According to the editorial of the West Australian newspaper on 17-18 March, the mining industry has estimated that WA will be short by 150,000 workers over the next four years.
This is having upward pressure on wages and causing WA companies to look overseas for foreign workers. However, it has been noted that overseas workers may face issues, such as with English language and a lack of other required skills.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Sunday, January 8, 2012
'Cold Cash' Reasons to Test Workplace English Proficiency
The following comes from the TOEIC USA team.
As discussed in my previous post, lack of employee English proficiency at the levels needed for their jobs is a serious problem even in the United States (as well as other "English speaking" nations increasingly relying on non-native speakers).
But what does this mean for the U.S. employers? How does it impact "cold cash" results? Not well. A few of the different impacts:
Companies that practice highly effective communications deliver 47% higher return to shareholders than those that do not, according to a Towers Watson ROI study. Businesses that lack even assurance that employees know English well enough to do their jobs, can expect to bring far less than half the money they could with well-trained staff.
Employees with poor English skills deliver an hour less work a week on average according to research by software developer GlobalEnglish.
It is well-known that lack of ability to properly understand and respond to questions/complaints is one of the top causes of customer dissatisfaction. Lack of English language proficiency is a major contributor to this problem. Few customers may bother to file a complaint with you over such issues, but many will take their business elsewhere.
Especially if your organization is involved in work that can impact public health and safety, an employee with poor English skills can open you up to legal action. One example is the successful suit and European Union-wide demand for better physician English language testing in the United Kingdom following the death of a patient because of a doctor's low English proficiency.
Staff who are not English proficient often have untapped potential from which you could be benefitting. According to a recent Brookings Institute study, almost half of U.S. immigrants with a bachelor's degree-level education are underemployed and have the education and skills to do higher level jobs. Top reason for not holding the jobs they are otherwise qualified for? Lack of English skills.
Research shows that lack of opportunity for training and development is one of the top three reasons employees plan to leave their jobs.
Better that employees with inadequate language proficiency for their jobs do leave before they do damage? Not so fast. Multiple research studies show that the cost of replacing even a low-paid hourly worker is high—25% to 50% of the employee's annual salary. Costs for losing an employee in sales, management, or other salaried positions can be even more. Training (or screening before hiring) is a better, cheaper solution.
It's hard to fully assess English proficiency for specific positions among potential hires or staff while still meeting EEOC regulations designed to prevent workplace discrimination (and again open yourself up to legal action). You need a valid, objective measure such as TOEIC tests to reliably and safely assess English skills.
—Lia Nigro, USA
As discussed in my previous post, lack of employee English proficiency at the levels needed for their jobs is a serious problem even in the United States (as well as other "English speaking" nations increasingly relying on non-native speakers).
But what does this mean for the U.S. employers? How does it impact "cold cash" results? Not well. A few of the different impacts:
Companies that practice highly effective communications deliver 47% higher return to shareholders than those that do not, according to a Towers Watson ROI study. Businesses that lack even assurance that employees know English well enough to do their jobs, can expect to bring far less than half the money they could with well-trained staff.
Employees with poor English skills deliver an hour less work a week on average according to research by software developer GlobalEnglish.
It is well-known that lack of ability to properly understand and respond to questions/complaints is one of the top causes of customer dissatisfaction. Lack of English language proficiency is a major contributor to this problem. Few customers may bother to file a complaint with you over such issues, but many will take their business elsewhere.
Especially if your organization is involved in work that can impact public health and safety, an employee with poor English skills can open you up to legal action. One example is the successful suit and European Union-wide demand for better physician English language testing in the United Kingdom following the death of a patient because of a doctor's low English proficiency.
Staff who are not English proficient often have untapped potential from which you could be benefitting. According to a recent Brookings Institute study, almost half of U.S. immigrants with a bachelor's degree-level education are underemployed and have the education and skills to do higher level jobs. Top reason for not holding the jobs they are otherwise qualified for? Lack of English skills.
Research shows that lack of opportunity for training and development is one of the top three reasons employees plan to leave their jobs.
Better that employees with inadequate language proficiency for their jobs do leave before they do damage? Not so fast. Multiple research studies show that the cost of replacing even a low-paid hourly worker is high—25% to 50% of the employee's annual salary. Costs for losing an employee in sales, management, or other salaried positions can be even more. Training (or screening before hiring) is a better, cheaper solution.
It's hard to fully assess English proficiency for specific positions among potential hires or staff while still meeting EEOC regulations designed to prevent workplace discrimination (and again open yourself up to legal action). You need a valid, objective measure such as TOEIC tests to reliably and safely assess English skills.
—Lia Nigro, USA
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Happy New Year 2012
To all our clients and trainers, wishing you a great 2012 from Edutec Training and Development.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
IELTS E-Book
This ebook gives an overview of common tips and strategies that should be used before and during the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam to achieve high scores. It is divided into the four skill areas which match the skill areas of the exam: listening, reading, writing and speaking.
Topics include: general information about the exam, how to prepare before the exam, how to answer questions during the exam, common problems faced by candidates, example questions and how to answer specific types of questions.
The IELTS exam has two different versions, the General IELTS exam (often used for migration purposes) and the Academic IELTS exam (often used for academic entry purposes).
The reading and writing sections of the General exam are considered to be easier than the reading and writing sections of the Academic exam. Both General and Academic exams have the same listening and speaking sections.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Non-Native Speaker Job Applications
This week Edutec has been working with a number of recent graduates from non-native English speaking backgrounds who are preparing to enter the workforce. To do this, we have been assisting them with writing and proofreading CV's and cover letters.
It's amazing how many mistakes that highly qualified graduates can make in simple areas. Out of a large group, not a single post-graduate student was able to produce a document that was 100% correct.
Common mistakes included:
- confusion between singular and countable nouns
- confusion of verb tenses, especially present perfect and past simple
- incomplete sentences
- verb agreement
- wrong use of prepositions
- inappropriate use of idioms
- spelling
- capitals
- use of punctuation and spacing
- formatting inconsistencies
The sad part is that these students have invested tens of thousands of dollars in their education, and they are blowing it by writing poor quality applications. While universities may have been happy to let them get by with poor writing skills, their future employers will not be prepared to do the same, as the reputation of the businesses are often at stake.
It's amazing how many mistakes that highly qualified graduates can make in simple areas. Out of a large group, not a single post-graduate student was able to produce a document that was 100% correct.
Common mistakes included:
- confusion between singular and countable nouns
- confusion of verb tenses, especially present perfect and past simple
- incomplete sentences
- verb agreement
- wrong use of prepositions
- inappropriate use of idioms
- spelling
- capitals
- use of punctuation and spacing
- formatting inconsistencies
The sad part is that these students have invested tens of thousands of dollars in their education, and they are blowing it by writing poor quality applications. While universities may have been happy to let them get by with poor writing skills, their future employers will not be prepared to do the same, as the reputation of the businesses are often at stake.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Entry requirements for foreign students lowered - From Sydney Morning Herald
ENTRY requirements for foreign students will be relaxed and short-term visas will be available for those who wish to work after completing their university studies in an overhaul intended to revive the tertiary sector announced yesterday.
The government response to Michael Knight's report, Strategic Review of the Student Visa Program 2011, aims to increase Australia's competitiveness to students whose numbers have dropped off recently due to strict visa requirements, the strong dollar and the perception of an unwelcome atmosphere.
Mr Knight's 41 recommendations will be accepted, some with amendments, said Senator Chris Evans, the Minister for Tertiary Education, and the Immigration Minister, Chris Bowen, at a joint announcement yesterday.
Mr Evans said the education sector, Australia's third largest export industry, was also a major contributor to the economy, but that the visa system and high price of the currency had made the sector uncompetitive.
''We've been keen to do what we can to assist them to be competitive and so we think these changes will very much assist them in the international market,'' he said.
The main recommendation calls for ''streamlined visa processing'': treating all prospective university students as a low-risk regardless of what country they come from, loosening constraints on how much financial backing they have, and determining whether they are a genuine student and plan to stay only on a temporary basis, that is without an expectation of migration.
Other key recommendations are to reduce the English prerequisite for those enrolling in intense language studies, and to offer graduates a two-to-four year working visa, depending on the level of qualification.
''The absence of a clearly defined post-study work rights entitlement puts Australian universities at a very serious disadvantage compared to some of our major competitor countries,'' the report said.
The university and business sectors were unanimous in their support for the report.
"The value of international education to Australia extends well beyond immediate economic returns by delivering significant social and diplomatic benefits, particularly within our region," said Graham Bradley, the president of the Business Council of Australia.
Dr Glenn Withers, the CEO of Universities Australia, said the report addressed the difficulties of attracting and retaining foreign students, whose numbers had dived in recent years.
''In this sector you've still got the dollar being very detrimental for us and globally the ramifications of the GFC have dampened international student movements. You've got the ongoing issue of how welcoming we are or aren't as a country for students. How long that damage will take to be overcome is an issue for us, however, the tone of this report will help offset that.''
The emphasis on growth was encouraging, said Arfa Noor, the president of the Council of International Students Australia, but only if it provided enough infrastructure for foreign students.
''They want to make sure there is ongoing support, social integration, and social inclusion for the students and not just focus on getting them here.''
The government response to Michael Knight's report, Strategic Review of the Student Visa Program 2011, aims to increase Australia's competitiveness to students whose numbers have dropped off recently due to strict visa requirements, the strong dollar and the perception of an unwelcome atmosphere.
Mr Knight's 41 recommendations will be accepted, some with amendments, said Senator Chris Evans, the Minister for Tertiary Education, and the Immigration Minister, Chris Bowen, at a joint announcement yesterday.
Mr Evans said the education sector, Australia's third largest export industry, was also a major contributor to the economy, but that the visa system and high price of the currency had made the sector uncompetitive.
''We've been keen to do what we can to assist them to be competitive and so we think these changes will very much assist them in the international market,'' he said.
The main recommendation calls for ''streamlined visa processing'': treating all prospective university students as a low-risk regardless of what country they come from, loosening constraints on how much financial backing they have, and determining whether they are a genuine student and plan to stay only on a temporary basis, that is without an expectation of migration.
Other key recommendations are to reduce the English prerequisite for those enrolling in intense language studies, and to offer graduates a two-to-four year working visa, depending on the level of qualification.
''The absence of a clearly defined post-study work rights entitlement puts Australian universities at a very serious disadvantage compared to some of our major competitor countries,'' the report said.
The university and business sectors were unanimous in their support for the report.
"The value of international education to Australia extends well beyond immediate economic returns by delivering significant social and diplomatic benefits, particularly within our region," said Graham Bradley, the president of the Business Council of Australia.
Dr Glenn Withers, the CEO of Universities Australia, said the report addressed the difficulties of attracting and retaining foreign students, whose numbers had dived in recent years.
''In this sector you've still got the dollar being very detrimental for us and globally the ramifications of the GFC have dampened international student movements. You've got the ongoing issue of how welcoming we are or aren't as a country for students. How long that damage will take to be overcome is an issue for us, however, the tone of this report will help offset that.''
The emphasis on growth was encouraging, said Arfa Noor, the president of the Council of International Students Australia, but only if it provided enough infrastructure for foreign students.
''They want to make sure there is ongoing support, social integration, and social inclusion for the students and not just focus on getting them here.''
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)