? Yes? How do you think you could use it to help you learn?”      

3. How can we deal with collaboration in a competitive world?

Although the world is in many ways competitive, there are countless examples of how students will do better by collaborating. Most of our students today won't be working in environments where they are competing against their co-workers. Instead, they'll be in teams and need critical thinking and negotiation skills to help them do so.

One way forward is to ensure that your classroom features more collaborative activities. Get students working in pairs and groups on all their assignments, but also create a buddy system so students always have someone else to ask for help. For example, if they're having to read a text and come across difficulties, it's often easier for them to text or call a friend than to wait until the next class. After a few collaborative activities, discuss collaboration versus competition with students and ask them which they prefer. Also, ask them for examples of what their friends and family members do regarding collaborating and competing.

As always, it's better to lead students to understand a new idea than to tell them.

If you want to learn more, make sure to check out Ken's webinar here. If you'd like to learn more about teaching future skills to students check out 21st-century skills and the English language classroom.

Anyone who’s ever taught a business English class knows that their students are busy people. Sometimes they get sidetracked by their other tasks - even during class. This means we have to make the most of the time we have with our learners and focus on what they really need.

How you do this depends on the sector your students work in (or plan to work in), their previous experiences studying English and their own strengths and weaknesses.

Teachers often focus on teaching hard skills, such as writing reports or running meetings. We do this because it can be challenging for many business students to do these things in English and also because hard skills have an immediate and positive impact on their workdays.

But, if there’s one thing that all business people can benefit from, it’s soft skills.

Soft skills are interpersonal or people skills. They include things like active listening, teamwork, decision-making and influencing skills. Mastering these skills will help students progress more rapidly and become more independent learners. However, isolating the specific vocabulary or grammar structures that these skills use is complex and they often get overlooked in language learning classes as a result.  

Are you thinking about embarking on a career in education? If so, you’ll be opening the door to an entire world of possibilities. An education degree can help you to work anywhere in the world, making it one of the most rewarding career paths you can choose. In this blog, we’ll delve deeper into just how this field of study can broaden your horizons more than you ever thought possible.

Why choose an education degree?

Without teachers, there are a lot of valuable life lessons that we just wouldn’t learn. Of course, learning isn’t just limited to the classroom, but educated teachers seem to consistently have the most impact on young people all over the world. This potential to change young lives is what makes studying for a teaching career desirable for many.

Studying education will also enable you to work from anywhere that you like, as teaching jobs are widely available across the world. The opportunity to teach English to second-language learners in particular can be found in even the most remote locations. Teaching abroad frequently comes with perks, too, including free accommodation, assistance with travel, and the chance to meet people from all walks of life.

Where can I work with an education degree?

In short: almost anywhere. Some of the most popular places people immigrate to with an education degree include Australia, New Zealand, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. The latter is particularly attractive, as international school teachers are paid well here, and frequently awarded free accommodation and travel.

Saudi Arabia is also known for its vast riches, which they invest in building beautiful, gated communities for their expats. These often include air-conditioned housing and community pools. If you choose to relocate here, you’ll usually find yourself teaching a mixture of fellow expats and locals – most people find the exposure to such vastly different cultures particularly exciting. 

Teaching schemes and programs are available to people with relevant education degrees and overseas teaching roles are always in demand, so it's not uncommon to see new programs pop up over time. Make sure to check out relevant embassy and government websites for up-to-date news on schemes that are running.

If you find a program that interests you, make sure to do your research and find out from others who've participated to ensure its the right program for you. One person's experience teaching can be a lot different from someone else's. The kind of wage, accommodation and benefits can differ greatly depending on the scheme and where you work so its a good idea to research that, comparing it to the area's cost of living.

What should I study alongside my education degree?

If you’re choosing to study education you’re already on the right path to an enriching international career – however, you may wish to study other subjects alongside this to make sure that your future job applications stand out.

An English degree complements education studies nicely. The English language teaching market created approximately £1.4 billion annually as of 2020, and this number continues to grow. Alternatively, subjects such as maths and computer science continue to be popular choices for hiring companies abroad.

Education is generally seen as the precursor to a PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education), which enables you to work abroad. In the UK alone you have the choice of 1,125 courses in Education as of 2023, so when it comes to getting started on your academic journey, the options are endless.

Education: the key to the world

Studying education at degree level will give you the key to the wider world, and is the first step towards a rewarding international career. If you choose to go down this route academically, you’ll have the opportunity to submerge yourself in vibrant global cultures. So, choosing to study for an education degree is sure to be the start of an exciting journey.

Why learn a language?

For most, it's part of academic studies. For some, it's a fun social opportunity. But for many, language learning is aimed at getting a job.

Language teachers didn't always consider the reasons students were motivated to learn a language. Instead, they focused solely on the central parts of language learning: phonology (sounds of letters and words), morphology (the meaning of parts of words), lexicon (vocabulary), grammar (word order) and to a lesser extent, discourse (the intent of language).

But today, beyond the mechanical aspects of language teaching and learning, language teachers and their teaching and learning materials try to align with students' motivations. This includes exploring a wide variety of social issues from global warming to racism to homelessness. Reasons for teaching these issues are based on the notion that language is culture, and students want to learn broad topics and be able to contribute to conversations about the issues of the day.

Employability skills

A related challenge facing students is employability skills. In the past, students were largely taught the types of language expected of factory workers: giving and responding to simple instructions. Most students learning via the audio-lingual method would consider the question "How are you?" to always be answered with the response, "I'm fine, thank you." The reality, of course, is that you might just as well say, "I'm okay." "Can't complain!" "Not too bad." or even the little-used but truthful, "I feel terrible!"

The Communicative Approach challenged this pre-programmed speech and reflected changes in the workplace. As robots and artificial intelligence agents take over more and more factory work, today's language students are graduating into jobs that require critical thinking, creativity, and broad communication skills. What are these skills and how do they relate to employability?

Critical thinking is about examining problems to better understand them. Sometimes critical thinking helps students make choices between one or more alternatives. Like creativity and communication, critical thinking is vital in both academic and employment situations where, for example, staff might try to decide between two locations to build a new factory.

Creative thinking is about looking for new solutions. In the factory example, a solution might be to build a factory on a boat so it travels between where the raw materials are collected to the market where they're to be sold.

Communication is about explaining ideas, listening to others' views, and using persuasive speaking and writing to structure arguments. Is the factory boat the best idea? It might be, but without clear communication and debate, it will be tossed aside.

In terms of employability, the Pearson series Step Up outlines the varied needs faced by adult learners: "to improve their employability skills to get their first job, secure a promotion, find a different job, re-enter the workforce after an absence or change fields."

Meeting these needs requires new teaching and assessment approaches.

Be collaborative

Teaching has to become more collaborative. This reflects the nature of modern work, where most people work in teams, rather than in the factory model where workers were interchangeable parts of a machine. Workers today need to identify problems, share ideas about how to solve them and negotiate, using critical and creative thinking.

Assess positively

Similarly, assessment needs to change to a model that allows students opportunities to show what they know in open-ended ways with multiple opportunities to achieve success. Tests with closed-ended questions aimed at tricking students are a thing of the past. Assessment today needs to present students with chances to learn and try again and again until they and their teachers are confident of their abilities.

Learning a language and related abilities, like employability skills, is not a narrow classroom-bound experience. Students continue to learn and improve throughout their lives. More than anything else, the role of today's teachers is to set their students on a path of lifelong learning.