Based on the principles of Communicative Language Teaching, shoptalk™ focuses on achieving communicative competence for the workplace. It links together speaking, reading, and listening, to simulate the way communication takes place outside the classroom, in the real world. The program also recognizes the needs of students who are learning English specifically for employment purposes. Consequently, programs are customized to address these needs.

In customizing a program, we identify and address the following areas to achieve communicative competence in the identified occupation:

• The purpose for which students need to learn English
• The setting within which students will use the acquired language skills
• The role students will undertake in the workplace

• The communicative events in which students will most often participate
• The language functions involved in the communicative events
• The concepts and notions involved in students' daily communication

To achieve this, we solicit feedback from countless employers in a variety of industry sectors. For students or groups of students, already employed or in a work placement, we work closely with their employers to identify and address these key areas. Training curriculum is designed to appear authentic, meaning that it is intended to simulate the documents used, and the conversations and functions in the workplace, for specific jobs.

This job-specific, communicative language training program is ideally suited to:

• individuals undergoing a career change, and whose English language skills are at a basic level;
• employers who employ individuals with basic English language skills, or
• other third-party agencies such as insurance companies or government programs who deliver return to work services to individuals with basic English language skills.

Accordingly, for individuals wishing to enrol, the program can be delivered at any one of our five locations, and for employers, we can deliver the program at the workplace to groups of employees.

Program Length:
In-class program for individual enrolment: (20 weeks at 20 hours per week)
For groups trained at the workplace: hours and timelines will vary depending on group size and availability