Improve your strategic workforce planning with English language testing

Samantha Ball
Business people sat at a table with papers smiling together
Reading time: 3 minutes

Companies constantly seek methods to optimize workforce productivity and effectiveness. A powerful approach to achieving this goal is through strategic workforce planning bolstered by English language testing. This tactic not only identifies and addresses skills gaps but also reduces attrition and strengthens your workforce for both short-term and long-term success.

Improve your strategic workforce planning with English language testing
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The importance of strategic workforce planning

A workforce is only as effective and productive as its skills. Given that these skills are continuously evolving, proactive strategic planning is essential to future-proof your business. Effective workforce planning aligns your organizational strategy with your hiring strategy, providing a safeguard against future skills shortages.

Strategic workforce planning offers numerous benefits:

  • Cost savings: Efficient resource allocation reduces unnecessary expenditures.
  • Enhanced training plans: Targeted training programs address specific needs.
  • Improved change management: A well-prepared workforce adapts more readily to change.
  • Better employee experience: Employees feel supported and engaged, fostering loyalty.

By incorporating data-led English language testing into your skills gap analysis, you unlock additional advantages, such as reduced attrition rates. Confident communication is the bedrock of business success and enhances every core workplace power skill. For international businesses, effective communication hinges on English proficiency. Assessing your team’s English language skills allows you to evaluate other business competencies as well.

3 ways language testing enhances workforce planning

Here’s how to incorporate English language assessment at each stage of the employee lifecycle to reinforce your workforce planning.

1. Improves the quality of new hires

English is the global language of business and technology, making it a critical skill to evaluate during the recruitment process. The first step is to test each candidate’s English proficiency during the interview stage. Using an AI-based language assessment tool such asVersant by app allows you to efficiently filter out candidates who do not meet the required proficiency level. This provides a reliable set of metrics to inform your broader workforce planning.

When hiring at scale, this approach accelerates the process and offers an unbiased, accurate picture of current language skill levels.

2. Increases employee engagement and performance

Once employees are onboard, ensure they can continually develop their English language skills. Workplace-relevant English language learning helps employees feel they are making regular progress, boosting their confidence and loyalty to the organization. Ongoing English language development is particularly beneficial for businesses looking to expand into international markets.

3. Identifies skills gaps

If you're investing in English language learning, it’s crucial to measure its effectiveness. Regularly assess employees' English skills to monitor their progress. Integrate these assessments into your strategic workforce planning to identify potential future skills gaps before they arise.

Incorporating language assessment into employee appraisals supports their development, enhances job satisfaction, and builds their confidence to pursue further skills and promotions.

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Realize the business benefits of including English skills in your workforce planning

English language proficiency serves as an effective benchmark for strengthening workforce planning, mitigating against future skills gaps, and improving employee retention. Here’s how.

  • Identifies skills gaps: Regular assessments highlight areas needing improvement.
  • Enhances retention: Employees feel valued and supported, reducing turnover.
  • Supports business expansion: Proficient English speakers are better equipped for international roles.

Strengthen your business’s workforce planning with app Language Solutions for Work. Tools such asVersant by app offer flexible, fast and accurate language testing and certification at scale. Additionally, develop employees’ workplace-relevant language skills with Mondly by app.

Incorporating English language testing into your strategic workforce planning ensures that you’re building a resilient, adaptable, and highly skilled workforce ready to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.

Are you ready to elevate your workforce planning? Learn more about how app Language Solutions for Work can help you identify skills gaps and develop your team’s English proficiency for sustained success.

Read our blog post 'Boost the quality of your hires with English proficiency testing'.

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    The 'language chunks' mission

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    Lesson planning made easy with the GSE Teacher Toolkit

    If a lesson consists of some or many language chunks, those are the vocabulary, grammar and learning objectives we expect to be made into learning outcomes by the end of the class or course. While Language Analysis in a lesson plan reveals the vocabulary, grammar and learning objectives, in Language Inspection each chunk is examined to determine what they really do and how they can be presented and, more importantly, to assess the learning outcomes required.

    can be a teacher’s faithful lesson-planning pal – especially when it comes to Language Inspection. It’s simple to use, yet modern and exciting. It is detailed and it delivers everything you need.

    To use it, all you need is an internet connection on your mobile, tablet, laptop or PC. Launch and you’ll have the ability to delve into the heart of your lesson. You’ll be able to identify any gaps in a lesson – much like the same way you can see the gap between a train and a platforms edge. Mind the gap! You can look into the darkness of this gap and ask yourself: “Does this grammar form belong in this lesson? Do I need to fit in some vocabulary to fill up this blank space? Is it time to move forward in my schedule because my students are mastering this skill early?”

    gives you the ability to assess your lesson to look for these gaps – whether small or big – in your teaching. By doing this you can plan thoughtfully and clearly to support your students. It really is an opportunity to 'mind the gap' in your English lesson planning.