GlobalEnglish Research Reveals Large Skill Gap Within World's Largest Companies
March 1, 2005 — GlobalEnglish® Corporation, the leading online English learning and support service provider for business communication, today released the results of an 18-month workforce development study, entitled The Globalization of English: Trends in Business Communication and the Implications for Global Companies. As part of the study, more than 4,000 employees from 36 global corporations in 83 different countries answered questions about business communication and the need for English for daily operations and promotion.
"This study is unique in that it offers the perspective of non-native English-speaking employees who are on the ground, trying to help their companies capitalize on the opportunities that globalization provides," said Ron Hoge, GlobalEnglish President and CEO. "The results of the research surprised even us. The need for English is much greater and growing faster than we anticipated. The global companies that are cognizant of the problem have a major opportunity to improve productivity and avoid costly communication errors and delays."
Among the highlights of the research, conducted between March 2003 and September 2004, were:
-- The need for English is growing each quarter worldwide.
-- 91% of employees of global corporations say English is either "critical" or "important" for their current jobs.
-- Only 9% of respondents say that their current level of English proficiency is sufficient to do their current jobs.
-- 89% of employees say they are more likely to be promoted if they can communicate in English.
"The respondents to this survey represent a vast array of job roles and departments; the communication problem is no longer simply a management issue," said Mark Engelter, Director of Global Marketing for GlobalEnglish Corporation. "This diverse group of employees needs to use English in a wide variety of daily business situations. Multinational correspondence and meetings have become commonplace, and the need for a single language in which to communicate is more important than ever."
To receive a copy of the full research report, please contact GlobalEnglish at info@globalenglish.com.
About GlobalEnglish Corporation
GlobalEnglish is the leading provider of online assessment, learning and support for Business English communication for the world's top companies. The company offers a suite of scalable, on-demand products that help employees improve their ability to communicate effectively in English and enables companies to succeed in the global marketplace.
GlobalEnglish is proudly made up of a team of global consultants who partner with clients to assess their Business English needs, ensure successful implementation and provide ongoing local support to over 30 countries worldwide.
GlobalEnglish is the preferred choice of the world's largest companies, including BNP Paribas, Capgemini, Cisco, Deloitte, Deutsche Telekom, GSK, Hewlett-Packard, Hilton, John Deere, Procter & Gamble, Unisys and Wyeth.
For more information, please visit www.GlobalEnglish.com.
