The US-based global glassmaking giant O-I (81 plants in 21 countries) is improving the English communication skills of its worldwide workforce with a unique blended learning approach. This approach – known as ENGLISH@O-I – involves a specially developed e-learning platform, with customised content, where learners receive consistent written feedback, as well as individual coaching, to enable them to develop linguistic confidence, along with correct grammar and spelling.

ENGLISH@O-I, developed in association with distance English training specialist, goFLUENT, comprises:

• An e-learning platform – with customised content, in the form of videos, articles and quizzes, for the glassmaking industry
• Courses delivered via 30 minutes telephone sessions – with a live, native English-speaking trainer to help train the learner’s ear to make English conversation more natural
• Online written coaching – with feedback from a live, native English-speaking trainer

Attracting increasing numbers of learners each year, the programme has currently enabled almost 1,000 people to become fluent in English. Aline Estevant, Vice President of Human Resources for O-I Europe, commented: “In my 20-year career, I’ve never seen something so beneficial, so exciting and so powerful in terms of improving business performance.”

Christophe Ferrandou, goFLUENT’s CEO, commented: “Across Europe, O-I staff’s overall standards of English have improved by 20%. In some countries, employees’ level improvement average, after 34 hours of lessons, is as high as 44% – which is the difference between all six levels of English proficiency, from absolute beginner to complete fluency in the language.”

To see videoed interviews with Aline Estevant, Vice President of Human Resources for O-I Europe, and Emanuela Zappone, Vice President for Leadership and Organization for O-I, visit: http://www.gofluent.com/web/us/o-i   

Comment: It’s always nice to see not just satisfied but delighted customers for any e-learning based programme – and O-I appears to fit easily into this category. The ENGLISH@O-I approach seems to not only appeal to O-I employees across national and cultural boundaries but it also seems to be effective across these same boundaries too.