The role of English proficiency and upskilling in MENA region's cconomic growth

Mike Mayor
Mike Mayor
Mike Meyer greeting others at a conference

The MENA region has emerged as a key player in global digital transformation and development. A on digital adoption in the Middle East revealed that the region boasts one of the highest digital engagement rates worldwide. In this rapidly evolving landscape, individuals and businesses are confronted with the critical necessity of adapting and acquiring new skills to thrive in the market. Both employers and employees must take proactive initiatives to invest in the skills and training necessary to remain competitive and drive innovation forward.

Employees themselves are responsible for actively pursuing knowledge and cultivating versatile skill sets that empower them to excel in their respective roles. Recent research suggests a huge appetite for learning and development among younger generations. According to a , learning and development opportunities are the second highest priority for millennials and Gen Z workers when evaluating potential employers.

This means that employers in the region must recognize the importance of training and development to secure top talent and understand the significance of equipping their workforce with future-oriented skills, thus fostering an expert workforce capable of navigating the challenges presented by the modern workplace.

Employer's Role in Upskilling, Nurturing Talent and Fuelling Growth

Employers need to keep up with emerging technologies that have the potential to reshape industries and transform existing functions. According to a significant majority of employees in Kuwait (75%), Qatar (60%), Saudi Arabia (58%), and the UAE (46%) believe that their countries are facing a scarcity of individuals with specialized skills. Despite this, respondents from the region display higher confidence compared to the global average (47% compared to 40% globally) in their employers' prioritization of upskilling.

ÃÛÌÒapp, the world's largest learning company, designs programs to equip businesses, employees and HR leaders with the necessary skills for the future of work. The need for upskilling is partly related to the fact that formal education may only cover some of the necessary requirements. According to carried out with 4,000 employees worldwide, individuals acknowledge that they will need to upskill to meet the demands of their careers.

Continuous Learning: Embracing the Future of Work

Professionals in the MENA region are beginning to embrace the idea of continuous learning as a means to adapt and succeed in the ever-changing job market. According to the , over 60% of Middle East survey respondents consider specialist training an essential requirement in their jobs, surpassing the global average of 48%. This indicates that workers in the region are willing to enhance and diversify their skill sets, and it is now up to businesses to invest in their development to build a thriving workplace and increase profitability.

Skills such as digital literacy, creativity, deductive reasoning, and other future-oriented skills are in high demand. In a globalized economy, English proficiency also plays a crucial role, as a bridge connecting individuals from diverse cultures and facilitating seamless information-sharing worldwide. Globally, English is the lingua franca of business, a key to unlocking better communication. According to a report by , ineffective communication can cost the average organization $62.4 million per year in lost productivity. The same report found that companies with effective communication generated a 47% higher return to shareholders over a five-year period.

Leveraging Tools for a Future-Ready Workforce

Nowadays, numerous resources are available to help businesses enhance their employees' language skills. One such tool is MondlyWorks by ÃÛÌÒapp, which utilizes advanced technology to provide a personalized learning experience. This allows employees to improve their language proficiency at their own pace, seamlessly integrating lessons into their busy work schedules. It is designed to cater to specific industries, including hospitality, retail, banking, and customer service, making it a valuable addition to employees' benefit packages.

Recruiting top talent with the necessary skills for a role can be challenging for companies. Assessing a candidate's English skills can be time-consuming and subjective. However, with ÃÛÌÒapp's Global Scale of English (GSE), a standardized measurement of English proficiency, recruitment companies can benefit from a detailed analysis of language skills and the framework to personalize learning pathways.

To this end, ÃÛÌÒapp offers Versant, a fully automated digital assessment of language skills – speaking, writing, reading, and listening – that will be needed in the workplace. Auto-scored digital assessments such as Versant ensure that candidates from different educational and cultural backgrounds can be assessed at scale using the same objective criteria, providing fast and fair results to expand a company's diverse talent pool.

Upskilling for the future

English language proficiency is crucial for businesses seeking to remain competitive and for individuals exploring limitless career opportunities. A report conducted by the highlights that English is spoken by an astounding 1.75 billion people, representing a remarkable one-quarter of the global population.

Today, most English speakers are people who have learned English as a second or additional language, many of whom use English for professional purposes. In dynamic workplaces, English proficiency serves as a catalyst for fostering essential skills such as effective communication, collaboration, and teamwork. Organizations that prioritize the development of English language proficiency can cultivate a workforce capable of driving regional ambitions and thriving in the global marketplace.

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  • A teacher leaning on a table where students are working on various activities

    6 tips for planning your first English classes

    By Nicole Kyriacou

    You are nervous, yet excited. You want to appear relaxed and fun, but still be taken seriously. Most of all, you are keen to make an excellent first impression.

    With all that in mind - planning your first English classes of the year can be a daunting experience.

    Here are six things to consider when planning your first classes:

    1. Set clear aims

    Whether you are teaching young learners, teenagers or adults, it’s important you discuss the aims and objectives of the course from day one. You’ll need to learn more about your students' needs to do this. Why are they learning English? Do they want to prepare for an official exam? What activities do they enjoy? What things do they need to improve the most?

    The way you do this will depend on the age of your learners. For example, with adults and teens, you could get them to interview each other and write a report about what they found out. With younger children, do a survey they can complete using smiley faces.

    2. Find out students’ interests

    Although you should understand your students' needs and why they want to learn English - to help make your classes relevant and engaging - you should also discover what they enjoy doing outside of class.

    To do this, get students to write mini bios you can stick around the classroom. Or have them prepare presentations where they share something they are passionate about with the rest of the class - using coursebooks. As a class, go through the contents page, vote on which topics students find most interesting, and start with those.

    3. Break the ice

    You want your first class to be fun so that students are motivated, and associate English language learning with something they can enjoy. Ice-breakers can also be an excellent way to get to know each other and learn about your students' current level of English.

    Activities where students have to ask each other questions work well.

    4. Provide a comfortable environment

    Young learners and teenagers tend to be shy at the start of a course - especially if they don’t know each other. Develop a rapport and break down boundaries by including team-building activities in your first class.ÌýYour aim is to have all the students feeling more comfortable with each other before the end of the lesson so that there are no awkward silences in future lessons.

    5. Manage expectations

    Managing expectations is an essential part of a teacher's job. Make sure in the first class you are clear about what you expect from your students and what they can expect from you.

    Have students brainstorm the rules for the class and then make a big poster or ‘class contract’ which all students have to sign. Display the poster on the wall so you can always refer to it if someone misbehaves.

    Try to keep the rules as positive as possible. Instead of writing: 'Don’t speak your first language', write: 'Try to always speak English and ask if you don’t know a word'. If you are feeling really brave, you can even get your students to devise a list of rules for you which you can display on the wall next to theirs.

    6. Make it challenging

    It’s great making your first lesson fun - but there’s nothing more motivating than leaving a new class and feeling like you’ve made a good decision and you are going to learn lots (and you aren’t wasting your time or money). This is especially important for adult learners.

    So, as well as getting to know each other and finding out their needs, teach them something new. This could be 10 new pieces of vocabulary, how to structure a letter or report, or a list of resources they can use at home to practice their English.