New test streamlines options for English-speaking job hunters

By Wen Ya

The New Oriental Education & Technology Group, a Beijing-based English training center, signed a cooperation agreement with ATA, a Beijing-based services provider for testing, assessment and related services in China, to promote the TOEIC (Test of English for In-ternational Communication) in China on Saturday.

The TOEIC is a standard English test for non-native English speakers in the workplace, which has been widely used in the US and some European countries for 30 years, according to Michael Nettles, ETS (Educational Testing Service)'s vice president in US.

Thousands of people take the test in Japan and Korea every year, as the TOEIC has been recognized as a benchmark for prospective employers, said Wang Lin, president of ATA.

"The TOEIC provides a very strict and systematic tool for employers to assess applicants' English level in a working environment. Other English tests such as CET 4 are aimed at testing students' general knowledge of English," Wang said at the signing ceremony.

"I believe China is a great market for the TOEIC with its continuing policy of reform and opening," said Nettles.

"We'll continue to support students in China to help them gain more opportunities in the job market," he added.

TOEIC entered China in 2002, and so far this year 30,000 people have sat for the test. ATA began working with the New Oriental Group earlier on TOEIC training this year, according to Wang.

"The TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) training has laid a successful foundation for the New Oriental Group. But there are more people looking for jobs than studying abroad," Wang said. "TOEIC will boost more industries, including training and publishing in China."

"When students are looking for jobs, they only need take the TOEIC, which will save their time and energy," Yu Minhong, president of the New Oriental Group, told the Global Times.

All of New Oriental's non-native English speakers are now preparing to take the TOEIC themselves, Yu said, adding that it would be a must for future applicants to the company.