Português
Español
Unsure about which English course to choose for your company? Find out what you need to consider before making a decision.
Many questions can arise when it comes to choosing a corporate English course – after all, there are several types and formats on the market, and choosing the best one can be a daunting task.
If you work in HR for a company that requires English proficiency on a daily basis, you know how important it is to have the proper tools for staff training and development, or even for candidate assessment.
To help you out, we’ve broken down the key points to consider when choosing the best option for your organization. In addition to highlighting the real benefits of having a corporate English course, we’ll cover what you need to take into account when exploring, evaluating and selecting the best course for your objectives.
Why offer a corporate English course?
English has been considered the lingua franca of business for quite some time, but it becomes even more crucial when we think about global companies.
With that in mind, Training and Development (T&D) teams need to be able to provide development opportunities through qualified training in order to ensure that employees are prepared to navigate everyday challenges in another language.
That’s why it’s important to offer an English course that guarantees effective learning and meets your organization’s expectations.
English for Adult Learners
One of the things to consider is that, although there are several English training options on the market, different methodologies are better suited for different audiences and objectives.
When it comes to English for adult learners, the key is to choose a teaching approach that draws on practices and techniques that have been optimized for this specific learner profile—i.e., an andragogy-based model.
For instance, putting students at center stage is a key part of the learning process, as it provides them with the agency and flexibility to choose what they’re going to study and when.
So, when choosing the best English course for your company, take the time to find out if the program is based on current best practices for adult learning, as this will make the journey more efficient for your employees and drive real results for your organization.
English for Professionals
Besides employing adult learning techniques, the course you choose needs to be designed in a way that suits your specific objective, as this will make it easier for students to take in and truly learn the content in question.
In the case of professional training, the teaching approach must be focused on employees’ day-to-day activities, with content based on real-world situations they might come across in the workplace. This will greatly benefit learner engagement and content retention, as the learning process will be based on the real needs of each individual.
That’s another aspect to take into account when exploring corporate English courses: the more personalized the program, the better.
What are the benefits of an English course?
English training benefits both workers individually and the companies they work for. Read on to find out the main benefits.
English for the Job Market
Research has shown that 50% of job opportunities in Brazil already require English proficiency, with higher English levels increasing wages by up to 60%.
However, English mastery isn’t necessary just because it leads to better salaries—with the constant emergence of new technologies and process digitalization, English has become a prerequisite for workers to reach their full potential in the job market.
In addition to facilitating access to software and tools that are often only available in English, mastering the language makes it possible to quickly and seamlessly engage with global partners and providers.
English for Companies
In order for companies to stay competitive and ahead of their markets, they need to invest in their people. By focusing on employee growth and development, organizations can increase staff motivation and even enhance talent retention.
Additionally, English-proficient teams end up being more productive on various tasks, from simply reading content in English to being able to make presentations to international partners and clients, which helps boost business competitiveness.
That’s why Voxy created corporate English training solutions designed to meet this profile’s needs. In addition to using artificial intelligence (AI) to tailor learning to each student’s needs, the platform employs microlearning to provide a flexible learning experience that increases engagement and knowledge retention.
How long does an English course last?
When thinking about English courses, what usually comes to mind are those traditional, old-school approaches that require endless hours of study—not to mention all the time it takes to develop language fluency.
The good news is that using present-day concepts to modernize the methodology can make learning much quicker and more productive. Naturally, each individual will have their own pace of learning depending on their difficulties and personal context, but a few minutes of study a day can be enough to develop English proficiency.
With technology designed to drive learner engagement while studying, a modern teaching methodology, and specially trained and certified teachers, the English learning experience with Voxy is up to three times faster than with traditional courses.
Online English Course
An appealing and convenient alternative for companies are online English courses— especially for employees working remotely, as corporate e-learning programs enable them to access their lessons whenever and wherever they prefer.
Online learning also makes it easier to use technology to improve the quality of training, which can even enable content personalization based on each learner’s needs.
Cutting-Edge Technology for English Learning
Traditional English programs often provide every student with the same generic content, which hinders learning and decreases the return on investment.
By using the right technology, the learning journey can be personalized based on user profile, leading to a much more agile, pleasurable and long-lasting learning experience.
With that in mind, having a Learning Experience Platform (LXP) that employs AI to identify each learner’s needs and interests makes it possible to tailor the training program based on each of these factors.
Effective Methodologies
One thing that makes all the difference when learning a language is having contact with real-world, authentic content. When we can relate to the content, our brain has an easier time assimilating what’s being taught because it’s learning something as a result of a real experience.
Besides, it’s crucial that learners can rely on the guidance of trained teachers to help them along their English learning journey. In this sense, both group classes and private classes provide a great opportunity for practicing listening comprehension and speaking skills, which are key to mastering a language.
Results Tracking
Staying up to date with learning progress is essential for both employees and the company to understand if the training program is in line with the objectives set out. After all, everyone involved wants there to be a return on the time and money they’ve invested.
Therefore, choosing an English course that offers reliable proficiency tests that measure learners’ English level is key for understanding whether they’re progressing or not.
Similarly, T&D professionals in charge of results tracking programs also need a data and information management platform to be able to track and manage the pace of training courses in order to see if any changes or adjustments are necessary.
How to choose an English course for your employees
Now that you have a complete picture of how corporate English courses work and the benefits they provide, read on to see what you need to consider when choosing the best English training program for your organization.
English Proficiency Test
Testing your knowledge is an inherent part of any learning process. That’s why your company needs a course that provides accurate English proficiency tests that are easy to administer.
This benefits both the learners, who receive a reliable document they can add to their résumé, and the T&D team, who will have a means of verifying employee development and the effectiveness of the course.
Live Tutoring
There’s no doubt that asynchronous learning and self-study are important for learning English, but live interactions are essential to drive the results of any language training program.
Whether through groups classes, which are great for interacting and exchanging experiences, or private classes where learners can engage directly with teachers to clarify doubts and align content, it’s important to provide opportunities for live conversations.
Lessons and Activities
In order to ensure an English course is effective and employees feel motivated to continue along their learning journey, offering lessons and activities that can be completed quickly and feature quality information is more than necessary.
Therefore, a course must provide easy access to content, such as through mobile apps, as this lets learners practice whenever is best for them, depending on their work schedules and routines.
Another thing that greatly supports this is microlearning, as it focuses on quick and objective lessons that can be completed in a matter of minutes.
Conclusion
Implementing a corporate English course can bring several benefits to your company, but it’s important to search for the best option on the market—especially one that provides personalized content tailored to workers’ needs.
Voxy is an innovative and flexible digital English training solution that’s used by hundreds of companies around the world and leverages cutting-edge technology to provide the best possible learning experience.
Schedule a demo and learn how Voxy can support your organization’s growth through personalized online language training.