VietTESOL International Convention 2026

As English increasingly serves as a language of professional communication in global workplaces, ESP courses need to prepare students to use English beyond the classroom. This 90-minute workshop explores how university - industry collaboration can support the repositioning of English from a foreign language subject to a language for workplace participation. Drawing on the NeoTECH English Works project, a Training of Trainers initiative co-hosted by the Regional English Language Office, U.S. Embassy and Hanoi University of Industry, the workshop demonstrates how employer perspectives can inform the design of authentic, workforce-oriented ESP curricula. Participants will examine workplace communication tasks, engineering-related scenarios, and employability competencies identified by industry partners. They will then work individually or in small groups to develop a new learning activity using an industry-informed design framework. The workshop includes peer feedback and discussion on strategies for integrating authentic workplace communication into English teaching. By the end of the session, participants will have practical tools for designing ESP learning experiences that reflect real professional contexts and support students' transition from learning English as a foreign language to using English as an effective means of communication in their future careers.