A UNIVERSITY ESP COURSE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE WORLDSKILLS STANDARDS

Nikolaeva E.V., Zotov V.V., Popel A.Ye.
Associate Professor, Institute of Social Engineering, The Kosygin State University of Russia

A UNIVERSITY ESP COURSE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE WORLDSKILLS STANDARDS

Abstract

The article deals with topical issues of profession oriented teaching English with due consideration of WorldSkills International (WSI) standards. It discusses methodological potentials and difficulties of an ESP WSI course at a non-linguistic university and presents an example of developing some elements of an ESP WSI educational module for the «Creative Arts and Fashion» WSI professional block.

Keywords: WorldSkills International, WorldSkills standards, foreign language competence, English for Special Purposes, ESP, profession oriented teaching English, innovative educational technologies.

Teaching English at a non-linguistic university has pragmatic orientation as one of the main features and thus focuses on developing students’ practical communication skills in a foreign language professional environment. The need for mastering the professional linguistic conceptual field of a particular specialty and the corresponding applied lexico-grammatical block for university students is obvious; however, the degree of motivation of undergraduate students in this regard usually is not too great.

In recent years, an important factor has emerged that stimulates the professional orientation of university English courses from the very first level of higher education – Russia’s accession to the international movement WorldSkills International (WSI), that has a mission to raise the standards of personnel training 10]. Since 2012, the Union of Young Professionals (WorldSkills Russia) [8] has been participating in WorldSkills International events. WorldSkills International and WorldSkills Russia work under the motto “Making the world better with the power of excellence!”. The main objective of the WorldSkills movement is to demonstrate the importance of professional excellence and increase the level of recognition of qualified professionals around the world to prove how important professional skills are in achieving economic growth for individual countries and the whole world and the personal success of each individual.

The history of the WorldSkills movement, which today unites 79 countries from Argentina to Japan, dates back to the second half of the 1940s, when post-war Europe faced an acute shortage of skilled workers, primarily in the manufacturing sector. The WorldSkills movement has come a long way from national competitions of young workers in Spain to European tournaments and world championships. World Championships are the main public event of WSI which are held in different countries every two years. Participants demonstrate their professional skills in six blocks of professions related mainly to the field of physical / manual labor and, as a recognition of the situation of the post-industrial society, to the field of information and communication technologies: Manufacturing and Engineering Technology (Production and engineering technologies); Construction and Building Technology; Information and Communication Technology; Transportation and Logistics (Transport and Logistics); Creative Arts and Fashion (Art and Fashion); Social and Personal Services. In 2017, the WSI championship was held in Abu Dhabi (UAE), in 2019 Russia hosts the WorldSkills World Championship in Kazan.

It is worth noting that in the Soviet Union there was also the practice of such competitions in the form of professional skills contests aimed at increasing the prestige of blue-collar professions. In the pedagogical sphere in Russia, all-Russian contests “The Teacher of the Year” are successfully held today. The main difference between Russian competitions is the lack of age restrictions, while according to the WSI rules in the year of the championship, participants competing in the areas of Information Network Cabling, Mechatronics, Manufacturing Team Challenge, and Aircraft Maintenance should not be more than 25 years old, and no more than 22 years for others directions [11]. It is important that these age limits provide an opportunity to participate in WSI championships not only for students of technical schools and professional colleges, but also for university students who acquire professional skills in the framework of undergraduate and graduate programs.

The WorldSkills International movement sees its goals in:

  • to work ahead of schedule on issues related to professional competencies in modern realities;
  • provide a professional environment through personal communication, social media, special events and other mass media;
  • participate in the discussion of state development policy in the participating countries;
  • be an authority in the field of development and improvement of professional excellence around the world, acting as a source of information and a “hub” of specialists;
  • work together with teachers, politicians, production workers and other organizations to re-emphasize the importance of professional excellence and increase the attractiveness of its achievement;
  • to promote the need, significance and results of skilled work and professional development for young people, so that manufacturing businesses, regions and countries successfully develop in the global economy [5].

As part of the WorldSkills International movement, much attention is paid to the development and extension of new forms of training and practical training for future workers with the competencies required in real production processes. This includes creating a link between professional skill competitions and a long professional career through continuing education opportunities; assistance to teachers and production workers in developing a system of theoretical and practical training that would meet the future needs in highly qualified professionals; providing students with educational tools that are necessary for understanding and mastering one or another professional competence; support of educational institutions and teachers in the development of innovative forms of training of future employees in the required professional competencies [3].

WorldSkills Standards Specifications are the program documents, which reflect the requirements of modern global economy. Specifications are developed by technical and professional experts with regard to consultations with manufacturers and businessmen on the principles of efficiency, clarity and consistency. Specifications include special, technical and general competencies that make up the core of professional work; establish what exactly a qualified practitioner should know, understand and do; determine the relative importance of each section of the standards based on the views of representatives of production and business [12]. For example, in the specification of the professional standard for Fashion Technology include detailed description of necessary knowledge and skills in the areas of Work Organization and Management, Communications and Interpersonal Skills; Problem Solving, Innovation and Creativity; Fashion Design; Technical Drawing; Pattern Construction and Draping; Cutting, Sewing and Finishing Techniques [13].

The Technical Description [6] and the competition projects themselves (Test Projects) [7] are presented in English, which implies that the participants have at least basic knowledge of the English language for special purposes (ESP).

Here, for example, is an excerpt from the technical description in the direction of “Mechanical Engineering Design — CAD”: “The competition is divided into four WorldSkills modules: Module 1 (Mechanical Assemblies and Detail Drawings for Manufacture); Module 2 (Mechanical Fabrication), which covers sheet metal and steel fabrication; Module 3 (Mechanical Design Challenge); and Module 4 (Reverse Engineering), which tests the ability to use hand measuring tools to create a 3D model from a physical component and produce a manufacturing drawing for the component”.
Accordingly, Project Task Module 2 can be given to the participant in the form of the following text: “Model parts from the given drawings, including the use of the frame generator. Then create drawings for exploded views, isometric views, including balloons and parts list, and a flat pattern fabrication drawing. There is a large emphasis on using presentation files to create advanced assembly animations.” The task of Module 4 can be formulated as follows: “Model a component from a physical piece. The model is provided and you will be required to create rendered images and a technical drawing, including surface symbols, GDT, and dimensions in order to manufacture the part.” [4].

The successful performance of such tasks requires sufficiently deep knowledge of the competitor, not only the mail aspects of the lexical and grammatical structure of the English language, but also the basic English language terms that make up the professional linguistic conceptual sphere of the corresponding specialty. The accuracy and speed of completing WSI project tasks also largely depends on the skills of informative reading and translation of texts in the specialty and oral communication on professional topics.

The list of competitive disciplines of WorldSkills International includes a number of specialties that correspond to the profile of Kosygin Russian State University (Technology. Design. Art) – Fashion Technology, Graphic Design Technology, IT Software Solutions for Business, Information Network Cabling, Web Design and Development, Mechanical Engineering CAD, Mechatronics, Polymechanics and Automation, Electronics, etc. Competitive disciplines in WorldSkills Russia are also Industrial Design, Applied Aesthetics and Photography [2], which, with time, may be included in the programs of international WSI championships.

In this regard, when elaborating a university English course for training areas that include WorldSkills disciplines, it is worth paying attention to analyzing the format of WSI project assignments, studying documents from past WSI championships in English, and, possibly, developing a separate module based on case study and business games for different WorldSkills competencies. Teaching students in the frames of such a course aims to create readiness for professional and cross-cultural communication in the context of WSI championships, including situations that require to apply to experts and assistant volunteers (emergency situations related to equipment malfunctions, accidents, injuries, etc., as well as domestic and etiquette issues).
The materials used for study are the official WSI documentation – technical descriptions, control projects, brochures for participants in past world championships (for example, WorldSkills Competition Handbook 2017, Abu-Dabi [9]).

Some aspects of professionally oriented teaching of the English language in the context of WorldSkills International competencies are taken into account in the practical English course for second-year undergraduate students studying in the field of “Television”. One of the sections of the course is devoted to studying information in English about the types of equipment used for different types of shooting, the structure of the shooting pavilion, a mobile television station, as well as about the features of the work of specialists on a film set [1,18-36]. Along with this, the tasks for extracurricular activities for upperintermediate and advanced students can involve studying a series of videos in English, which are a guide to the various techniques and effects used in filming: Montage Techniques to improve videos; Professional tips for video editing; Tips for better camera focus; Creative camera jib (mini crane) tricks; Creative glidecam / flycam tricks; Creative camera slider tricks; Creative tripodtricks for video; Creative camera gimbal tricks and so on [1,55].

Next, students create their own training video, with an oral commentary on the applied video techniques and a discussion of their success and relevance. The final task is to shoot and voice-over in English a video about an interesting place in Moscow or in another Russian city (“The Pearl of …”). Among the presented final works (2nd semester, 2018) there were stories about Peterhof and Tsaritsyno Park in Moscow. The presentation of the video included an oral part, in which students reported on the time and conditions of shooting, on the used video equipment and methods of shooting, cropping and editing.

We believe that this little experience can be used in the future in a professionally oriented English course for bachelors. Moreover, tasks aimed at developing skills of informative reading, production and understanding of spoken English can be developed with regard to the requirements of WorldSkills International competencies. This will not only give classes a less formal character, but also create motivation for students to deepen their knowledge of the English language and the development of the ability to communicate on professional topics. Besides, the opportunity for creative self-expression, which cannot always be realized within the framework of traditional methods of teaching a foreign language, is very important for students. However, there are factors that complicate the practical implementation of teaching English in the context of WSI. First of all, this is an insufficiently high level of English proficiency of most students at non-linguistic universities and the lack of chronological correlation of the English language course with specialized disciplines, as it is completed in the second year when students are just starting to study core subjects in their specialty.

Nevertheless, we emphasize that the study of the English language with regard to the competencies of WorldSkills International is an important component of modern higher education, which opens up broad prospects for students to socialize and professionalize themselves and to experience all advantages of mobility in a globalizing world.

References:

  1. Nikolaeva E.V. Television. Handbook. Moscow: Russian State University Press, 2016. 56 p.
  2. Assessment materials WorldSkills Russia. 
  3. Education and training. WorldSkills International. 
  4. Education community. WorldSkills International. Learning materials.
  5. Promoting skills. WorldSkills International. 
  6. Technical Descriptions WorldSkills.
  7. Test Projects WorldSkills. 
  8. WorldSkills в России// WorldSkills Russia.
  9. WorldSkills Competition Handbook 2017. 
  10. WorldSkills International. Official site.
  11. WorldSkills. How to compete.
  12. WorldSkills Standards Specifications. WorldSkills International. 
  13. WorldSkills Standard Specification. Skill 31. Fashion Technology.