Background
A global leader in building materials, CEMEX supplies cement, ready-mix concrete, aggregates, and urbanization solutions in over 50 countries. Founded in 1906 in Mexico, CEMEX now has over 46,000 employees across all continents.
Challenge
Ensuring employees’ English proficiency to improve efficiency and talent management
Today, more than ever, CEMEX requires strong English language skills among its employees. The launch of CEMEX’s digital transformation brought an increased collaboration across regions making this both more important and more challenging. With employees in over 25 countries, proficiency in a shared language is essential to communicate effectively.
Limited English skills were holding back some CEMEX employees from growing and advancing within the company into new roles or participating in regional or global projects.
This not only hindered individuals’ career growth, but it also meant that supplying experienced talent to meet the needs of an increased collaboration became more challenging as some internal experts lacked an adequate English proficiency.
CEMEX had previously used multiple, locally-run language learning programs to help employees improve their English. But as the company grew globally and face-to-face training became challenging due to COVID-19 restrictions, it became clear that a more unified, effective approach was needed. CEMEX wanted a technological solution that could scale globally, with a single language learning provider who could deliver a range of programs to meet all of its employees’ varying language needs.
Solution
A comprehensive range of language courses to address all learning needs
CEMEX engaged Learnship to deliver a comprehensive package of English and Spanish learning courses for its employees and their families. CEMEX chose Learnship due to their strong expertise in business language and cultural communications training, and range of services.
CEMEX employees can access a variety of language learning courses and tools:
- Rapid language proficiency assessments (Learnship Baseline). These quick, accurate tests identify a learner’s existing language skill level, and areas for improvement.
- Self-paced e-learning for individuals (Learnship Solo). Providing everything learners need to practice and improve their business English skills at their own pace. Bite-size activities are easy to fit into busy schedules, and business-focused content makes learning immediately usable.
- Short, high-impact courses (Learnship Sprint). To quickly pick up new skills without compromising learning quality. A blend of self-paced e-learning with virtual face-to-face training and mobile assignments.
- Trainer-led, personalized language training for individuals or groups (Learnship Elevate). Individual goal mapping informs a customized selection of business English and Spanish courses using a proprietary virtual classroom.
- Personalized, 1:1 executive training (Learnship Coach). Premium training for individuals to fine-tune their business language and culture skills, or prepare for a specific high-stakes engagement (e.g. a board presentation).
- Unique, hands-on learning programs custom-designed for specific groups. Unique, hands-on learning programs tailored for specific groups of executives, helping them better connect with the organization and become eligible for opportunities in other geographies.
Results
Enhanced staff productivity and more effective talent management
Improving CEMEX employees’ English language skills has boosted their individual efficiency, productivity, and career advancement potential. Each learner is saving an average of 1.4 hours of work time per week* due to communicating more effectively in English. With around 600 learners per year, this translates into over 40,000 working hours saved annually for CEMEX.
Data from Learnship Baseline language proficiency assessments has helped CEMEX to better deploy and develop its human resources. After reviewing more than 2,000 individual assessments, CEMEX was able to map the English capabilities of its workforce and use this data to make effective training and recruitment decisions.
Over 1,000 CEMEX employees have studied with Learnship so far, across 25 countries. They have completed 23,000 hours of study time and 67,000 learning activities. 92% of surveyed learners would recommend Learnship to a colleague.
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*The average time savings of 1.4 hours of work a week, due to communicating more effectively in English, was obtained through an internal survey applied to current Learnship learners inside CEMEX.
Client Reaction
“Learnship provided CEMEX with an innovative language platform, that provided our learners with a convenient and easy access to learning resources and top level language instructors, offering several course modalities, adapting to all of our learner’s needs.”