Xavier Tafalla is the production warehouse supervisor of the industrial company Encofrats Alsina. At 53 years old, he has decided to sign up for an English course that the company offers free of charge after work hours. “I needed to improve my English at work because I often communicate with my colleagues from the Romanian and Polish subsidiaries. It has been a good decision, I notice that I have greatly improved my vocabulary and that I have gained confidence and agility”, he celebrates.
This Catalan company offers English courses to its workers since 2007, just when it began its internationalization to countries such as the United States, India or Dubai. “It was necessary for the workers to improve their command of English since the level used to be insufficient”, comments Cristina Bonet, director of personnel at Encofrats Alsina.
Since the pandemic arrived, the company has also offered an online class format and, currently, it has managed to get 13% of office staff to sign up for classes. “Two hours a week take place after work hours because that way the commitment of the workers is greater, the people who want to learn really sign up.”
Encofrats Alsina’s commitment is common in the Catalan business fabric. The multinational technological services Seidor also offers similar training. “We operate in 44 different countries and a command of English is essential for the productivity of our employees. For 15 years we have been offering classes online and by video conference,” says Iván González, the company’s head of marketing.
According to the Observatori dels Idiomes, promoted by Femcat, eight out of ten Catalan companies need to teach their workers English. In fact, four out of ten companies surveyed say that proficiency in English is the technical skill that is most frequently found among candidates.
“Because of globalization, English is increasingly necessary. Not only in managerial positions, but also in marketing, technical and industrial positions,” says Teresa Navarro, manager and head of the Femcat initiative, who adds that 40 % of companies also ask for a second language, such as French or German.
According to the study, which cites a report by Education First, Spain has a moderate command of English (545 points), below the Netherlands, Austria or Norway. For its part, Catalonia has a level slightly above the Spanish average (581), which places it in a similar position to Bulgaria.
“We demand that public administrations increase language training in primary education and also in Vocational Training. Thus, the companies’ efforts will be dedicated to offering truly specialized courses in English and not at a basic level,” summarizes Navarro, who remembers that the cost of training is subsidized for companies.
