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In today’s rapidly evolving world, the ability to adapt, communicate effectively, and solve problems creatively is more important than ever. For ESL students, transferable skills are crucial for success in academics, the workplace, and everyday life, so teachers who integrate skill-building activities into instruction and coursework are setting their students up for success.
Transferable skills are skills you can transfer from one job to another, which may encompass hard skills like data analytics or coding and soft skills like adaptability, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Soft skills, also commonly referred to as 21st-century skills or human skills, are transferable skills that are increasingly valued in academics and employment as they can’t be machine-replicated.
Let’s explore in more detail the importance of transferable skills for ESL students in academics, career, and daily living.
The Role of Transferable Skills in Academic Success
Transferable skills are competencies applicable across different subjects and learning environments, and they play a critical role in the academic success of ESL students. Here are three key reasons these skills are particularly important.
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Get Certified1. To accelerate language acquisition
Collaboration, teamwork, and social skills
Group projects and discussions are a significant part of academic life. ESL students who possess strong collaboration, teamwork, and social skills have an improved capacity for language development. Working in teams allows ESL students to engage in authentic language use with their peers.
For example, during group projects, ESL students practice speaking, listening, and negotiating meaning, which helps them improve their English language skills. These interactions provide a low-pressure environment where ESL students can practice new vocabulary and sentence structures. Peers can model correct language use and provide immediate feedback, accelerating language acquisition. Over time, this increased language proficiency helps ESL students understand and engage more fully in all academic subjects.
Read about 16 fun ESL games and activities for kids and teens.
Digital literacy
Digital tools and platforms offer diverse and interactive ways for students to engage with the English language. Through videos, podcasts, apps, and online articles, learners can access authentic materials that enhance their listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills. While it’s important that teachers also teach the critical thinking skills needed to evaluate the credibility of sources, these resources can be incredibly valuable for language development.
Digital literacy also supports lifelong learning by providing English language learners with the tools and skills to continue learning independently. Being digitally literate helps learners stay adaptable and keep up with new tools and methods so they can continue to grow and learn throughout their lives. Overall, digital literacy is not just about using technology; it is about using technology effectively and responsibly to learn, communicate, and participate in society.
Learn how technology is revolutionizing English language teaching.
2. To facilitate language retention
Critical thinking and problem-solving
Transferable skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving help ESL students acquire language skills more efficiently. For instance, critical thinking enables students to make connections between their native language and English, facilitating better understanding and retention. English language students who can problem-solve will also be more successful in their academics as they are better equipped to navigate the problems they encounter.
For example, English language students may encounter different teaching methods and materials, which may not all be suitable for their learning styles and needs. However, a student able to problem-solve will identify ways to absorb the information through collaboration, digital tools, or other resources.
Resilience and adaptability
The journey of learning a new language is often fraught with challenges, including misunderstandings and miscommunications. Transferable skills like resilience and adaptability are essential for ESL students to overcome these obstacles. English language learners may be young learners also engaged in content-specific studies, teens preparing for university, or adults learning for career purposes. In any case, students often juggle other studies, job duties, and personal responsibilities alongside their language learning. Building skills in resilience and adaptability helps students stay motivated, manage stress, and bounce back from setbacks.
Read about 15 fun and easy ESL games for adults.
3. To facilitate cultural understanding and sensitivity
Social and cultural awareness
ESL students often come from diverse cultural backgrounds, and transferable skills like social and cultural awareness are important for fostering a positive and inclusive learning environment. These skills help students appreciate different perspectives, respect cultural differences, and engage in meaningful cross-cultural interactions. By promoting cultural understanding, ESL students can build stronger relationships with their peers and teachers, enhancing their overall academic experience.
Transferable Skills and Professional Advancement
In the workplace, transferable skills are highly valued as they enable individuals to perform effectively in various roles and adapt to changing job demands. For ESL students, these skills are essential for professional advancement. Let’s explore five of the top reasons this is the case.
1. To increase employability
Communicative, collaborative, and interpersonal skills
Strong communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills are among the top competencies employers look for in candidates. As English is a lingua franca, adult language students learning English in classes that also build these soft, human skills will stand out in today’s global job market.
Bridge Corporate Language Learning provides English language training programs to multinational companies. Business English coursework is tailored to reflect the professional tasks employees complete on the job, which typically require skills in collaboration, problem-solving, and interpersonal communication. ESL students who can articulate their ideas, share information, and collaborate with colleagues will also improve their employability.
Learn how to hyper-personalize your Business English teaching with AI.
2. To enhance career flexibility and mobility
Adaptability, cultural competence, and interpersonal communication
Like the benefit of improved employability, ESL students who also build transferable skills like adaptability, cultural competence, and interpersonal communication improve their potential for career mobility. The ability to adapt to different roles and work environments is crucial in today’s dynamic job market.
One way Bridge Business English courses nurture these skills in students is to prioritize teaching English as a global language, which embraces the variety of accents, dialects, and cultural references of a globalized world to meet the career needs of students who will often be communicating with other non-native English speakers. By integrating multimedia into courses and embracing tech resources that expose students to various accents, dialects, and cultural norms, your learners will not only be better prepared to communicate well in realistic contexts but also build the transferable skills of cultural competence and digital literacy.
Learn about creating multimedia content for Business English learners.
3. To open doors for upward career trajectory
Leadership, innovative thinking, and creativity
Professionals skilled in leadership and innovation are key drivers of success in the modern workplace. Transferable skills such as leadership, innovative thinking, and creativity are essential drivers of innovation and continued growth. In today’s globalized market, English language learners who foster these skills may have even greater opportunities for career advancement into leadership positions.
One of the main benefits of the bilingual brain touted by researchers is flexibility, and a multilingual mind will shift between languages, strengthening the brain’s capacity for flexibility. This promotes fluid intelligence, the ability to reason, think abstractly, and solve problems, and perspective taking, the ability to perceive situations from alternative viewpoints. Navigating multiple languages also enhances cognitive control, which promotes executive functioning abilities and divergent thinking, the ability to generate ideas and see problems from different perspectives.
The bottom line is that learning another language naturally builds soft skills that can transfer to leadership and innovation. English teachers who tailor lessons to coax out student abilities to lead teams, solve complex problems, and implement new ideas position their students to present themselves as valuable assets to their employers and advance in their careers.
Read about the benefits of the CLIL approach and the bilingual brain.
4. To build a professional presence
Confidence and leadership
Confidence is a critical component of professional success, and for adult English language learners, it’s an essential skill. Job seekers must be able to successfully interview, and employees will often need to engage in public speaking, presentations, and even business lunches or dinners that require confident English communications. Instilling confidence in ESL students will help prepare them for career success.
One way to build confidence in students is to integrate games and activities, which help create a safe, comfortable environment. When students feel comfortable, they feel safe participating and slowly grow more confident. Teachers can also integrate technologies like language apps in courses for low-stakes speaking and listening practice.
For example, Bridge partners with FLOW Speak, an AI-powered language app students use outside of class time to complete short speaking lessons. Included in some courses, FLOW Speak provides instant feedback to students as they complete short conversational English lessons. Students can repeat lessons until they feel confident, and they can track their progress. Building confidence will help ESL students land jobs and better perform their work duties.
Read about 26 of the best digital tools for teaching English online.
5. To prepare for the modern workforce
Digital literacy and critical thinking
The transferable skill of digital literacy is a fundamental requirement in today’s job market. Many jobs require employees to have basic digital skills, such as using word processors, creating spreadsheets, emailing, and navigating the internet. While these digital skills are essential, digital literacy is often considered a soft skill as well, which encompasses skills like critical, analytical, and creative thinking as well as problem-solving.
For English language learners, mastering digital skills is important, but developing critical thinking skills to evaluate the credibility of sources, understand digital privacy, and manage online interactions is also essential. English language learners who can skillfully and effectively leverage digital tools will be well-prepared for the modern workforce.
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Transferable skills are not only important for academic and professional success; they also play a vital role in everyday life. For ESL students, these skills are essential for navigating the complexities of daily interactions and activities. Let’s look at four reasons transferable skills are important in everyday life.
1. To facilitate effective communication
Social competence and interpersonal communication
Effective communication is a fundamental skill that impacts various aspects of daily life, from social interactions to personal relationships. Transferable skills such as active listening, empathy, and clear expression enable ESL students to communicate effectively with others. These skills help students build meaningful connections, resolve conflicts, and express their needs and opinions. By developing communication skills, ESL students can enhance their social interactions and build strong, supportive relationships.
2. To handle everyday challenges
Critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving
Everyday life is filled with challenges and decisions that require thoughtful consideration and problem-solving. Transferable skills such as critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving can enable ESL students to navigate these challenges effectively. These skills help students assess situations, identify solutions, and make informed decisions.
For ESL students, this can apply to simple decisions like navigating directions in English and evaluating grocery item choices, or it can apply to larger decisions like choosing a university to attend or selecting a career to pursue. By developing problem-solving and decision-making skills, ESL students can handle everyday challenges with confidence and competence.
3. To manage stress and cope with life’s ups and downs
Adaptability and resilience
Life is unpredictable, and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances is crucial for personal well-being. Transferable skills such as adaptability and resilience help English language learners manage stress and cope with life’s ups and downs. Whether students are learning for career purposes, to apply to university, or to immigrate, learning a language is a long process. These skills enable students to stay positive, cope with stress, and recover from hardships. By developing adaptability and resilience, ESL students can maintain a positive outlook and navigate life’s challenges with ease.
4. To safely and skillfully engage in social and other online activities
Digital literacy and critical thinking
As mentioned earlier, navigating the digital world requires critical thinking skills to evaluate source credibility, grasp digital privacy, and handle online interactions. Apart from academic and career purposes, digital literacy is essential for everyday living, as it is important for social integration as well as online tasks like purchasing items, reading product reviews, or banking.
The social aspect can be especially important for English language learners. Social media, messaging apps, and online forums provide platforms for ESLs to communicate, share ideas, and build relationships, which can help them feel more integrated and connected. This social interaction is a vital aspect of language practice and cultural integration.
Transferable skills are essential for the success and well-being of ESL students in academic settings, the workplace, and everyday life. By developing these skills, English learners can enhance their language acquisition, improve their employability, and navigate life’s challenges with confidence. Investing in the development of transferable skills is crucial for empowering English students to achieve their full potential and succeed in a diverse and interconnected world. As educators and mentors, it is our responsibility to support our students in cultivating these skills, paving the way for a brighter future.
