I recently took part in a TESOL – IATEFL online discussion about how ESP projects can create positive social change.
Kevin Knight – the organiser – gave us the following task:

You are all members of a task force team to provide language training for employees of multinational corporation. The HR department of the company is interested in your ideas about providing not only in-house training but also involving local universities in the training of its employees. In addition, the HR department is wondering how such training could be connected to its annual report on Corporate Social Responsibility. Share your ideas in connection with the big picture: How ESP projects can create positive social change.

Other participants were: Kevin Knight, Kristin Ekkens, Anne Lomperis, Jaclyn Gishbaugher, Ronna Timpa &  Margaret van Naerssen.

It was originally intended that there be more IATEFL participants and EAP representatives.

The following questions were discussed

• How would you determine the needs for training?
• What questions would you want to ask the HR contact?
• What would the options for EOP training be?
• What would the options for EAP training be?
• How would you want to assess training performance?
• How would you price the training?
• What obstacles would you expect, and how would you prepare to overcome those obstacles?
• What would you tell the HR contact in connection with the question about the company’s CSR report?

I originally did not think I had a lot to contribute on the topic from an EAP point of view, as it seemed to me that all education – of which EAP is a part – is involved in creating positive social change, but, looking back, I think I could have done better than I did.

A recording of the discussion is available here. It is an interesting discussion and does involve EAP.