TEACHING PROFESSIONAL ENGLISH AT A MODERN UNIVERSITY: PREPARING STUDENTS FOR THE GLOBAL LABOR MARKET

Abstract

http://dx.doi.org/10.7220/2335-2027.7.7

The main concern for modern universities is to provide their graduates with a wide variety of skills required for the international job market, including excellent language skills. In this context, English language learning in a higher education institution is becoming an indispensable component of multidisciplinary education. A multidisciplinary study program is characterized by the integration of various areas; in the framework of such a program, different educational formats of learning both languages and professional subjects can be incorporated. In contemporary universities, the English language needs to be a competent language when it comes to teaching in the content areas of Management, Economics, Architecture, Human Rights, Information Technologies and many other specialized subjects. In a multidisciplinary program, each Professional English language course must meet the requirements of people who are going to use English as an international language in order to communicate efficiently in their particular area of expertise, and for whom using English at work would be essential for their career development. This paper addresses some of the major issues related to teaching Professional English at a modern university. The aim of this paper is to discuss a few innovative e-learning solutions to be utilized within the framework of a multidisciplinary educational program for increasing the graduates’ proficiency in professional communication with the aim to prepare them for the global labor market. In the paper, it is argued that the blended approach to language learning shows great promise as an efficient tool for acquiring different language skills, the emphasis being put on applying English in real-life situations and in specialized fields.