Article 2022

Business English Needs and Secondary Vocational Business English: The Case of Greek Workplaces

Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
Journal · Vol. 85 · Issue 3 · pp. 247-278
Abstract

Vocational education (VE) has been a priority for employability globally. There is, however, limited research on what employers want from secondary school VE graduates regarding their communication skills. This study examined business English needs in Greek businesses and the English language skills taught in Greek vocational secondary schools. We surveyed 136 and interviewed 8 employers to identify the English language skills required in these businesses. The content of one prescribed VE English textbook was analyzed and eight teachers were interviewed about it. We found that employers emphasized oral business communication, which the textbook lacked, and we make suggestions for improvement. © 2022 by the Association for Business Communication.

Keywords

Author Keywords

needs analysis Secondary vocational education English language needs Greek vocational education vocational English

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations
Ministry of Education, Kozani, Greece
The Open University, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom
Funding & Acknowledgements
No funding information
References 10 References
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