BA Tobacco Norway
In July 2008 the Norwegian company Tiedemanns Tobak, a leading producer of tobacco related products, was bought and taken over by British American Tobacco. Much of the internal communication was changed into English, which presented a challange for many of their employees.
The Project
- To offer lessons to all employees spread throughout Norway often in distance locations
- To improve knowledge and confidence in using English at work
- To optimise the available budget through group lessons (4 students per group)
Concerns
- Attendance for sales representatives traveling 2-3 days a week
- Would it work with a majority of students at low levels?
First Step
- Meeting with BAT representative to introduce Berlitz Virtual Classroom
- Presentation of recommendation
Results
- Acceptation of 15 groups of 3-5 students
- Frame agreement for 2 years signed
Organisation
- A presentation was held for about 40 of the participants introducing the program
- All students took a Berlitz online proficiency test to evaluate their level
- All students were given the option of a schedule of lessons once or twice a week
- Berlitz Norway created the groups based on the test results and the preferred schedule
- Final scheduling managed by Berlitz Virtual Classroom
Results
- Enthusiastic and positive feedback from the vast majority of students:
- Excellent instructors
- Confidence grew
- Enjoyed high focus on speaking
- Group was well balanced
- No travel time made it easier to follow the course
The Berlitz Virtual Classroom (BVC) was a key element in Lilly Critical Care Europe's choice of Berlitz as a comprehensive language service provider. Had BVC not been an integral part of the Berlitz portfolio of services it is quite reasonable to suggest that a significant portion of Eli Lilly's needs would have to have been satisfied by another language service provider.
Notwithstanding, the level of service from the Berlitz Virtual Classroom has been consistent with that received via physical Berlitz Language Centers. Additionally, those employees engaged in Berlitz Virtual Classroom lessons have responded very favorably to the medium, interaction and convenience of learning online.
Tracy Woodruff, Training Manager, Eli Lilly Critical Care Europe