Investigation of English Language Needs of Trainers of Garment and Apparel Fashion Technology

Abstract

In Ethiopia, English is given as a course starting from elementary school to higher education. Besides, it is the medium of instruction starting from secondary education. Even after receiving more than ten years of formal English language education in school, the students still remain inadequate in their ability to use the language and to comprehend its use in interaction both in verbal and written mode. The graduates of Ethiopian Technical University who become trainers in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) Colleges are expected to prepare teaching learning materials, provide training, conduct researches in their field of study, present project works and so on. In addition to field area knowledge, these tasks demand English language ability in order to execute their jobs successfully. Thus, this study was conducted to analyze the English occupational needs of garment and apparel fashion technology trainers. The findings reveal that the important English language macro-skills in workplace setting are writing, speaking, listening, and reading in descending order. The trainers have more gaps on speaking, and writing skills than the other two skills. The sub-skills are also identified and prioritized in relation to the four macro language skills; therefore, the most important sub-skills from each of the four macro-skills presented here. The three most important speaking sub-skills are giving lectures, giving oral presentation, and participating in pair/group discussions. From the writing skills writing operation sheet, writing project proposals, and writing information sheet are the first three most important sub-skills. Based on the findings, it is recommended to design an English course considering the relative importance and difficulty of English macro-skills and sub-skills. In addition, it is necessary to consider the trainees’ learning preferences when designing an English course in order to improve trainers’ language ability which makes them more effective on their job.