Preparing international ICT students for the global workplace: An Australian experience
Globalisation is leading to an increasing incidence of multinational/multicultural work teams across the globe. This is particularly the case in the world of business, where English also dominates as the most commonly used language in intercultural situations. This paper describes a project which ai...
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Conference Paper |
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International Association for Development of the Information Society
2010
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/40659 |
| _version_ | 1848755930769915904 |
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| author | Briguglio, Carmela Dell, Peter |
| author2 | Heling Huai |
| author_facet | Heling Huai Briguglio, Carmela Dell, Peter |
| author_sort | Briguglio, Carmela |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Globalisation is leading to an increasing incidence of multinational/multicultural work teams across the globe. This is particularly the case in the world of business, where English also dominates as the most commonly used language in intercultural situations. This paper describes a project which aimed to prepare English as a Second Language (ESL) students for the English speaking work environment in Australia. Information Systems majors in their final year of a Bachelor of Commerce degree at Curtin University of Technology in Western Australia undertook a specially-designed, preparatory two-day intensive communication skills program, followed by a 16-week work placement in large local companies.The preparatory program aimed to give students socio-linguistic knowledge and skills for formal and informal work related contexts. Students were also required to engage in a reflexive activity, which they discussed with a member of the project team, whom they met on a regular basis. Evaluation of the program indicates that structured intervention can assist ESL students to prepare for an English-speaking workplace, particularly in developing confidence. However, a shorter preparatory program, coupled with more targeted support, is likely to be more effective if spaced out over the period of the internship, and addressing particular workplace needs and dilemmas as they arise. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T09:04:08Z |
| format | Conference Paper |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-40659 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T09:04:08Z |
| publishDate | 2010 |
| publisher | International Association for Development of the Information Society |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-406592023-01-18T08:46:44Z Preparing international ICT students for the global workplace: An Australian experience Briguglio, Carmela Dell, Peter Heling Huai Piet Kommers Pdero Isaias ESL Work Integrated Learning lCT education Globalisation Globalisation is leading to an increasing incidence of multinational/multicultural work teams across the globe. This is particularly the case in the world of business, where English also dominates as the most commonly used language in intercultural situations. This paper describes a project which aimed to prepare English as a Second Language (ESL) students for the English speaking work environment in Australia. Information Systems majors in their final year of a Bachelor of Commerce degree at Curtin University of Technology in Western Australia undertook a specially-designed, preparatory two-day intensive communication skills program, followed by a 16-week work placement in large local companies.The preparatory program aimed to give students socio-linguistic knowledge and skills for formal and informal work related contexts. Students were also required to engage in a reflexive activity, which they discussed with a member of the project team, whom they met on a regular basis. Evaluation of the program indicates that structured intervention can assist ESL students to prepare for an English-speaking workplace, particularly in developing confidence. However, a shorter preparatory program, coupled with more targeted support, is likely to be more effective if spaced out over the period of the internship, and addressing particular workplace needs and dilemmas as they arise. 2010 Conference Paper http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/40659 International Association for Development of the Information Society fulltext |
| spellingShingle | ESL Work Integrated Learning lCT education Globalisation Briguglio, Carmela Dell, Peter Preparing international ICT students for the global workplace: An Australian experience |
| title | Preparing international ICT students for the global workplace: An Australian experience |
| title_full | Preparing international ICT students for the global workplace: An Australian experience |
| title_fullStr | Preparing international ICT students for the global workplace: An Australian experience |
| title_full_unstemmed | Preparing international ICT students for the global workplace: An Australian experience |
| title_short | Preparing international ICT students for the global workplace: An Australian experience |
| title_sort | preparing international ict students for the global workplace: an australian experience |
| topic | ESL Work Integrated Learning lCT education Globalisation |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/40659 |