Only 57% engineers can write grammatically correct English sentences: Aspiring Minds' report

KOLKATA: Only 57% engineers can write grammatically correct sentences in English, while more than half of all engineers (52%) would not be fluent in a majority of words that are used with regular frequency at the workplace. These were part of the findings of The English Gap Measured: English Learning Levels Engineers Graduates Report 2011-12, by employability measurement and recruitment firm Aspiring Minds.

The report, analysing the the English skills of over 55000 engineers in India, further revealed that more than 25% engineers do not even possess the English comprehension skills required to understand engineering school curriculum. Less than 48% engineers understand moderately sophisticated words of English and around 50% engineers possess grammar skills no better than a class VII student, the report added.

The report extensively discusses specific areas of English skills that engineering graduates most lack in and implications of these deficiencies. It also provides suggestive ways to bridge these gaps by way of interventions in the Indian higher education system in order to improve the English of students.

Based on the findings, the report made several recommendations on the premise that level of language fluency cannot be developed in four years alone. The onus lies on schools to clear the basics and inculcate in students a love for reading and writing in the English language. Consistent efforts over the four years of engineering education would bolster the command over all aspects of the language making students more employable, it said.

Varun Aggarwal, Director, Aspiring Minds said: "Recruiters and HR managers around the world report that candidates with English skills above the local average stand out from the crowd and garner 30-50% higher salaries than similarly-qualified candidates without English skills. The trends in India are no different, with English fluency being one of the key qualities recruiters look for during the interview process."