Perception of English Needs: Voices from Employers and Employees of a Leading ICT Company in Korea

Abstract

While topics such as the use of English in the Korean workplace and specific industries have been studied widely, there is paucity of research that focus on the voices of various classes within a workplace that influence learners English needs. In order to fill this gap, interviews and surveys were conducted at a major technology firm in Korea to examine the role of standardized English tests, potential discrepancies between learners perspective of their English needs and the language skills demanded or expected by their employer. The study also attempted to analyze the needs of the learners to identify the target situation and tasks that can be incorporated into an EBP (English for Business Purposes) curriculum for the target learners. The findings from the interviews and the survey revealed that standardized tests are no longer used in the hiring process, and there were differences between the employer and employees on how English skills are perceived to influence ones chances of getting a job and being promoted. Based on the results of the needs analysis of the target group studied, examples of contexts and tasks that can be included in an EBP course are suggested. Finally, a renewed role of corporations and universities in meeting the needs of job seeking youths is proposed.