Better Engage Employees in Second Language Evaluation (SLE) Training

Navigating the Second Language Evaluation (SLE) framework is a pivotal challenge for bilingual jobs in the Government of Canada and Crown Corporations. Managers are crucial in helping engage employees in language learning and ensuring they achieve prescribed proficiency levels within deadlines.

Focusing on a tailored management approach that includes the 5 C’s — Care, Connect, Coach, Contribute, and Congratulate — we will explore proven strategies to foster a supportive environment for language proficiency and actionable steps to help manage learner success, track progress and reconcile spending.

Understanding the SLE Framework

Second Language Evaluations for French and English are required for federal bilingual positions. Non-imperative bilingual roles provide a two-year process for candidates to achieve prescribed SLE proficiency levels as follows:

• Level A – Beginner
• Level B – Intermediate
• Level C – Advanced

A candidate’s bilingual profile must match the job description for each level in the following tests:

• Reading Comprehension
• Written Expression
• Oral Language Assessment

With specific time restraints and potentially dozens of employees in various stages of second language training, success management and progress tracking can be very complicated without the proper strategies.

Find out everything about the Second Language Evaluation at LRDG’s guide here.

Care, Connect, Coach, Contribute, and Congratulate.

A report by Gallup indicates that the quality of the manager or team leader explains at least 70% of the variance in team engagement. Implementing processes and workflows that follow the five C’s of engagement is a helpful way to approach learning management. Most of all, these strategies ensure your teams are not wasting time and money on training.

When implemented correctly, these principles provide a more efficient management landscape and create an environment where learners perform better and more consistently.

CARE: Creating a Supportive Learning Environment

Explanation: Demonstrating care involves creating an environment where learners feel supported and valued throughout their language learning journey.

Practical Example: Managers can set up a mentorship program where learners pair with a designated mentor, providing them with a go-to person for questions, encouragement, and practice, fostering a supportive learning atmosphere.

COACH: Tailoring Learning Programs to SLE Levels

Explanation: Coaching provides learners with constructive feedback, guidance, and strategies to improve their language proficiency.

Practical Example: Conduct monthly one-on-one meetings with learners to review their progress, set goals for the next period, and address any challenges they face.

CONNECT: Facilitating Language Practice Opportunities

Explanation: Connecting through language learning helps build stronger relationships among team members, encouraging collaboration and communication.

Practical Example: Organize weekly lunch-and-learn sessions where employees can informally practice language skills with colleagues, discuss their learning experiences, and share tips.

CONTRIBUTE: Integrating Language into Daily Work Activities

Explanation: Contribution ensures learners have opportunities to apply their language skills in meaningful work-related contexts, enhancing learning through practical application.

Practical Example: Encourage employees to lead a part of team meetings in their new language or to create bilingual reports, providing real-world practice that contributes to their work.

Congratulate: Recognizing and Rewarding Progress

Explanation: Acknowledging and celebrating milestones and achievements in language learning motivates learners and reinforces the value of their efforts.

Practical Example: Set up a recognition system where achievements in language learning are publicly acknowledged in team meetings or company newsletters. Establish criteria for excellence, such as completing a course level or successfully using the language in a work scenario, so expectations are clear and communicated.

Second Language Evaluation (SLE) Success Management Strategies

Organizations can employ several methods to create smoother and more efficient success management processes. These include:

• Hiring a full-time training manager or designating in-house
• Outsourcing training management to a third-party
• Adding a Learning Management System (LMS)

Hiring & Designating Management

Pro: A full-time or designated training manager will understand your organization’s specific needs and job qualifications and provide hands-on and real-time management ability.

Cons: Hiring a full-time professional comes with a large amount of overhead. Designating training management can become an undue side task that does not receive full attention or dedication.

Adding or designating this role also does not address the tools or infrastructure needed to carry out responsibilities efficiently. Unless the training manager is a professional French or English tutor, this option also does not solve how employees are trained.

Outsourcing Training & Management

Pro: Contracting with a second language school or tutoring service for Second Language Evaluation preparation offloads the responsibilities of actual training.

Cons: Communication and tracking with third-party providers is often challenging, and it can be difficult to firmly grasp employee progress when information is prone to be siloed by service providers. Lack of information breaks down your ability to gauge if training is practical and track return on investment (ROI). Classroom training timeslots and limited tutoring hours can distract employees from daily productivity and strain schedules.

Online Training & Learning Management System

Online SLE training and tutoring, such as LRDG, combines the benefits of all these strategies into a single deliverable. LRDG’s online portal allows teams to track training progress in real-time with reports, efficiently budget language training and maximize spending impact.

LRDG’s second language evaluation training program provides learners 24/7 access to online training resources, a self-study program, and flexible tutoring sessions. Learner success is also reinforced through four tiers of coverage — a product specialist, a personal tutor, a pedagogical advisor and an account manager/ client success agent.

Want to learn more about how LRDG can transform your language training? Book a call.