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Innovative financial English course developed by global partners
An innovative way of delivering English language skills specifically for finance and business students and professionals around the world is to be offered by a partnership of the University of Cambridge ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), Cambridge University Press and ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants).
Cambridge Financial English is a ‘blended learning’ course, with a mix of online and face-to-face tuition, intended to help individuals improve their financial English skills. The aim of the course is to develop financial language skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking. Although the end users of the course will be individuals wishing to improve their financial language skills, the course has been created for tuition providers to deliver either to their potential or existing students; and for employers who have a large international workforce, and wish to add the course to complement their in-housing training offered to employees.
There are numerous benefits for employers and tuition providers delivering the course. For employers, delivering the programme can help improve their employees’ ability to conduct business internationally or with international clients and colleagues; enhance their reputation among clients and stakeholders; improve the exam performance of their trainee accountants and help to attract and retain talented finance professionals by providing comprehensive training opportunities. For tuition providers, offering Cambridge Financial English will enable them to differentiate their institution from its competitors by providing a hi-tech flexible learning solution; the opportunity to increase their course portfolio and introduce new revenue streams as well as enhancing their students’ performance in the classroom and in exams.
The flexible 100 hour course includes modules on basic accounting, teamwork and managing people, tax, banking and insurance, risk assessment, mergers, acquisitions and ethics and corporate governance.
The course is designed to deliver 75 hours online learning and 25 hours of face-to-face teaching, although the course is sufficiently flexible and the resources available to tailor the blend of learning to meet the needs of employers, tuition providers and students.
The online element of the course includes both presentation and self-study material, organised into 20 topic-based modules. Each module contains a mix of language work, specialist vocabulary and a focus on the skills finance professionals need in order to communicate effectively in English. Face- to-face learning sessions focus on consolidating what students have learnt online and enhancing their language skills through a variety of activities. Authentic situations and issues from the financial and business world are presented through realistic video, audio and reading materials.
Comprehensive teaching materials and notes for the face-to-face element of the course have been developed as part of the resources available to help tuition providers and employers deliver the programme. The online element of the programme can be accessed at any time, allowing the flexibility for the course to be delivered in the classroom, workplace or at home.
Cambridge Financial English is designed as a stand alone course to improve language ability in the context of accounting and financial English, but is also an excellent preparatory course for the Cambridge International Certificate in Financial English (Cambridge ICFE). More details are available on the www.financialenglish.org website.
Helen Brand, ACCA Chief Executive, said: ‘English is the key language of the business world, and it is critical that anyone wishing to succeed in that sector should have an understanding of common technical terms and phrases. ACCA is delighted to be working with two exceptional partners in Cambridge ESOL and Cambridge University Press to be delivering this innovative means of teaching high level language skills around the world.’
Mike Milanovic, Chief Executive, Cambridge ESOL explained: ‘English is the language of the financial sector, and it's really important for employers to be confident that their workforce have the language skills they need. We've worked with experts in financial English to develop a flexible course that combines online study with face to face training. It covers real-life topics that accounting and financial professionals will face and gives them the confidence they need to effectively communicate in the workplace.’
Hanri Pieterse, Managing Director of Cambridge Learning, Cambridge University Press commented: 'In an increasingly competitive world, business students and professionals with busy careers do not always have the time to attend full-time English language courses. The flexibility that blended learning offers is the ideal solution for these kinds of learners. By combining the expertise of our prestigious global partners, we have created a course with high quality learning materials, reflecting the specialist needs of finance professionals while helping to prepare them for the recently launched Cambridge ICFE exam.'
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Notes to Editors
About Cambridge ESOL
Cambridge ESOL offers the world's leading range of certificates for learners and teachers of English - taken by over 2 million people in 130 countries. They help people gain entrance to university or college, improve job prospects or measure progress in English. More than 8,500 employers, universities and government bodies around the world recognise Cambridge ESOL qualifications.
About Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is a global leader in English Language Teaching (ELT) material, supplying to almost every country in the world. Cambridge University Press has considerable experience managing the authorship, production and distribution of ELT materials in both book and digital form and has also delivered products designed for the preparation of international examinations. These learning materials exemplify the cutting edge of English teaching methodology and the quality of the Cambridge list is universally acknowledged by the teaching profession for both British and American English.
About ACCA
ACCA is the global body for professional accountants. We aim to offer business-relevant, first-choice qualifications to people of application, ability and ambition around the world who seek a rewarding career in accountancy, finance and management. We have 362,000 students and 131,500 members in 170 countries worldwide.
ACCA has worked with governments, national organisations and development agencies in emerging economies- for over 20 years- promoting the accounting profession, to create value for the communities, businesses and individuals it serves.
For further information please contact:
Colin Davis Head of International Communications ACCA 29 Lincoln's Inn Fields London WC2A 3EE United Kingdom tel: + 44 (0) 207 059 5738 fax: + 44 (0) 207 059 5982 Email: colin.davis@accaglobal.com
Stuart Giblin, Media Relations Officer University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations 1 Hills Road Cambridge CB1 2EU United Kingdom Tel. +44 1223 558407 Fax. +44 1223 553036 Email: ESOLPublicRelations@CambridgeESOL.org