Singapore sets English test for foreigners in service industry
SINGAPORE, Jan 24 – To provide good customer service, what should you do when speaking with a customer? This question – which requires an oral answer – is a sample from an English proficiency test.From July, foreign workers in three industries must pass it in order to get a work permit as a skilled worker. The industries are hotel, food and beverage, and retail.
The test will have two components, speaking and listening.
If a worker attains “skilled†status, his employer will save $90 a month on the foreign worker levy.
How many times have we tried in vain to convey a simple message across and gave up in the end? I think that it is a valid policy for Malaysia to adopt especially in the service industry. A basic competency test in either English or Bahasa Malaysia should be a compulsory item for the issuance of a work permit in Malaysia.
