Business English and ICT Skills Study Abroad Year Programme in Ireland

What is a Study Abroad Year programme?

In simple terms, a Study Abroad Year Programme is when you spend a year in a foreign country studying a subject of your choice. Many people choose to spend a year of their University degree studying or undertaking work experience abroad.

These programmes are very popular – according to a 2019 University UK report, 8% of UK undergraduates alone take a year abroad to study. The most common subject for taking a year abroad is Languages (33%).

Who is this SAY Business English and ICT Skills Course for?

English is the lingua franca of the business world, and many of the world’s largest corporations have mandated English as their official language. Even companies such as Japan’s massive Rakuten has used English for all documents and all meetings including those attended only by Japanese employees since 2012.

It is vitally important for any prospective businessperson to obtain a good level of English ability, coupled with an understanding of how to use the language in a work environment or business setting.

If you are looking to enter the global workforce or have plans to set up a business that will deal with multinational companies, our SAY Business English and ICT Skills Course is the ideal choice for you. Our programme is carefully designed to cater for your personal learning needs, and your specially tailored course will provide a real boost to your budding career or give you the perfect stepping stone to our higher education business courses at Galway Business School.

Minimum English language requirements

To be eligible to enrol on our Business English and ICT Skills Study Abroad Year programme, you must have a minimum CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference) level of B1+. This is the Council of Europe’s officially recognised assessment for students learning the English language.

A B1+ level means that you possess an ‘intermediate’ level of English ability, as with B1, but will be even more proficient with the language. At CEFR B1 level you will be able to:

• communicate efficiently in English
• enter spur-of-the-moment conversations on familiar topics, or that or of personal interest to you or part of your everyday life (e.g. work, travel, hobbies, family)
• understand the majority of lots of TV or radio programmes covering current affairs or topics you personally find interesting, as long as the voices are slow and clear
• express yourself clearly and concisely on relatively complex issues using standard vocabulary
• write appropriately in everyday working situations, where you can communicate information underlying importance and explaining reasons
• read most texts and understand much of the detail often by inferring ideas based on key elements in the text

Objectives of our SAY Business English and ICT Skills Course

At Galway Cultural Institute we provide a comprehensive yet flexible programme for international students, designed to equip you with all the skills you will need to flourish in your chosen profession. Our SAY Business English and ICT Skills Course will:

• develop your communication skills specifically for the business world and for the modern international workplace
• allow you to study with other, like-minded international students who also want to get ahead in the world of business and ICT studies
• develop your Business English skills
• let you participate in class activities to develop confidence in using Business English
• give you opportunities to use English in a business environment 
• help you learn key information computer technology skills (ICT)
• improve your confidence when delivering speeches or presentations