ENGLISH COMMUNICATION NEEDS OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS AND THE RELEVANCE OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TRAINING IN HIGHER EDUCATION

ENGLISH COMMUNICATION NEEDS OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS AND THE RELEVANCE OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TRAINING IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Understanding the use of English in the workplace is essential for developing effective English language education programs in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). However, workplace language needs are still understudied, particularly in Vietnam. Therefore, this paper reports on part of a task-based needs analysis research project carried out by a Vietnamese university to improve its institutional English language education programs to effectively prepare students for employment. In particular, it investigates the tasks undertaken in English by professional engineers in the workplace and the relevance of English language education at HEIs for addressing those communicative needs. The data were collected using two parallel versions of a needs analysis questionnaire delivered to 291 professional engineers and 40 employers and backed up by interviews with 39 of the engineers. Results identify 30 workplace tasks that professional engineers frequently dealt with in English, indicating a discrepancy between those identified workplace requirements and the English language training at HEIs, and providing practical suggestions to improve engineering students’readiness for employment. This paper provides useful information for researchers and practitioners interested in improving the effectiveness of English language education for professional purposes at HEIs in Vietnam and possibly across the Asia-Pacific region.