English Communication: An Employability Skills

The Employment Commission of India in the report The Challenges of Employment in India laid heavy
stress on the issue of Skills Development in India and pointed out that serious action has to be taken in
this regard. The Govt. of India has resolved to train 500 million people by 2022 in the Employability Skills
including English. As a result Govt. of India has formed National Skills Development Corporation to
identify skill gaps and to promote skill development in India.

Why English Matters?

English Edge: ‘Earn 34% more than others’

Those who speak English fluently earn up to 34% more than those who don't speak the language, a
recent report has found, confirming the link between an education in English and the scope of
employment opportunities.

"Men who speak English fluently earn wages about 34% higher and men who speak a little English earn
wages about 13% higher than those who don't speak any English," the report said.
According to the report, only 20% of the Indian population can speak in English, and only 4% would be
considered fluent. Where one lives is a key determinant in accessing English medium education, it
found.
"Politicians who don't like English are captains of a sinking ship. Higher education in English helps us get
better integrated into the globalized organized sector and labour market. Those without access to
higher education in English are being left out," Dr Shariff told TOI.

The Book ‘Future of English in India’, and Research by World Bank and The Florida and Connecticut
Universities reveals that 13% to 34% increase in wages results with better communication in English. In
each Metro Like Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi etc. almost 500 centres train Nurses, Drivers, Peons, Courier
Agents and House Maids in English for Higher Wages.

Lack of the English Language knowledge is a bottleneck in both Admission & Placement in Technical &
Professional Colleges all over the Country. Those, who have good communication skills are readily
selected in Campus Interview at high pay packages than those who lack communication skills.
Undergraduates & Graduates with good English easily get jobs at BPO’s and Banks.

The Film ‘English Vinglish’ proves how housewives can upgrade their status in the family by learning a
few communication skills

ENGLISH IN THE WORKPLACE

A problem faced by any general-purpose ‘English for the workplace’ training course is that job-related
skills are often specific to context. Each work sphere has its own special requirements with regard to
communication for example

- there may be particular kinds of reports or forms to be filled in,

- or perhaps interactions with customers need to conform to a corporate policy.

For these reasons, Workplace English training is best carried out using materials taken from the
workplace itself. In India the main focus seems now to be on the idea of ‘English for employability’, but
there is equal importance of English skills in career progression.

Many of the better universities now provide co-curricular courses in English communication and in soft
skills to ensure that their graduates are employable. The larger employers are also working closely with
the universities and colleges which supply their new recruits. But many colleges do not provide such
courses, or do not have the qualified staff to do so. This forces students into private sector ‘finishing
schools’ to bridge the gap

Larger Indian businesses are already partnering with government departments to help improve the
English and employability skills of both students in colleges and those in Class 10–12. The Delhi branch
of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), for example, worked with the Municipal Corporation of
Delhi to implement a pilot programme in Delhi schools. Many large companies have similar relationships
with local colleges, helping ensure that students acquire communication skills before they graduate.

Much of the ‘talent pool’ crisis in India at present relates to the number of graduates who apparently
lack ‘employability skills’. NASSCOM, the IT-BPO industry organisation, complains about the ‘low
employability of existing talent with only 10–15% employable graduates in business services and 26%
employable engineers in technology services’.

Employability skills

Employability Skills can be defined as the transferable skills needed by an individual to make them
‘employable’. Along with good technical understanding and subject knowledge, employers often
outline a set of skills that they want from an employee. These skills are what they believe will equip
the employee to carry out their role to the best of their ability.

What do Employers want?

Although most jobs in the corporate sector now require English, many of the ‘soft skills’ which make
graduates employable are not language specific.

Skills That Employers Want

· Communication and interpersonal skills,

Can you explain ideas patiently and clearly?

Can you handle telephone calls well?

Can you communicate appropriately to other employees who may be more or less senior?

· Problem solving skills

Are you an analytic but creative thinker?

Have you a confident, polite manner?

· Using your initiative and being self-motivated

Can you work on your own, without being told to do so?

· Working under pressure and to deadlines

Can you handle stress that comes with deadline?

· Organisational skills

Are you punctual and dressed appropriately?

· Team working

Can you work in a team?

· Ability to learn and adapt

Are you able to learn new technologies and business processes quickly?

· Numeracy

Are you familiar with standard office software?

Are you able to use data and mathematics to demonstrate a point?

· Valuing diversity and difference

Can you communicate well to speakers from another culture or social background?

· Negotiation skills

Can you make clear presentations to colleagues?

Most workers in the services sector, whether in offices, BPOs, hotels or shops – need to communicate in
at least two different directions:

to clients (whether in India or abroad) and within the chain of management (both up and down, and
with peers) in their own organisation. Here workers may require:

• both spoken and written English language skills

– can you tell the difference between a manager’s request and an instruction?

• knowledge of specialist terms within the trade, profession, organisation or relating

 During 6th Global Skill Summit, held at FICCI, N. Delhi it was brought to the notice of Mr. R C M Reddy
(Chairman FICCI Skills Development Forum) that along with the Employability Skills, 5 basic Life Skills are
also very important at school level therefore employability skills are to be preceded by life skill based
education, but it is pathetic to find that students are qualifying +2 levels even when they don’t know the
basic vocabulary and Grammar basics like proper paragraph writing, letter, application & resume
writing.

Global Competence has conducted various experiments in Management & Technical Institutes by giving
input regarding Communication Skills & facilitated in the successfully placement of B.Tech Textile
Engineering students from Panipat , for placement in the Textile Corporate Sector like Nahar, Vardhman
and Aarti groups in Ludhiana. We have interviewed 100 of candidates personally to find that only 5 % of
the candidates could communicate in English which was a basic requirement in the Home Textile
exports industry of Panipat which has more than 3000 crores of direct exports out of Rs 11000 crores of
textile industry production from Panipat textile cluster. This supported by the facts published by various
sources at national & international level

Importance of English in employment

Jyothi, May 16, 2012 20:03 IST

Strong influence:Globalisation has encouraged the domestic cos to think beyond t

As we know, English is the language which connects people from different regions, cultures and nations.
By default, due to the fact that the British ruled most parts of the world a few years ago, they could
conveniently sow the seeds of English language and culture in those countries. Though not intended, the
British gave a common language to the world. It has helped the world in sharing any kind of information
fast and clear without any translation. Though the British left their colonies a long time back, their
efforts and reforms in the field of education are yielding results now.

Globalisation has encouraged the domestic companies to think beyond their nations. People don’t mind
taking challenging and fruitful overseas assignments these days. As English is spoken in most of the
countries, language is no more a barrier for people who intend to settle down in other countries.

Though English originated in Great Britain, it is used in different versions across nations in which it is
spoken. American English varies a little in spelling and pronunciation from British English.

Standard English

The pronunciation of Indian English varies from region to region according to the influence of one’s
vernacular. So the questions that arise are what is the standard form of English? Is it British English? Or
American English? Or Indian English, with its variety due to the strong influence of regional languages?

Till the time of globalisation, British English was considered as Standard English.
But the strength of the American economy, its advancement in science and technology, its power over
other countries and the emergence and popularity of e-language, American English is largely followed by
the tech savvy countries as well as the countries which are dependant on technologies of these.

Tool for employability

India too has contributed a good number of vocabularies to the modern English language and which
have become a part of standard dictionaries.

As the private sector companies are gaining ground and becoming more competitive due to changed
world economy, the employees are always kept on their toes. It is like either you work hard and show
your performance or perish for not taking care of your professional growth. The ability to use a language
efficiently is very much required to remain employable. What is employability? It is the ability to remain
employable as a result of the relevant skills one possesses. Communication skills are very much essential
for one’s professional growth. The ability to express fluently in both written as well as oral form of
language is very much essential for the career growth.

As it is stated above, English being the most commonly used language in the corporate world; the
knowledge of English is one of the most important employability skills. Knowledge of English is much
sought after in the corporate world. Proper English does not mean only the ability to make
grammatically correct sentences. It means other related skills for effective communication like
presentation skills, convincing and negotiation skills and interpersonal skills using that language.

Employability skills

Communication means the exchange of information, ideas, feelings and thoughts. The type of
communication which is used in the corporate world is business communication. It is not mere exchange
of ideas. In the world of business the communication system is considered effective, only if there is
some positive transaction. If the sender of information is just able to convey the message without any
fruitful deal, then the communication is not effective.

A person is considered employable only when he gets the necessary qualification, experience, interest,
learning attitude and expertise in the field where he wants to seek employment.

The content knowledge in the area of his choice is the primary requirement. The necessary experience,
if not, the interest and the attitude to learn the job assignments are much sought after by the
employers. A person has to remain employable throughout one’s career. Unless one is ready to update
his knowledge in the filed of work according to the ongoing changes and advancements, he lags behind
from others and loses his job ultimately.

Effective communication includes the ability to communicate effectively in any language. Academicians
and researchers are divided in their opinion on the question; is English required for successful business
communication? Is it not possible to communicate effectively in regional languages and get the work
done? Those who are in favour of English for effective communication would say that English is the
official language in most of the companies in cities these days.

So English is much required. But people who vote for regional languages for communication over English
would rather say that English is not required as long as one communicates effectively to get the work
done. The customers, for most of the products and services are people of a particular region where a
local language is spoken. So what big deal in speaking in English to woo and impress them? After all,
when it is a matter of money, people would rather concentrate on quality and service for the products
than the customer care executive’s ability to speak in English.

The reality is that the companies consider the candidate’s ability or inability to speak fluently in English
as one of the major selection criterion. The mere domain knowledge won’t guarantee one a good job.
The situation in most of the companies has changed from a scene where all employees are isolated and
would concentrate on their individual performances.

‘Team work for better success’ is the mantra followed by most companies. So there is no space for
individual glory. Employees are expected to be interactive and communicative with others in the team
and outside.

As we have multi-cultural and multi-linguistic work force in the companies, English is the language which
connects people by default. It is the language used for official communication; whether it is meeting
within or outside, presentations, training, conferences, letters, documents, reports etc. The purpose
being people are expected to read, write, speak and understand English.

Communication in English

Communication takes place in two ways; verbal and non-verbal. Verbal communication takes place with
the usage of words.

Non-verbal communication means expression of ideas through gestures, eye contact, postures and body
movements.

It is not confined to any language. Verbal communication constitutes oral and written form of
communication. Oral communication skills include the ability to speak effectively, listen actively and
respond efficiently according to the situation.
It helps in oral presentation, video conferencing, telephonic conversation, meeting, interviews etc.

Written communication skills means the ability to write effectively and it also includes the ability to read
and understand the language used for communication.
If a person is labeled as good communicator in English, he is supposed to be master in oral as well as
written form of English.
There are a good number of people in rural as well as urban parts of India who are literate in regional
language medium, but they are highly successful. The point to be made is that in the changed scenario
of globalisation, liberalisation and free movement of people, more and more multinational companies
are coming to India naturally English has gained importance as one of the basic requirement to be
employable in the corporate sectors. If the companies don’t build workforce who are fluent in English,
then they remain confined to one particular regional level. They may lose contact with the rest of the
world. If there is no common language to connect the workforce, it becomes difficult for any kind of
communication and team work.

Corporate expectations

As the ability to speak and write in English is considered very important by the recruiters at the time of
recruitment, let us discuss the expectations of corporate world in this regard. Companies want people
who can basically read and understand written words in the form of instructions, reports, letters,
memos, notices and other any form of official documents.

The ability to express formal communication in oral as well as in written form is equally considered
important by the prospective employers. As one moves higher in the vertical direction in the
organisational hierarchy, it becomes naturally necessary for an employee to be good presenter,
negotiator, and convener of meetings. The mastery over English will help a person to conduct his duties
efficiently.
One of the important deficiencies found by the employers and recruiters in candidates for different jobs
is the lack of oral as well as written communication skills.

Many candidates don’t know how to answer to the point at the time of the interview and can’t phrase a
simple formal letter or report. It becomes a handicap for the candidates who have good domain
knowledge.

Interviewers will be in dilemma when they encounter such candidates who have technical expertise, but
poor communicational skills in English. Left with no other choice they may take the candidate, but will
make sure that they are groomed and trained properly.

Employers would be happy to interview and recruit who have both communication skills in English and
job skills. It lessens their burden of giving too much orientation training at the time of induction or on
the job training.

English language training

Due to the emerging demand for communication skills in English and the remarkably poor level of
English taught in the regional medium schools in India, the students constantly try to get outside help in
the form of spoken English classes, training programs, and finishing schools.
The number of such institutions is mushrooming due to the increasing market demand. But
unfortunately many training centres don’t have proper language teachers. So students don’t get what
they expect to get. But, whatever is the result of teaching; such institutes have become good money
making entities. These organisations survive on the sentiments and insecurity feeling of the regional
language medium students.

In order to cater to the demands of regional language medium students in their efforts to get good jobs
in the corporate world, governments should bring changes in the English language syllabus at least in
graduation level.

The emphasis should be on functional English usage exercises. The syllabus should focus on practical
oriented exercises and real life situations than mere study of literature.

So the need of the hour is strengthening the English speaking ability of the present generation to have
an edge over other developing countries.

Our BPO sector still has an edge over other countries due to the fact that Indians speak fairly better
English compared to other non-native speakers of English. It applies to our IT as well as other related
sectors too.

The fact is that we have a large English speaking population, it makes easier for MNCs and foreign
universities to do their business here. The knowledge of English is an important employability skill with
in India and outside to be employed as well as to move higher in one’s professional life.

Employability and English Language Skills

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English language skills and employability are interrelated. The better the skills an individual has in
English, the higher their scope of employability is. It is also a known fact that employment retention and
career enhancement are the next challenges, post securing an employment. Effective communication
skill in English is one of the biggest factors affecting this. This is the reason why most prominent
institutes across the country have English language development courses for their students. Such
courses are designed to teach English as a skill, so as to enhance their English language competencies
along with their technical or professional knowledge. Many a corporate organisation in fact, is known to
connect with various institutions to ensure that such skills are imbibed by their students while still at the
institute.
The weightage attributed to language skills and other soft skills for acquiring a job is thus quite high.
With more and more business houses going global and working in competitive environments due to the
changed world economy, the need to acquire or inherit competencies becomes imperative to merely
survive in the market. This truth applies to both the employer and the employee. With English being the
business communication language of most companies, the skill to communicate in English with clients,
both overseas and domestic, goes beyond merely understanding and framing correct sentences to the
ability to apply interpersonal skills, presentation skills or negotiation skills.

In the corporate world, proficiency to use English as the language of business communication is seen as
a tool to ensure positive business outcomes, something that will produce beneficial results. Thus, for its
employees to be considered as ‘assets’ and seen as ‘contributors’ to the growth of the organisation, his
qualification, aptitude, personal attitude and his English communication skills become important factors.
It is this seen that, during campus interviews and other hiring processes, companies look for potential
employees who display such competencies.

As already stated, professional institutes have now started ensuring that English as a skill is given due
importance in its curriculum. The students are prepared for successfully cracking their interviews and
helping them enter the job market. These students are later expected to up their skills constantly to
sustain themselves in the competitive professional world. A course that is designed to provide the
students with opportunities in listening and speaking in English is helpful in such a scenario. Students
who may not have had the opportunity to use English as their language of day to day transaction benefit
from such a course while the language proficiency of other students will also improve.

A good language lab will be especially helpful to achieve this. Predesigned courses, prepared using
standardized teaching-learning formula to cater to the functional requirement of language learning will
ensure that the students actually learn the language. The content should in fact meet the language
learning needs of all different levels of proficiencies so that all students benefit from it. Enhancement of
pronunciation skills and removal of common errors creeping into use through regionalism should also be
addressed.

Words Worth English language lab provides such teaching content. The students and teachers benefit
through the use of the software making the teaching and learning process interesting and fruitful. The
content based on the parameters proposed by CEFR, caters to all the six levels and ensures
enhancement in the English language proficiency levels of the students, thus preparing them for the job
market.

English and Employability Skills for Higher Education Students in Andhra Pradesh

Posted in English on July 13, 2017 by Kamini Taneja.

Up-skilling Higher Education (HE) students in English and employability skills in the state of Andhra
Pradesh constitutes the core objective of Andhra Pradesh Higher Education English Communication
Skills Project. The project aims to create an environment so that HE students have access to equitable
education, increased economic and career prospects and more importantly takes forward Honourable
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s vision “to transform Andhra Pradesh state into a knowledge hub
by providing quality education and giving opportunities for students to develop employability skills
among the Universities and Colleges in the state.”

In India, English holds a unique role as both a link language and a skill valued by employers across
sectors and helps gain better education and employment. This has been stated by research, policy
documents and as well as industry bodies:

Growing need for 21st century skills in India-English is considered a 21st century skill, ‘mastery of which
leads to better job prospects in the future’. (ASER Report 2010)

National Knowledge Commission in its 2007 recommendations stated ‘English language is a critical
determinant of access to, and opportunities for a better life’.

British Council conducted a comprehensive needs analysis to understand the context teachers and
students operate in and the training needs expressed by the state. The needs analysis involved 988
stakeholders (teachers, learners, staff council members across colleges and universities in the state of
Andra Pradesh). Some of the primary data sources included learner and teacher focus groups, online
surveys, discussion with staff council and Aptis assessment (computer-based English proficiency test). In
addition, meetings with key stakeholders and policy makers, university curricula, text books, govt.
education policy documents informed the key findings and the proposed solution.

The key objectives of the project include:

1. Learners will improve their workplace English language, employability and soft skills and thereby
have increased opportunities for further education or employment.

2. English teachers will increase their English proficiency and be able to employ teaching
methodologies which facilitate more communicative language learning outcomes.

3. Develop a sustainable cadre of Master Trainers, who will have the English language skills,
classroom pedagogy, training skills and mentoring competencies needed to support on-going
training and professional development of English teachers in colleges on a sustainable basis.

4. Employers will have access to a better skilled workforce of young talent

The project model is aimed at creating a cadre of Master Trainers who will train teachers and support
them on an on-going basis in addition to building institutional capacity. The teachers will be equipped to
deliver an English and employability 100-hour face to face English course with the focus on speaking and
writing using learner-centred methods to students in their institutions. Furthermore, students will have
access to a 50-hour online course that develops their English and employability skills in addition to
grammar, vocabulary, reading and listening and in the process makes them more adept at using
digitally-enabled training solutions.
So far 114 Master Trainers have successfully completed 12 days of training on English language teaching
and training skills and are currently delivering training to teachers across Andhra Pradesh. Watch this
space for more details on Master Trainer’s experience of teacher training and the learner programme.

Scaffolding Strategies in English Language Teaching

http://www.wordsworthelt.com/blog/scaffolding-strategies-in-english-language-teaching/

 digital learning labs, English language class, English language teachers, english language teaching

 0

English language teachers face a great many challenges in the real classroom scenario. Learners come
from diverse backgrounds and their learning needs tend to be varied. Among other instructional
strategies, English teachers generally use scaffolding and differentiation strategies to meet the learning
needs of such classes.

With the objective of taking the learners’ learning from the point it is, to the point identified as the goal,
the teacher modifies his/her teaching patterns to adjust with the learners’ pace. The teacher may
provide additional support if necessary. This may continue till a time the learners have grasped the skills
or concepts being addressed in a session.

In an English Language Class, to ensure a learning progression, the teacher may apply strategies like
explaining lessons to simplify them or by providing them with simpler versions of the lesson to facilitate
their understanding. The teacher then may give examples from real life scenarios or from different
contexts to support their learning.

Such support is continued by the teacher till a time the learners are able to handle the expected
complexity level on their own. He/she may even allow the learners extra time to learn a given concept.
It is only then that the teacher removes the said scaffolds and lets the learners try and become ‘self-
learners’. The complexity of the lesson or the assignments given, the sophistication of language and
vocabulary involved can then be enhanced. One does realise that this exercise is inadvertently executed
by a good teacher in any class. He/she in other words, does not leave any stone unturned to facilitate
learning and progress of their learners.

Scaffolding though relevant to teaching any subject, is of a lot of importance especially to teaching
English as a skill. The learners when guided through concepts, meaning or vocabulary of their level are
more willing to learn and to use the language in their day to day expressions.

Some digital learning labs offer this facility of supported learning. When combined with the experience
of the teacher, the learners are provided with practice space and ample time to learn English. The self-
paced learning allowed in the Words Worth English Language Lab, a digital language lab, helps them
to practice the given grammar or language concept at their own pace. The learners, during the
classroom session of this digital language lab, are provided with a lot of relevant vocabulary and
expressions before and during the session. The teacher clearly describes the purpose of the learning
activity, the instructions the learners need to follow, and the learning objectives they are expected to
achieve. This scaffolding is generally weaned away over a period of time.

Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in a mixed ability environment can be quite a challenge for
the ESL teacher. Not only is the teacher bogged down with the responsibility of imparting English as a
skill in her learners, she is also expected to juggle with the varied needs and requirements of learners
with mixed abilities. To add to this, the learning styles of each learner may be different too. For the ESL
teacher then, it becomes imperative that she makes available a great degree of practice material to the
learners.

Textbooks alone are not a sufficient resource for the ESL learners. The learners have to be provided with
ample and varied 'authentic material to hone their English language skills. This is truly the onus of the
teacher and of the school to procure and supply the learners with such materials, accessed through
newspaper articles, brochures and the like. The ESL teacher also needs to ensure that opportunities to
communicate in English are provided to the learners.

In short, the responsibility that the ESL teacher needs to assume to ensure the enhancement of her
learners' English language skills is huge. With time being generally a constraint for the teacher, digital
support comes in handy to assure assistance to the ESL teacher to enable her to impart necessary
language skills. The structured and validated learning content that is provided by a good English digital
language learning software, allows the teacher's role as a facilitator comes into play. The audio-visual
support that most digital language software make available are a great benefit to teachers. With the use
of such software, the teachers are able to cater to the various learning styles of learners, thereby
ensuring 'value addition' to each learner's English language skills.

While catering to the various learning needs of learners, a good English language labis able to provide
solutions to some of the most critical aspects of displaying proficiency in the language: functional
language in use and pronunciation. If designed and used to exploit participation among the learners in
classroom sessions, the use of such language learning tools can display radical changes in the learners'
English language proficiency. The learners then at their disposal level based practice components to help
them progress in a structured manner.

A teacher with challenges related to availability of time to consciously cater to teaching of the above
mentioned language aspects should hence avail of the facilities of an English language lab. This will help
fill the teaching-learning opportunity gaps so created. The teacher and the learners both will be
benefited as a result in the long run.