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Atkins Highways: continuing professional development.

English Language consolidation courses: September 2!"#une 2$

We will be running English language courses and Report Writing courses

again this autumn for staff whose first language is not English. The trainer

will once again be Mrs. Penny Searley, who has run courses for us for a

number of years. She is highly qualified and eperienced in !usiness language

training, and specialises in training for engineers. "or further details, see

her website www.englishlanguagetraining.co.u# 

$omination for courses is based on SM%RT training ob&ecti'es, which must

be agreed in ad'ance with your line manager, and forms part of your

professional de'elopment. %ttendance at all sessions and completion of

homewor# assignments is epected. There is a post(course assessment, with

recommendations for future training.

• )f you would li#e to attend one of the courses or ha'e already

attended one course and want to continue, please gi'e your name to*mar#.grego+at#insglobal.com  or lu#e.williams+at#insglobal.com  asap.

• )f line managers or training champions would li#e to nominate

members of their teams or want to find out more about the courses,

please contact* mar#.grego+at#insglobal.com or

pennysearley+englishlanguagetraining.co.u# 

Places on the courses are allocated according to a'ailability and le'el of

English, and there will be an initial written and spo#en assessment for each

applicant in early September. %ll applicants who ha'e not attended pre'iouscourses must attend one of the assessment sessions.

%ates and times of assessment sessions:

Monday -th September* ./-(0.--h. -th floor reception.

Wednesday 0th September* /.--(0./-h. -th floor reception.

&or new graduate intake only* Monday 1th September. -.-- (./-h.

-th floor reception.

'ourse dates: 2ourses will run for /- wee#s from the wee# beginning

Monday 1th

 September to the end of 3une --1, following the pattern ofthe academic year, with brea#s for half(terms, 2hristmas and Easter.

"or full list of dates, please see calendar.

The following courses are a'ailable*

(. English consolidation Level (:

)ondays $.*+.,h from (!th September

2. English consolidation Level 2:

-ednesdays $.*+.,h from (+th  September

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)n these courses, you will get plenty of practice in*

Speaking: as#ing and responding to questions, negotiating, ma#ing

phone(calls, contributing to meetings. 4ou will ha'e the chance to ta#e

part in client contact, appraisal and inter'iew role(plays and will ma#e

a presentation to the class.

ronunciation: wor# on letter sounds and intonation.

Listening and responding: in a 'ariety of situations.

-riting: "ormal and informal English for emails, memos and letters./rammar: re'ision of tenses and basic grammar structures

'ollo0uial English* idiomatic epressions and building 'ocabulary.

'ross*cultural differences: degrees of politeness, differences in

business practice and beha'iour.

5e'el ) and 5e'el groups will follow a similar programme, but use

different materials according to their le'el of English. %ll course

participants will be epected to complete a compulsory homewor# tas#

6ta#ing no more than one hour7 after each class.

,. &unctional English for /raduates:

-ednesdays (,. *(1.,h from 2th  September.

This course is designed for recently recruited graduates for whom

English is not a nati'e language. The course will follow a similar

programme to the English 2onsolidation courses, but will be modified

to meet the needs of the group. )t aims to equip new graduates with

the spea#ing, listening and writing s#ills they will need in the

wor#place and to de'elop their confidence in using the English

language. The course will include a thorough grammar re'ision, andinclude written English for emails, letters and short report types.

1 3he English 4reakfast 'lub: 5every alternate week6

3hursdays $.*+., from 2th  September.

This is an ongoing course for more ad'anced spea#ers of English as an

%dditional 5anguage. These early(morning sessions are for those who

ha'e already attended pre'ious English courses with Penny Searley.

This fortnightly club is for those who are ta#ing on more

responsibility within the company and need to bring their English up tonear(nati'e spea#er le'el. The course includes idiomatic English,

ad'anced spea#ing, writing and reading comprehension, and continuing

wor# to eliminate errors, reinforce grammar points and impro'e

pronunciation. There is no homewor# for this course.

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7. ronunciation 'ourse: 8E- '9;SE: 5every alternate week6

3hursdays $.*+., from 2!th  September.

This is for non( nati'e spea#ers whose pronunciation is a barrier to

their progress within the 2ompany. 4ou will be practising and impro'e

indi'idual 'owel and consonant sounds, intonation, &oining words and

phrases6catenation7 and fast connected speech, using drama

techniques, role play, poetry and reading aloud. 4ou will also be ad'ised

on self(study material to use at home and here will be no formalhomewor# for this course.

. ;eport -riting 'ourse. ( weeks.

)ondays (2.,*(1. from (st  9ctober.

84: 3his course can be adapted to suit a group of native English

speakers who want to improve their grammar and written English

skills< and has been run successfully with native speaker graduate

engineers< and with technicians.

The %t#ins report writing course consists of 8 or - wee#ly sessions of

9- minutes. The content is tailor(made for %t#ins and focuses on report

types used in the 2ompany. )t in'ol'es real report writing tas#s and is

aimed at*

• :raduate engineers with English as a first or second language,

those wor#ing towards their 2hartered status and who ha'e

completed a "unctional English course.

• $on ( graduates and technicians who need to de'elop better

report writing s#ills.The course includes the completion and mar#ing of a wee#ly homewor#

tas#, epected to ta#e approimately one hour, and comprises -;<

hours= in(ser'ice training.

2ourse content typically includes*

Session (: -hat is a report=

• Why are you writing and who are you writing for>

• Types of report* o'er'iew of content and structure of all

report types used by staff at %t#ins.• !asic grammar re'ision* parts of speech, word order in a

sentence.

• Writing definitions and descriptions.

• ?omewor# tas#* % description of a structure.

Session 2: 9rganising te>t.

• Paragraph structure

• )dentifying the #ey points in a document.

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• "ore(fronting information in a tet.

• Sequencing and formatting information.

• ?omewor# tas#* Sequencing information as part of a

structural report.

Session ,: 'onnecting ideas

• 5in#ing and ordering of information.

• Writing comple sentences, clauses of cause and effect;contrast;eemplification.

•  Punctuation and use of the apostrophe.

• ?omewor# tas#* % report pro'iding solutions;discussing

options.

Session 1: )ake yourself clear

• The geography of the report. ?ow to steer the reader

through the argument.

• Selecting precise 'ocabulary, a'oiding ambiguity.

• Writing in an acti'e, persuasi'e style, using 'erb forms• ?omewor# tas#* Report on problem faced and o'ercome at

wor#. Suitable for 2)E quarterly report.

Session 7: pgrade your vocabulary

• %ppropriate le'el of English for formal writing, degrees of

formality and how to adapt your written style.

• )dentifying and correcting inappropriate 'ocabulary;

colloquial language.

• )dentifying and upgrading phrasal 'erb forms.• %ppropriate use of the passi'e.

• ?omewor# tas#* % site accident report in formal and

informal English, for two distinct target readers.

Session : Error recognition and correction

• )dentifying and correcting errors of 'ocabulary, style,

punctuation and epression.

• %ppropriate and inappropriate use of &argon and technical

language.• English for emails.

• Re'iew of formal letter layout and appropriate 'ocabulary.

• ?omewor# tas#* "ormal and informal emails and formal

letter to clients.

Session !: )aking recommendations

• Re'iew of modal 'erbs for ma#ing recommendations.

• @se of conditional forms

• )ndirect speech and reported questions

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• ?omewor# tas#* prepare to ma#e a presentation to clients.

Session $: 3o sum up

• Ma#ing a presentation to clients, gi'ing options and

recommendations.

• )ssues of legal liability.

• Eecuti'e summary.

• Auestion session and re'iew of course• ?omewor# tas#* Writing an eecuti'e summary

Sessions + and (: )aking a presentation.

3hese sessions are an optional addition to the report writing course.

• )dentifying target audience and #ey points

• Brganising material and preparing PowerPoint slides

• !reath control and body language• Spea#ing clearly and concisely Cgetting the message across

• Drafting and re(drafting

• Spea#ing without notes

Each member of the group prepares and deli'ers a presentation on

a topic rele'ant to their wor# and faces questions, followed by

peer re'iew and feedbac#.