Work-related English Language Needs Analysis of Engineers Working at the Foreign Companies of Ethiopia

The Case of Hawassa Industrial Park

الملخص

The main objective of this study was to identify the English language skills and the kinds of skills-based tasks engineers needed to carry out to function and communicate effectively with their foreign company employers and supervisors at Hawassa Industrial Park (HIP) since the working language was English. To achieve these objectives two main instruments of data collection were employed: survey questionnaire administered to 70 engineers and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 5 foreign employers/supervisors and 5 engineers at HIP. The results of the analysis of the data indicate that while all the four major English skills were important for the engineers workplace communication in general, the oral skills (listening and speaking in the order mentioned) were of a particular importance over the literacy skills (reading and writing). The most common and highly needed work-related tasks for engineers’ workplace communication at HIP were: reading different manuals and guidelines, reading safety signs and rules, writing daily and periodic performance and other reports, writing emails, making technical conversations, talking on the phone, speaking in meetings/seminars, listening to their employers/supervisors’ instructions and advice, and listening to meeting and seminar discussions. Implications for pedagogical and classroom use have been made.