goFLUENT points out the importance of English Testing in Corporations
goFLUENT, a leading provider of distance Business English training, is hosting a webinar on “The Importance of English Testing in Corporations”.
In today’s global economy, English is undoubtedly the international business language. Global companies interested in developing their international business strategies must consider the English proficiency levels of their employees. Due to the need for assessment of English language levels, a variety of international standardized tests and frameworks known largely by their acronyms such as CEFR, TOEIC, and TOEFL have flooded the language learning field.
This latest addition to goFLUENT’s Webinar series is intended to explain the English Tests available on the market, and their importance to corporations. The Webinar will be led by Amy Wood, goFLUENT’s North American Manager for Training & Performance Standards. Amy, who is a member of the American Society for Training & Development, explains: “Because organizations today require internationally competent communicators, companies need to know which measurement tool to use to assess their employees. This is especially important in matters such as recruitment, career development, training needs and training effectiveness, among others.”
Explaining the value of testing in corporate environments, Amy, who has close to a decade of experience in evaluating the English language levels of EFL learners in various fields of business, notes: "Standardized testing is useful for international corporations because it provides measurable results across geographical boundaries, ensuring that the English skills of employees regardless of their location can be evaluated by the same standards. However, because each test has a slightly different orientation and purpose, it is important for each company to choose the appropriate test for its own unique needs," Amy explains.
Before deciding which test to use, the company must reflect on the scope and purpose of the evaluation. This might include considering aspects such as their employees’ unique work environment and the specificities of their field of business. “Since some tests are focused on academic levels, while others on action-oriented results, companies end up choosing tests which do not fit their evaluation needs,” Amy explains. “Sometimes even considering the employees’ general levels of proficiency is important, because some tests are intended to evaluate low level learners, but give incoherent results where higher level learners are concerned.”
goFLUENT’s CEO Christophe Ferrandou adds, “Because there is no universal test, no single globally adopted system of English language proficiency, this webinar is based on goFLUENT’s own 13 years of experience in English proficiency testing for our clients. After trying out all the different testing tools and understanding the needs of our clients, this webinar is aimed to help you know which tool best fits your organization.”
This webinar will explore, among other topics:
- Why Proficiency Frameworks are relevant to the corporate setting
- What English language tests aim to measure
- Which standardized tests might meet your corporate needs
- The effects of testing on recruitment, career development and evaluation
To register for the webinar, visit: http://www.gofluent.com/web/us/webinar-english-testing.
goFLUENT’s White Paper on "A Guide to English Tests and Proficiency Frameworks" will be sent to participants after the webinar.
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Further information from:
Robert de Ocampo, goFLUENT, +33 (1) 72 71 83 31; rdeocampo@gofluent.com