Systematically designed license exams in non-native countries to accelerate globalizing pace

摘要

It is important for a technician to get the vocational licenses. The system of the vocational license exam is highly appreciated by many countries. Therefore, it is helpful to globalization to have a systematically designed license exams related to internationalization. We propose the vocational licenses can be classified as globalizing type (GT) and domestic type (DT). For example, interpreters, bartenders, and flight attendants are classified as GT, and carpenters, bricklayers and shoe makers are classified as DT on non-native countries. The criterion of this classification is based on the frequency of using English depending on the various types of professions. Therefore the jobs related to tourism should be classified as GT. Some professions are highly dependent on English communication such as computer programmers and engineers whose work have to use the English version of manuals, software, and other documents should be also classified as GT. The English abilities should be tested in the GT vocational license exams. The technological and vocational college/university (TVCU) programs and the vocational license exams (VLE) should be more tightly connected. The English abilities tested in the vocational license exams can be adequately arranged in the TVCU programs. This study is presented the vocational English training (VET) programs in the TVCU programs. There are two parts in the VET. One is the required courses (RCs). The other is the English training courses depending on the occupational group which belongs to (OCs). There are three courses in RCs: spoken English, tourism English, and basic English writings. The RCs are aimed at training the students' daily English. The OCs focused on training the students' vocational English are: English conversations in vocational environments, guides for reading vocational and professional documents, and vocational English writings. We hope students in the VET program can elevate their English levels. The tourism English will encourage students to go abroad or communicate with foreigners in Taiwan. The OCs will encourage students to read English technological and vocational documents such as manuals, data sheets, professional journals and magazines, to write some technological and vocational reports, and virtually practice speaking English in the vocational environments are very important in the service industry, especially related to mass transportation, restaurants, and hotels. The students in VET programs can learn English in the objective-oriented way and effectively improve their English abilities to satisfy the needs of the jobs they will work on and get their licenses. Furthermore, we propose some relevant and important vocabulary and terminology should be tested in the license exams to increase some channels to improve communications.