The Business Language Testing Service (BULATS) is a language assessment service specifically for the use of companies and organisations. BULATS is for organisations which need a reliable way of assessing the language ability of groups of employees or trainees.
The service is designed to test the language of employees who need to use a foreign language in their work, and for students and employees on language courses or on professional/business courses where foreign language ability is an important element of the course.
The service provides:
- relevant, useful and reliable language tests in work contexts
- test administration to suit the client company's individual requirements
- rapid turn around of test results
- information to help the interpretation of test results
- advice to companies on appropriate strategies for language testing, assessing language needs (language auditing) and training.
Language skills are essential to any company working in today’s global economy.
The following are just a few of the ways BULATS can provide an indispensable tool for measuring and developing these skills:
Evaluating the language skills of staff within a company
A company decides it wants a complete language profile of its staff. BULATS can be used to test some or all employees. The service can also be used at regular intervals to monitor the company's language profile.
Evaluating the language skills of job applicants
A company is recruiting staff to work in its international sales department. BULATS provides a simple way of testing prospective employees and providing the company with an up-to-date and accurate assessment of language ability.
Placing learners on suitable courses for language training
A business college provides language training courses for its students and needs to place them in courses at the right level. BULATS can be used to place the students in suitable courses.
Screening learners who are unsuitable for the training courses provided
A company wants to concentrate its language training on employees who are already close to the level of language required. BULATS can provide a test to screen off unsuitable candidates and so help make best use of resources available.
Evaluating language training given
The training division of a company needs to assess the quality of language training being provided by an external training organisation. BULATS can be used to test people at the beginning and end of the course to monitor progress.
Recommending suitable standard examinations for learners
An organisation would like to motivate its staff by sponsoring them to take standard examinations which provide a certificate with international currency (such as the Cambridge First Certificate in English). BULATS provides a test to help advise which standard examination would be most suitable.
To provide testing support for language audits
Language audits are being used increasingly - BULATS can provide a valuable language testing tool in carrying out the assessment of a company's language requirements.
Here are some examples of companies that already use BULATS: Who uses BULATS? (PDF)
