Citation
(2012), "Steel firm forges multi-lingual workforce", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 44 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/ict.2012.03744faa.008
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2012, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Steel firm forges multi-lingual workforce
Article Type: Notes and news From: Industrial and Commercial Training, Volume 44, Issue 6
International steel and mining company ArcelorMittal is aiming to improve the foreign-language skills of its 262,000 employees in 60 countries.
It is offering them a dedicated online portal with unlimited access to English, French, Spanish, Italian and German. Staff can study several languages if they wish.
The self-pace language-learning courses are delivered through dp’s Speexx product, which provides grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation training. The structured courses are supported by mobile-telephone vocabulary applications.
The portal also offers human-resource management and learning and development specialists the capability to track and measure staff performance.
Christian Standaert, general manager at ArcelorMittal University, explained: “Less than 15 percent of our employees are native English-speakers. Despite considerable investment in language training there is still a long way to go to reach acceptable levels of English proficiency in our global organization.
“Within a few weeks of launching, more than 5,400 learners enrolled on the program to improve their skills in one or more languages.”
Jörg Koberling, founder and chief executive of Speexx, commented: “Forward-thinking organizations recognize the value of language skills and acknowledge how to make the most of people’s talents and where to place them within the company.”