Bespoke language courses for business: set-up and design

At Language Services Direct, we specialise in providing bespoke language courses for business. All of our courses are tailor-made to suit the needs of each learner within the overall context of their company’s business requirements. We also tailor our course management procedures according to the needs of each client, usually in agreement with the Learning and Development department or line manager responsible for the training.

Although every course is unique, an example of the way in which a typical course could be set up is as follows:

Identify needs & objectives

• Prospective learner completes a Language Training Questionnaire
• Completed questionnaire is returned to the dedicated Account Manager at Language Services Direct
• Account Manager completes needs analysis with the learner to identify objectives and required course content, and discuss scheduling requirements
• Account Manager arranges face-to-face level assessment with an appropriate trainer.
• At this assessment, the learner’s starting level is assessed against our levels chart, which is mapped to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages with an emphasis on business language skills specifically: Language Courses for Business – Learner Levels

Recommendation & quote

Based on the information gathered from the assessment and needs analysis, the Account Manager will:

• make a recommendation as to the most appropriate format and duration of the course
• draft a learning plan with clearly stated targets and business language learning objectives
• provide a quote for the cost of each module or complete course if required

Design & implementation

Once the draft learning plan has been approved, and the course authorised to commence, the Account Manager will:

• assign the most appropriate trainer for the course, based on their qualifications, experience and any specialist skills required
• fully brief the trainer about the learner, their role, their objectives and the business requirements
• agree the learning plan and likely lesson content
• arrange the date and time of the first lesson, or the lesson schedule, as appropriate
• send written confirmation and the approved learning plan to both the learner and the trainer
• provide the learner with a profile giving background information about their assigned trainer
• ensure that each learner has received and understood the lesson-cancellation terms
• ensure that all agreed client personnel receive copies of the relevant documentation

Timescales

Depending on the learner’s availability and requirements, the typical timescale from receipt of Language Training Questionnaire to course commencement is usually within 5-10 working days.