Abstract
Employers in the engineering sector require certain standard of English proficiency among their employees as the language is widely used for numerous job scopes. In order to understand the current demand of the civil engineering industry on the use of the English language in the workplace, this study was conducted on 20 undergraduates of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia who undertook the industrial training. Based on focus group discussions, the participants learned and shared significant use of English language through their industrial training experience. The findings of the study highlighted the activities that were conducted in English for speaking, listening, reading and writing including the language skills. In addition, the amount of time spent on each activity in English was also identified in understanding the importance of English language in the civil engineering sector. The findings of the study are vital in making informed decisions for the design and development of appropriate English language courses for present and future civil engineering students.
Highlights
The issue of unemployment among graduates has been raised by the Ministry of Higher Education
In order to understand the current demand of the civil engineering industry on the use of the English language in the workplace, this study was conducted on 20 undergraduates of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia who undertook the industrial training
The questions to be discussed among the participants were divided into two themes: (1) language skills used by civil engineering trainees during the industrial training, and (2) language used according to reading, writing, listening and speaking
Summary
The issue of unemployment among graduates has been raised by the Ministry of Higher Education. The ministry points out that this problem stems from the lack of multiple skills and language competency (The Star, April 12, 2011). Having high proficiency in English is considered an important asset in the context of the global economy. Surveys show that common problems in communication during interviews among graduates include poor speaking skills, inability to comprehend questions, and lack of interaction skills (Alias, Sidhu, & Chan, 2013). This indicates the important role of communication skills to qualify individuals to be professional engineers. Engineering professionals who take the initiative to improve their communication skills will have the opportunity to advance their career globally. Mastering communication skills in English enables engineers to interact effectively when dealing with the representatives from the same or different organization (Kakepoto, Said, Hadina Habil, Umrani, & Memon, 2013)
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