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You’ve finished your overview, and the results are clear: your employees desperately need English training. As HR Manager, it’s up to you to find the best English courses for your employees, and then to incorporate that training into your business process.

How to choose the best English courses for your employees? Here are 8 essential steps you should take in choosing and implementing private English courses for your employees.

Clearly identify the needs

This is, of course, the first step. Beyond the overall goal of improving your employees’ level of English, you must specifically identify the needs of each division in your company. What are the goals of each different department? Does every employee need improvement, or the same amount? There’s a good chance that every department will be a different story.  

Some departments, and employees, will need to improve their written English skills. Others may need to focus on their speaking skills. These people might benefit the most from a conversation-based class, which can work on perfecting their pronunciation and increasing their comfort level. Often, these classes can expand vocabulary and boost confidence simultaneously.

Ideally, the training should be adapted to each learner, based on their needs and level of knowledge.

Ask about possible grants or tax credits

In-company English language training is a priority at all levels of the Canadian government. Take the time to do some research on the assistance or training programs that may be available to your industry.

Offering private English courses to your employees might qualify your business for a subsidy, a tax credit, or another type of funding.

Get support from senior management

Of course, to proceed, you need approval from senior management. To get it, however, you must submit a complete and well put-together proposal. You know that a business leader is always thinking in terms of profit, so think in those terms yourself.

Ask yourself this: How could investing in private English courses translate into an increased yearly profit? Be honest, and list the pros and cons of private English classes. Set out clear goals and establish a clear strategy that’s in line with your company’s philosophy, but will also improve your bottom line, and your boss will be signing off on it in no time.

Choose the right service provider

Now that you know your specific needs and you have the support of management, you have to find the best service provider for your business. Several criteria come into play. 

Do the available trainers have the necessary business experience? Do they have the qualifications or amenities you are looking for? Is the provider able to customize its private English courses to suit your particular needs and expectations? Global Lingua works with skilled teachers to ensure that each online class is focused on the student's needs.

The fees charged by each company are also part of the equation. When you’re considering price, be aware that e-learning is often very competitive on costs, in addition to offering greater flexibility.

Evaluate your technical and physical needs

Are your training facilities adequate? Do you need a classroom, for example? If the private English classes you’ve selected take place remotely, do you need additional computer equipment or software?

Have you made sure your employees have a private spot for their lessons, where they won’t be disturbed? Often, learners are very shy, especially if they are beginners or have a particular problem with an accent. Having a place where they can be out of sight and earshot of their colleagues can make a big difference in whether or not their lessons will be successful.

Does the provider that you selected have all of the materials you might need? Do you need a textbook, or a dictionary, or any other reference materials? If not, what materials will you need to provide?   Where can they be found? Are online versions available, and if so, is there a fee involved? Make sure ahead of time that you have everything you need for the course to run smoothly. This will save you time and money in the long run.

• Download our free learning guide to keep your employees motivated.

Be involved in the course planning

You’ll need to supervise your employees and keep track of their progress as they move through the training, so make your life easier and be involved in the planning at every stage. Know what each employee’s learning goals and plans of action are.  

Would group or individual lessons be better? What about a combination of the two? Will that be possible with the provider you’ve chosen? Can they be offered remotely? How many lessons will your employees take per week? Will they always take place during business hours? If so, how will that affect your overall productivity? How much flexibility is there as far as scheduling? Is there a penalty if your employees miss classes? What happens to the missed class?

With so many different things to consider and juggle when you’re establishing a brand-new training regimen, it may be smart to establish a pilot project to begin with, in order work out the kinks on a smaller scale.

Have a follow-up plan in place

How will you follow up with the training, and judge its effectiveness? Your role as HR Manager already includes periodic evaluations and assessments, so determine ahead of time what your plan will be for gauging the success of your language training.

Find out ahead of time what assessments and evaluations your provider offers. Will you get a pre- and post-evaluation, for example? Will each participant have clear goals? Will it be possible to assess the participants for yourself by checking the quality of their work? Do they offer regular attendance and progress reports? Will your employees receive any kind of certificate or proof of completion at the completion of their private English classes?

Global Lingua offers their students a dashboard in order to track their progress and allow the teachers to send some homework. HR can access these dashboards and see the evaluations.

Apply what you have learned

With employee turnover a fact of life, chances are good that you will need to offer other private English courses sooner rather than later. So look on each cycle of classes as an opportunity to improve on the next one. Every time, it’ll get a little easier, as you begin to see what works and what doesn’t.

Make sure to collect feedback from employees who have completed the training. Note the good things, but the bad ones, too, and learn from your mistakes. Remember that in-company training is a constantly evolving field, and as an HR professional, you’re on the cutting edge. Some of the new innovations will be great, but others might just make things harder.  

Use what you’ve learned, don’t be afraid to ask questions, and just remember, it’s all a part of the learning process.

Are you ready to take your employees to the next level? Offer them online English classes...