Did You Know?

WHY ANOTHER ENGLISH CLASS?

Many students at Niagara College are required to take business, technical, or report writing courses as part of their program requirements.  But why?  Many feel that companies will hire them based solely on their professional or technical skills.

Certainly a student’s core technical skills are central to landing a good job; yet many articles and surveys have demonstrated that even in entry-level positions, workers should expect to spend 10, 20, even 30% of their time on communication tasks.  These tasks may involve activities such as presenting at meetings, sending routine e-mail messages, writing progress reports, or even composing lengthy proposals.  In management positions the amount of time spent communicating can easily reach 50%.  It makes sense then, practically and economically, to hone workplace writing skills.

Besides, if you’re trying to land your “dream job,” you’ll have to organize high quality resumes, compose effective cover letters, and perform well in interviews, all of which represent only the beginning of the many communication tasks one can expect to do in the workplace.