Speaker
Description
In recent years, the relevance of English teaching at the university level to professional practice has come under growing scrutiny, particularly in terms of fast technological change and globalized communications. While most of the research addressed the issue of the gap between English for General Purposes (EGP) and English for Specific Purposes (ESP) curricula and workplace requirements, few studies attempted to look into graduates’ perspectives on how such skills transfer into actual job performance. This preliminary qualitative study investigates how recent graduates apply English skills acquired during their university education in various professional contexts and examines the challenges they encounter in doing so. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with ten graduates working across multiple industries to explore three main issues: the perceived mismatch between academic English instruction and the communicative demands of the modern workplace, the specific limitations of current English for General Purposes (EGP) and English for Specific Purposes (ESP) training, and graduate-informed suggestions for curriculum reform. Special emphasis is placed on emerging requirements such as intercultural communication, digital correspondence, and flexible language use in dynamic environments. By highlighting the voices of graduates, this study offers a timely and context-sensitive contribution to ongoing discussions about language education and employability. The findings are expected to inform future curriculum design that better supports learners in meeting the complex and evolving realities of workplace communication.
Keywords: Curriculum alignment, Digital Communication, English for Specific Purposes (ESP), University English Skills, Graduate Perceptions, Workplace Language Skills.
Biography
I am Nguyen Thu Huyen, a Lecturer at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Vietnam Aviation Academy. I hold a Master’s degree in English Language Studies and have over 14 years of experience teaching English, including six years at the university level. My primary interests include students’ perceptions, teaching methodology, curriculum development, and lifelong learning. At Vietnam Aviation Academy, I am committed to fostering learner-centered approaches that align with the evolving needs of higher education and professional environments. I am particularly passionate about investigating how students experience and respond to language instruction, as well as how curriculum design can foster both academic growth and continuous, self-directed learning. Through my teaching and research, I strive to contribute to more effective and reflective English language education practices.
