UNIT

1
Vocabulary

Staff development
and training

1 a Complete the text with the words in the box.

boss

careers

contracts

course

Our company uses a professional agency to 1 recruit. new 2.................... The company is a management consultancy, so most
new workers have a university 3 experience in this particular 4
even if they have little Also, it's quite typical

degree for people to have done other jobs during their 5.................. before. employees becoming
management consultants. The company 6
employer
employs 7 profession qualifications
recruit skills
........... about

500 people. For the first two years, workers are on temporary
........, but after that, people are usually made permanent. I think our company is a good 8
- new employees are given an induction 9................. when they start, and on-the-job training to pick up the necessary
10... to do our work well, and the professional 11................... which are expected by our clients. Also, we're closely supervised, and
my 12..........., Adam, regularly appraises my progress both formally and informally.

b Now use the same words to write a paragraph about your company,
or a company you know well.

2. Brainstorm words connected with staff training. When you have finished,
check for more words by looking at Unit 1 in the Student's Book.

3 Write a brief paragraph describing staff training in the place where you
work. See how many of the words from the list in Exercise 1 you can use.

Grammar

1 Look at this leaflet from the Skills Development College and complete the
report on the next page by putting the adjectives in brackets into the comparative or superlative form.
6
SKILLS DEVELOPMENT COLLEGE

THE SMARTEST WAY TO GET YOUR STAFF UP TO SPEED

Basic Computer Advanced Computer

Course

Skills
Skills

Length Hours per week

Timetable
4 weeks

4
6 weeks

Fri. 4-8 p.m.

Mon. and Weds.

9-12 a.m.

Trainees per class Price (per student)

8 max.

€200
6 max.

€300

The Skills Development College.

The Skills Development College offers three courses (see accompanying leaflet) which might meet our staff-training
needs. during the next year. The one which is 1 least useful (useful) is the Basic Computer Skills
course, since all our staff have basic computer literacy. The Advanced Computer Skills course could be 2
(appropriate), especially for some senior managers who have had little time for intensive training. However, it is scheduled at
the

(inconvenient) time on Monday and Wednesday mornings, just when managers are likely to be 4
3

addition, the course is 5

...... (busy). In (expensive), which means that

(few) staff on our

(many) of our junior
we will be able to give training to 6 present budget. The course which 7 staff could benefit from is the Introduction to
Accounting. This is run outside office hours (8-10 p.m. Mon.-Thurs.), which means that it
(little) effect on the running of our offices.
(costly) than it appears,
will have 8

However, it is likely to prove 9

the 10
as we will have to pay overtime to staff attending the course. Also, ..........(large) size of the classes reflects the fact
that ...........(theoretical) than the computer-skills
(hands-on) approach.
the course is 11

courses, which have a 12

2 a Complete the text with a verb from the box in the correct tense - past
simple or present perfect.

........ me to

I 1.joined. BP as a graduate trainee four years ago 12 my degree in Mechanical Engineering at Leeds
University and they obviously 3 right at the beginning that I 4 ..... someone they wanted to keep, so they 5 ............. me on the
fast track to promotion. This meant that I 6...... just three months in the production department and then they 7 marketing. Since
company and I 9...... ...... an overseas posting as well - I 10..................
then, I 8................. in three different divisions of the
assistant divisional manager in Venezuela for six months last year. The company 11 .......... me to continue training, and last
month I 12
my professional exams and a member of the Institute of Chartered Engineers.
Introduction to Accounting

10 weeks
13

Mon.-Thurs.

8-10 p.m.
20 max.

€150

UNIT 1 Staff development and training

b Write a similar paragraph to describe your own
professional career.

UNIT 1 Staff development and training

be
be

become
decide
do

do

do

encourage

joined
move

put
spend
work