Professional Development of English Professors in Indian Engineering Colleges: The Need of the Hour

Abstract

English has become the language of international business and in this age of globalization, communication skills in the English language are of supreme importance in the professional success of individuals. In India, the percentage of engineering graduates who remain unemployed after graduation steadily increases due to lack of soft skills including the ability to communicate in English. Hence, the major responsibility of enhancing the students’ communication skills falls on the shoulders of the English professors. This article aims to find out whether English professors in engineering colleges in Chennai, India are equipped to train engineering students to communicate efficiently by using modern methods of teaching. It has been discovered that many English professors are not aware of the modern teaching methodologies like CLT and haven’t heard of English for Specific Purposes. Moreover, many teachers have not attended any pre-service or in-service training programs and there is a huge gap between classroom teaching practices and industry expectations. The survey results have revealed the lack of skills among the professors and the need for professional development programs to improve the efficiency of English teaching.