SPONSORED FEATURE
EFFECTIVE
LANGUAGE TRAINING FOR INT E R NAT IONAL AS S IG N E E S
Integrated blended language learning is used increasingly by multinational corporations, international assignees, and accompanying family members. Eric Aasheim, VP of Strategy and Business Development at US-based destination services provider Global LT, which delivers cultural and language support around the world, explains how and why this type of training works.
T
rying to learn a foreign language without the full benefits of an integrated blended training programme is like trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube with one hand tied behind your
back: you may eventually succeed, but not without unnecessary delay and frustration, and a powerful temptation to give up along the way. I’ll admit the analogy is a little forced (not to mention
several decades out of date), but hopefully you get my point. Trends in corporate training and development have evolved
dramatically over the last decade, in response to emerging technologies and the ways in which an ever-younger workforce of busy adult business professionals chooses to learn. For language training to remain relevant, convenient, and effective for international assignees and family members, blended learning approaches need to keep pace with these changing trends. It’s hard to read a recent article or white paper about
corporate learning and development that does not delve into the benefits of blended training. However, most blended training approaches only go as far as recommending the combination – and not necessarily the integration – of instructor-led training and self-paced online learning. They tend to focus on blended training from the point of view of the instructors and facilitators, and not on blended learning
from the point of view of the learners and the organisation. At a minimum, effective blended language programmes
should provide customised instructor-led language training via face to face and a virtual classroom platform that is aligned to the scope and sequence of a self-paced online language- training programme.
Combining approaches The integration of the instructor-led approach with an
e-learning programme provides the necessary level of engagement and accountability to help ensure a successful language learning experience for relocating employees and family members. Since most employees and busy family members only have
time for one or two language lessons per week, the addition of the integrated self-paced online programme is necessary to provide the opportunity for critical daily practice in between the scheduled lessons with an instructor. In addition, the e-learning solutions offered by industry-
leading companies like Rosetta Stone and Pearson English provide a variety of tiered offerings, with interactive features that complement and enhance the blended language training approach: mobile applications, social and collaborative learning
40 | Re:locate | Autumn 2015
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