As an ambitious business leader, you understand the importance of effective communication. However, in today’s globalized business environment, communication extends far beyond simple interaction within your organization. It involves breaking language barriers to reach out to the international market, where English training holds the key to unlocking unprecedented expansion and growth. For a business owner or leader, navigating global markets requires not only language proficiency but also a deep understanding of diverse business practices and regulations.
The global trend is clear: Workplace English skills are a must. English is the world’s most spoken language, with one in four of the world’s population speaking it at a useful level. Improved English proficiency broadens your communication avenues, positively impacting every business facet. With English aptitude, expect heightened cultural understanding, increased productivity, efficient teamwork, and elevated positive customer experiences from service departments that ultimately streamline your entire organization.
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English proficiency is not enough. Advanced soft skills like collaboration and decision-making, all bolstered by workplace-relevant English skills, are now a necessity. However, research indicates a critical gap, with 90% of employees seeking language training, yet only 33% currently receiving it. This disparity opens a golden opportunity to boost your business and gain a competitive advantage. Understanding and meeting customer expectations in international markets is essential for achieving company success, as it directly influences customer loyalty, retention and revenue growth.
“Being able to speak English is directly linked to success in international business settings and is essential for communicating with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds. Proficiency in English can also expand our career possibilities and open up new professional opportunities."– Takenobu Miki, TORAIZ Inc. President, Japan.
Improving language skills for your employees is a powerful step towards achieving corporate success. By investing in English language training, you are equipping your entire team with the necessary tools to navigate global markets and communicate effectively with international partners and customers. In addition to this, there are other actions you can take to skyrocket your business plan.
There is no one straight answer but corporate English training can contribute to whether your own business flourishes or not in these ways:
Understanding and respecting cultural differences can significantly enhance international business operations. It fosters a positive working environment and aids in building strong relationships with partners and customers from diverse backgrounds.
The ability to innovate and adapt to market changes is crucial for successful businesses and for sustaining growth. Businesses that consistently seek out and implement new ideas stay ahead in competitive markets.
Exceptional customer service is a critical component of the overall customer experience, setting a business apart from its competitors through positive experience. It’s essential for retaining customers and encouraging positive word-of-mouth referrals, impacting customer desire to continue doing business with a company.
Effective leadership and management are pivotal in setting a clear vision, making informed decisions, and motivating employees to achieve business goals.
Amidst the 'Great Resignation,' focusing on employee job satisfaction has become crucial for fostering a productive and innovative work environment. Happy employees are more productive, creative and loyal. Creating a positive work culture that values employee well-being can lead to increased job satisfaction and retention. Employers need to re-evaluate what makes their company worth working for and implement strategies to boost job satisfaction and retain top talent.
Developing and implementing effective employee retention strategies is key to sustaining business growth and success. Customizing strategies to meet unique business needs, including competitive pay, wellness offerings, work-life balance, and strong company culture, can significantly impact retaining top talent.
Language learning training intertwines with all these aspects and can support your company's business plans to reach its goals.
Here are but a few ways:
Firstly, implementing a culture of continuous learning and development within your company can significantly contribute to business growth.
Encouraging your team to engage in ongoing professional development, not only in language skills but also in areas relevant to your industry, keeps your business at the forefront of innovation.
Regular training sessions, workshops and courses can foster an environment of growth, where employees feel valued and motivated. Leaders use platforms like Versant by Pearson to gain an accurate picture of current skill levels and identify existing gaps, helping to address them before they become a potential risk.
Leadership and management are the cornerstones of a successful business, and language learning can significantly bolster these areas. Effective communication is a critical leadership skill, enabling managers to convey their vision and directives more clearly and persuasively. By investing in language training, leaders can overcome communication barriers, foster a more inclusive environment, and engage with a global team more effectively.
This not only enhances internal operations but also improves negotiations and relationships with international clients, suppliers and partners. In addition, bilingual or multilingual leaders are perceived as more competent and are better equipped to understand and appreciate cultural nuances, which can lead to stronger, trust-based business relationships. Through language learning, business leaders and managers can expand their influence, drive global strategies more successfully, and steer their organizations towards greater international success.
Employee retention is a common worry for most businesses; 93% of organizations are concerned about employee retention and providing learning opportunities is the number one way they are working to improve this.
Prioritizing language training offers substantial benefits, not only to talent acquisition and development leaders but also to customer service teams. It emphasizes their crucial role in enhancing customer experience through professional development and permits access to wider, more diverse talent pools in your recruitment initiatives.
Furthermore, it signifies your commitment to ongoing language development, an increasingly important factor for employees, particularly Gen Z and Millennials, and supports teams in being more productive, efficient and capable of providing premier service.
Your business should not consider language learning a siloed function but rather an embedded culture across the organization. This approach ensures skill levels are always adequate and improving, ready for new business opportunities. Additionally, a happy and skilled team plays a pivotal role in creating personalized experiences that foster emotional connections with customers, contributing significantly to overall success and customer loyalty.
“Employees are craving language training at work and employers ignore this request at their peril. They risk losing their talent to the 30% of organizations that have taken this employee feedback on board.” – Pearson's global research report, How English empowers your tomorrow.
Using online language learning platforms like Mondly by Pearson can rapidly accelerate language acquisition among your employees. Alongside self-paced solutions for Workplace English and General Language Learning, these platforms offer live sessions with expert fluent tutors, enhancing workplace language proficiency.
Improving language skills through training is a powerful step towards achieving success for your business. By enhancing customer satisfaction, reducing churn, and driving higher revenues, a customer experience strategy can significantly contribute to business growth. It is crucial to understand and focus on the entire customer journey, from first contact to becoming a loyal customer, to effectively meet global market demands with improved language skills.
A strategic approach to raising language proficiency levels is indispensable to facilitating global success, increasing growth potential, and preparing your team to operate in new international markets. It’s time to reinforce language skills across your organization and access the competitive advantage you need to succeed in international markets.
Engage with Mondly by Pearson today - a flexible and engaging suite of workplace-relevant language learning solutions designed to develop employees’ language skills and assess progress with Versant by Pearson for flexible language testing and certification. Empower your business for international success.
Read our blog post 'Harness the power of English for a global competitive edge'.
If 2025 taught us anything, it’s that educators who lead with heart, ingenuity and resilience help students thrive. Your creativity drove the momentum. Your learners set the direction. Our role at Pearson was to support your journey with tools that save time, create impact and open more opportunities for your students.
Here’s your Educator Wrapped for 2025.
In international education, admissions are just the beginning. While securing a place at a university is a massive milestone for a student, measuring success continues for them from the moment they arrive on campus. Institutions know that academic performance, engagement and retention are shaped long before the first lecture begins, and one of those critical factors is English language proficiency.
Students who begin their studies with the right level of English are better equipped to participate fully in academic life. They understand course material, contribute to discussions and complete assignments with confidence. This foundation does not support individual achievement; it also strengthens the entire learning environment.
That is why reliable proficiency testing is more than an admissions tool. It is a strategic investment in student success.
Universities have long understood the connection between language readiness and academic outcomes. When students are placed correctly, they are more likely to thrive. Misplacement, on the other hand, can lead to frustration, disengagement and even dropout.
Reliable testing helps institutions avoid such pitfalls. It ensures that students are matched to the right level of study, reducing the need for remedial support and improving retention rates. For universities, this translates into stronger performance metrics and a cohesive student experience overall.
The Pearson English Express Test is designed to support this journey before day one. With fast, secure and trusted results, it gives both students and institutions the clarity they need to move forward with confidence.
It delivers certified scores within 48 hours, allowing universities to make timely decisions and students to begin their academic journey without delay. It is AI-powered scoring and alignment with CEFR and GSE frameworks ensures accuracy, while remote proctoring and identity verfication protect the integrity of the results.
This combination of speed, precision and security makes the Pearson English Express Test more than just a test but a strategic tool for long-term success
For universities, adopting the Pearson English Express Test is not just about streamlining admissions; it is about strengthening the entire student lifecycle. By ensuring that potential students are linguistically prepared, institutions can reduce academic risk, improve retention and enhance their reputation for supporting international learners.
The Pearson English Express Test helps universities to demonstrate a commitment to quality and care. It shows that they are not just admitting students, they are setting them up for success.
In a competitive global education market, institutions need solutions that go beyond the basics. The Pearson English Express Test offers a smarter, more strategically driven approach to language assessment. One that not only supports them getting into university, but also from application to graduation.
By choosing the Pearson English Express Test, universities are investing in outcomes that matter: academic success, student satisfaction and long-term institutional positive impact.
Across classrooms, holidays show up as stories, songs, recipes, colors and customs. For English educators, they also offer language tasks that build communication, intercultural understanding and community. The key is to celebrate in a way that’s inclusive, academically rich, and respectful of diverse beliefs and backgrounds. Here are some activities you can do this festive season with minimal fluff and maximum impact, each tied to clear language objectives.
