Large World Bank Is Among Newest English WorkKeys Clients

One of the world’s largest banks has adopted English WorkKeys as its official test for corporate training and management.

Santander Group tried several other programs to assess the English language skills of its top managers before discovering that English WorkKeys fulfills all of its requirements. The company employs nearly 170,000 people in 40 locations around the globe.

Julian Sanz, who works in Corporate Training and Development for Santander, speaks at a recent ACT-sponsored business fair in Barcelona, Spain. The event was held to update human resources personnel on training tools and programs. More than 1,500 people participated, and 50 companies set up booths.

“As an international bank leader, language knowledge is a priority for us. We were drawn to English WorkKeys for its assessment of professional English competence, which meets our business needs,” said Berta Merelles Ariñano, corporate language and training policy manager for the Santander Group.

“English WorkKeys helps us measure the English skill levels of our personnel in a uniform and rigorous manner so we can achieve efficiency in our selection and training processes.”

The flexibility of the Internet version of English WorkKeys was particularly attractive to the company, she said. “As a manager, I can do real-time checks of the test-takers and their status regardless of where they are located. Test-takers don’t have to travel, which is a huge benefit as we are testing many employees. And the fact that we don’t have to install any special software to use the test is an added bonus.”

The company administered approximately 1,000 tests in 2009 at facilities in Spain and other countries.

Santander is one of several private and public sector companies in France, Italy, and Spain working with ACT Business Solutions, B.V. on the administration of the English WorkKeys system.

English is the international business language, and European companies invest much of their employee training budgets in English language training. English WorkKeys helps companies by measuring employee proficiency in four language-related skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

The system uses a job profiling method called Key Skill Analysis to determine English language skills needed in jobs, assessments to determine employee skill levels, and training to boost those levels. The exams are administered via computer and telephone.

Other newer clients include Vodafone Spain, a leading mobile telecommunications company, which recently administered 500 tests, and Bayer Pharmaceuticals Spain, which administered 300 tests in 2009.