CENTRAL UNIVERSITY OF
OF FINANCE AND ECONOMICS
Beijing, China
April 12, 2009
________________________
Organizations pay lip service to English language training
While employers in China are ‘talking the talk’ on English language training, few appear to be 'walking the walk’.
So says a new study conducted by Associate Professor Terence Egan from Central University of Finance and Economics in Beijing.
"Employers are letting themselves down", said Professor Egan. “While internationally-focused companies consistently rate English as one of the most important employee skills, they are failing to provide a supportive work environment that promotes interest and encourages progress.”
Employers are often heard decrying the lack of English language skills in China with recent university graduates being the number one target for criticism. Ultimately, the blame is laid at the door of the universities. However, according to the study, employers themselves often fail to do their part.
The study shows that:
- Reward systems and incentives for English progress are rare
- Language skills and progress are often not discussed in performance reviews
- Language training facilities are generally seen as inadequate
- Training tends to be unplanned, unmonitored and is rarely measured.
It isn’t surprising, then, that English training programs are generally believed to be ineffective.
The study surveyed the opinions of managers and supervisors in more than 200 foreign and Chinese organizations operating on mainland China. A further 100 managers and supervisors provided diary entries of their experiences and attitudes. The study was commissioned by Language Key Corporate Training and Testing Centre.
"Most of the managers and supervisors we surveyed aren’t satisfied with their current English training programs. They say that the training is ineffective, poorly targeted and often not supported by senior management,” Professor Egan said.
"It seems that English training in many organizations is haphazard at best. In many cases, responsibility for an overall plan is unclear with the result that they end up with a patchwork of ineffective and unrelated programs that provide little benefit to the employees or the organization."
Training companies also came in for their share of criticism with more than half of the respondents indicating a lack of confidence in their programs and their trainers.
Professor Egan says that’s no surprise given that the industry has grown so quickly and that demand for quality trainers in China has always far-outstripped supply.
"It seems that most training companies are unable to provide the innovative programs or the experienced trainers required to deliver them. Instead, they tend to provide vanilla courses that pay little regard to the disparate needs of this incredibly diverse market.”
But would employers actually choose innovative, needs-targeted training? Professor Egan’s previous work on this topic suggests “maybe not”. Interviews with HR and training managers revealed a common theme.
"A large proportion of HR and training managers agree that their English training is ineffective, however they feel powerless to do anything about it. There’s no incentive for them to stick their necks out to make significant changes. In fact, the way they see it, there’s a clear disincentive.”
"The result is that many employees, all the way up to senior levels, are receiving unimaginative, poorly developed courses supported by materials designed for high school students.”
And while the current financial crisis is having a major effect on training budgets all over China, Professor Egan says that few organizations realize that they can make the savings while still maintaining effective programs.
"Training budgets are being slashed with little forethought at the moment. Yet, even with restricted budgets, the overall outcomes for most organizations can be maintained or perhaps even increased."
Professor Egan emphasizes that now is the time for employers to seek new training solutions that will optimize their shrinking budgets. He says that it requires a 360-degree review and a willingness to change.
"Otherwise, both the employees and the employers lose. And In most cases, that just isn’t necessary."
For further information on this survey, participation in the ongoing study, or for access to related content, please email Terence Egan at: terence_laoshi@163.com
Translator: Jack Huang (黄子轩)
[END]
