The UK is facing a rising skills gap, according to the CBI. Of those employers questioned in the CBI’s 2016 survey, 69% anticipate facing future skills shortages when it comes to recruitment. The difficulty in finding the right candidates to fill highly skilled job roles appears to be on the rise, against a general background of faltering business confidence.
One key measure employers can take, is to look at how they can bolster the language skills of overseas candidates they are able to recruit, in order to ensure that they more than meet the criteria of the roles they are going to fill.
Opening up Recruitment Opportunities
For businesses, having the key personnel in place is likely to be a vital element in any strategy for growth and development, particularly where expansion requires more staff recruitment to fill specific roles.
“The question for many businesses becomes one of where they can find the right people to fill highly skilled job roles,” Artemis Aghvami, of Sheffield-based Your English Lounge, points out.
In terms of overseas recruitment, one barrier to finding the right person for the job can be language skills.
“English is, in essence, the international language of commerce. In many cases it is an essential communications tool, regardless of the core characteristics of a particular job. Therefore, to improve opportunities for overseas candidates, better use of English can play a pivotal role”
Artemis Aghvami, Your English Lounge
English Language Strategies
The question is whether companies want to rely on individuals to take the initiative when it comes to language skills, or whether they wish to help empower the right overseas candidates for highly skilled jobs by supporting their English language learning.
“The CBI’s report stresses that the skills needed are about aptitude and attitude as much as knowledge,” Artemis concludes. “If there is an identifiable, possibly urgent, skills gap then it may make sense for businesses to look at investing in language learning as part of their recruitment strategy.”
“For businesses looking to recruit internationally, improving their employees’ fluency in English is key to making the most of them as a resource”
Artemis Aghvami, Your English Lounge
Making business English teaching available for overseas employees may be sound business sense in terms of ensuring growth and competitiveness. To discover how your business could benefit from it, please contact Artemis Aghvami directly on 07813 963 786 or visit yourenglishlounge.com.
