English as a Key Skill for Career Growth in Pakistan

Thousands of languages are spoken around the world, but English is the one that is used as a primary means of international communication.  This is a result of globalization of workforce and world-wide expansion of international companies that use English for business.  As a result, a demand of employees who can speak excellent English has increased significantly over the past couple of decades.

SEE ALSO: Learning English for Better Business Opportunities

The emergence of international business made it clear that having a postgraduate degree in business administration or any other related sector is not necessarily enough for getting a job.  People all over the world also need to learn English in order to enhance their chances of advancing in their careers.  

The situation is quite similar in Pakistan, as with each passing day more and more international firms, banks and companies are opening their offices in the country.

Moreover, there are plenty of companies in Pakistan that conduct business with international corporations or have set up their call centres in the country.  Employees in these companies and call centres have to deal with international clients over the phone, which is why they keep looking for people who can speak English fluently.

Learning English in Pakistan

Due to the increase in demand of English speaking employees, it is getting more and more important for the youth of Pakistan to learn this foreign language in order to boost their career.  Truth to be told, many youngsters and even elder people have realized this fact and now they are increasingly taking English language courses and individual classes.

According to certain reports, over 11% of Pakistani population has a command over the English language, thus representing the third largest English-speaking nation in the world.

In Karachi, where Urdu is the main means of communication, the use of English rapidly grows in different sectors, especially among the people involved in business or education.  Similar trend can also be observed in two other major cities of Pakistan, Lahore and Islamabad, where you can now find plenty of English teaching institutions and academies.  In fact, the number of such academies constantly grows, which clearly implies that Pakistani youth believes that learning English is extremely important for career growth, regardless of whether they intend to pursue their careers in Pakistan or outside the country.

The need to introduce Applied English

Unfortunately, due to low literacy rate in Pakistan, the country failed to use this means of communication the way the people in India did.  

Moreover, inadequate practices of teaching English yielded a general sense of bitterness in relation to the subject.  Therefore, it is necessary to introduce ‘Applied English’ in educational institutions and language academies where the English language is taught.

The concept of Applied English requires educators to include real-life examples in class, so that students could develop better understanding of the language.

As a result, students would start taking more interest in the subject.  Otherwise, we will keep losing many brilliant minds in prescribed grammatical constructions, contextualised meaning and definitions of infinite group of words.

To keep the pace with the rest of the world, Pakistanis must adopt modern ways of teaching, learning and testing English.  One of the examples of good practice in this respect is the website ninthd (9th D), which has introduced Pakistan to international certifications necessary to gain international knowledge and experience.  Above all, ninthd has specifically designed their trainings in association with leading international institutions like iCarnegie Global Learning and UKCET, so that it can develop workforce that can meet the needs of both local and international employers.

Hopefully, Pakistan would recognize its opportunity to improve business opportunities for the youth in the country and introduce contemporary methods for learning English.

Author Bio

This article is contributed by Khurram Shahzad who is a digital marketer and currently working with ninthd which is offering a platform for the youth that will offer them international level of knowledge and experience.  In order to build their economically viable skills (EVS)

Photo credit:Foter / FreeDigitalPhotos