"English is without a doubt the actual universal language" said Carlos Carrion Torres of Brazil. While English is not an official language in most countries, it is the language most often taught as a second language. English is most widely used in communicating around the world. The information that the researchers gathered about communication and English made them realize that the two terminologies must be always together. Good communication creates a good ambience and relationship between everyone in every organization especially if it is inside a business while English is now required in every company.

Language is now considered a skill, in fact, big companies both in Sri Lanka and abroad look for. The importance of the English language in the workplace continues to be a top concern among employers in Sri Lanka, a study reveals.

To every business entity, productivity is of utmost importance. A landslide majority of 95% of employers believed that better English would improve the productivity of employees, as opposed to the 5% who don't. It was not surprising then to find that 66% of employers have turned down applicants due to a bad command of English while a further 26% would do so if necessary.

But how do employers screen through new hires on their command of the English language? Screening via phone interviews and resume slips come in at 36% and 53% respectively. The most popular method by far however is to screen a new hire's English through a face-to-face interview (84%).

Why learning English is important
Around the world, there is an estimated 1 Billion people learning English. Many factors point to the reason why learning English has seen exponential growth in recent years, but it all boils down to the English language being the "global language" of business, politics, international relations, culture, and entertainment for so many countries worldwide. And that is just an understatement as in fact, while English is not an official language in many countries worldwide, it is the language most often taught as a foreign or second language.

Curious to see where you stand among your peers in English? Or if you are wondering how you improve your language skills, then enrol today with PATHE Academy who deliver the City and Guilds,UK programme, with a well industry experienced lecture panel. For further clarifications and details on the City & Guilds English programmes please feel free to talk to our professional team of counsellors at Liberty Plaza, No:250 2/1, R.A De Mel Mawatha, Colombo-3 or on 011 4642600 or visit our website www.patheacademy.org