NTS Invited Talk 2: English and Employment Opportunities in Global Marketplace

Duration: 30 Minutes

22-Dec-2015 | 1215-1245 | Seminar Hall SEECS, NUST

Worldwide - English has been accorded several special roles over the years. The worlds of business, technology, science, sport and lately, the internet, have all adopted English as their official lingo. Therefore, English has become a necessity for the masses, a requirement for everyone who intends to be, in some form, a citizen of the world. Working language of international organizations and conferences (e.g. Commonwealth, Council of Europe, European Union, NATO, UN, Bretton Woods Institutions – World Bank, IMF, etc.).
Across the board, English language skills are improving in the BRIC(S) countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China (South Asia). Some Asian countries, in particular Indonesia and Vietnam, have transformed their English proficiency over the six-year period. China has also improved, although less dramatically. Japan and South Korea, despite enormous private investment, have declined slightly.
EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) provides a worldwide benchmark in adult English proficiency over time. It has done a study and nearly 5M adults all over the world tested in the English skills over a period of six years (2007-2012) – the findings entails: (a) English is necessary for a globalized workforce and (b) Strong motivation to learn.
EF reports positive correlations between national EPI scores and such indicators as exports per capita, gross national income per capita, service exports, and quality of life. Writing in the Harvard Business Review (HBR) EF Senior Vice President Christopher McCormick adds: “Research shows a direct correlation between the English skills of a population and the economic performance of the country. Indicators like gross national income (GNI) and GDP go up… [The 2013 EPI] found that in almost every one of the 60 countries and territories surveyed, a rise in English proficiency was connected with a rise in per capita income. And on an individual level, recruiters and HR managers around the world report that job seekers with exceptional English compared to their country’s level earned 30-50% higher salaries.”
In a 2012 survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit, nearly 70% of executives said their workforce will need to master English to realize corporate expansion plans, and a quarter said more than 50% of their total workforce will need English ability.
Pakistan HR and International Employment Opportunities
Soon after graduating, a majority of students seek employment opportunities in their respective fields or areas of interest. Employment opportunities in local and global marketplaces are highly competitive but are relatively better for people who are proficient in more than one languages, particularly the English language. International studies entails that in general, the English proficiency of Pakistani graduates is not up to the international market standards. Resultant, employment opportunities for the Pakistani human resource is declining in the marketplace particularly for the youth (aged 15-35) which now constitute (estimated) over 40 percent of the population. Moreover, Pakistan’s ranking in Global Competitive Index (GCI) is also alarming. The Global Competitiveness Report 2014-15 released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) ranks Pakistan’s GCI at 129th on a list of 144 nations.
Over 400,000 Pakistani skilled and semi-skilled workers needed in next four years for the completion of construction projects of Qatar, Dubai and other gulf states. About 1.4 million skilled workforce has been demanded from all over the world for FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar and construction of infrastructure, stadiums, city rail, hotels and other construction projects. Qatari government needs these skilled workforce with good standards of English language proficiency, security verifications, vaccination, awareness on industrial safety, etc. Entire Fareast, and Southeast countries offer jobs to human resource who are also good in English language.
NUST offers several engineering, natural and social sciences subject degree programs which help youths in seizing dignified job opportunities thereby reducing unemployment and poverty from the country. These subjects are not only highly in demand locally but also caters needs of other economies of the world particularly Middle, South East and Far East Asia thus open global employment avenues for our unemployed skilled youth.
Keeping in view the outlined situation, NTS has geared up to promote English language in the country in order to enhance skilled youths’ national and international acceptability and competitive HR marketability. For the purpose, being an ETS Preferred Associate (EPA), NTS offers English language proficiency assessments such as TOEFL (Primary, Junior and ITP) and Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) and being in country partner (ICP) of Cengage Learning-USA offers ELTeach (English Language for Teachers) to individuals and institutions in entire Pakistan.
In this regard, NTS has been contacting the major educational institutions including engineering, technical and vocational institutes of the country. It is however imperative that the institutions support our efforts for promoting English language skills and thereby creating better employment opportunities for unemployed youth through international certification in English language proficiency.