Topic: English for Specific Purposes | Corporate Language Training
Presenter: Sarah Arce
Presentation details
Corporate training is driven by companies' needs. We might assume that companies are fully aware of their employees' skill gaps and know how to address them. However, this is often far from reality. In many cases, there is a lack of B.E.A.T. (Benchmarking, Engagement, Accreditation, and Transfer), while budget and time constraints are poorly defined and the return on investment is difficult to measure reliably.
Many of the experienced professionals we teach express concerns such as: "I don't feel like myself when speaking in meetings", "I feel as if people don't trust what I say because of my English", or "I haven't applied for a more senior position because of my English". These comments reveal not only a skills gap but also a confidence gap. How can we address both within corporate constraints while empowering our learners?
This presentation aims to share the results of the last three years of our corporate training programme, Fill the Skill Gap, which has successfully implemented GESE for Work as a continuous improvement assessment tool. The number of candidates has increased year after year, and GESE has been welcomed by participants as the professional tool they needed to build confidence in their language skills.
The second part of the presentation will introduce an innovative approach to using Trinity's Drama qualifications in corporate training. The Communication Skills certificate could be an excellent fit for corporate upskilling programmes. Actors and actresses will be used to role-play business-related situations, requiring learners to react spontaneously while activating previously trained pronunciation, intonation patterns, and language for assertive communication. More importantly, this approach helps learners develop the skills needed to perform more effectively in similar workplace situations.
Both learners' and trainers' perspectives will be presented, together with data demonstrating participants' progress and achievements over the past three years.
About the presenter
Sarah Arce is the founder and director of ELTE International School, a language and communication training centre for professionals based in Barcelona, Spain. ELTE has been a Trinity College London examination centre since 2023, offering GESE, ISE-D and Drama certifications.