Industry-specific language courses for companies
Language barriers cost time and compromise quality – and sometimes safety.
When employees misunderstand work instructions, customer conversations falter or safety regulations are not communicated clearly, the entire company is affected. Academia Languages develops practical, industry-specific language courses for companies, tailored to your sector, working environment and specific communication goals. In several industries, course costs are covered in part or in full by industry or joint funds.
Hospitality and catering
As a partner of Hotel & Gastro formation, we offer job-specific language courses in German, English, French and Italian that are specifically designed for everyday work in the hospitality industry.
The courses are divided into specialist areas: housekeeping, reception, kitchen and service. They are aimed at employees who are beginners at A1 level or who have not yet reached the target level of B1 or B2.
Typical course content
- Looking after and serving guests in the restaurant and at reception
- Communicating within the team and with supervisors
- Understanding operating and maintenance instructions for equipment
- Receiving deliveries
- Providing information about oneself and one’s profession
- Other job-related language scenarios
For companies subject to the National Collective Labour Agreement for the Hospitality Industry, the job-specific language course, including teaching materials, is fully financed through L-GAV contributions. Employees who are not subject to mandatory L-GAV coverage can attend the course at the cost price of CHF 1,370 per course.
Bakery, confectionery and pastry industry
On behalf of Richemont, we provide German and French courses for employees, regular advanced courses in German and English, and German certificate courses.
The industry-specific courses focus on oral communication in real production situations.
Typical course content
- Receiving production tasks for the working day
- Understanding and discussing recipes
- Correctly naming equipment and raw materials
- Reporting problems and asking follow-up questions
- And much more
Companies subject to the industry collective labour agreement can finance the course costs through professional contributions.
Further information and course bookings: richemont.swiss
Would you like your employees to communicate more effectively in production?
Construction
With “German on the Construction Site”, we teach language skills specifically tailored to everyday work in the construction industry. Parifond Bau contributes financially to the course costs. Companies subject to the National Collective Labour Agreement for the Swiss Construction Industry are eligible to participate.
The courses are aimed at foreign-language construction workers with limited German skills. Based on the fide approach, which focuses on language in everyday life, they strengthen oral communication skills in real workplace contexts.
Typical course content
- Understanding and following safety instructions
- Receiving and clarifying work assignments
- Asking follow-up questions and reporting problems
- Communicating within the team and reporting on work
- And much more
Companies subject to the National Collective Labour Agreement for the Swiss Construction Industry can receive co-financing for the course costs from Parifond Bau.
Further information: parifonds-bau.ch
Do you work in construction? Check your eligibility for financial support and enquire about a course.
Other industries
Other industries have also benefited from our expertise in developing workplace language courses and have used the “Simply Better!… At Work” funding programme.
Logistics and transport
In collaboration with Camion Transport
German and French courses for employees working in logistics, warehousing and driving services
Healthcare
In collaboration with Siloah
Language courses for nursing professionals and care staff in the healthcare sector
Textile cleaning
In collaboration with ELIS Switzerland
German courses for employees working in laundries and textile care
Is your industry not listed?
We will also find the right solution for your industry.
We analyse your specific working situations, define relevant communication goals and develop a curriculum with industry-specific vocabulary and realistic scenarios. You can focus on your core business while we take care of everything from planning to reporting.
What our partners say
Over the past few years, our employees have consistently benefited from the smooth and professional collaboration with Academia. Tailored language courses at various locations across Switzerland, with training content specifically designed around their work, have won us and our employees over. This helps reduce mistakes and misunderstandings in the workplace, improves teamwork, and – most importantly- allows for a fun atmosphere during the courses thanks to the skilled language instructors. No wonder the next course is already set to start in the coming months.
Benni Lurvink, Head of Training and Continuing Education Coop GroupThanks to the funding initiatives, we have provided training for our kitchen and housekeeping staff at our hotel. Working with Academia was a very positive experience and the courses ran very smoothly. We can highly recommend Academia as a training partner.
Sina Habegger, Human Resources Belvédère StrandhotelThanks to Academia Languages’ “Simply Better! … in the workplace” course, our employees have significantly improved their German language skills. This has encouraged their active participation in the continuous improvement process. The practical, hands-on lessons have enriched our employees’ daily work lives. Working with Academia Languages was straightforward, and their customer service was excellent. We would therefore wholeheartedly recommend Academia Languages.
Yvonne Schorno, HR Manager Hug FamilieWorking with Academia Languages has been a real asset for us. The course “Simply Better!… in the workplace” played a key role in breaking down communication barriers in our multicultural production environment and strengthening team dynamics. Although putting what they learned into practice was a challenge for some employees, the course was generally well-received. We particularly appreciated the seamless guidance and administrative support provided by Academia, which allowed us to focus on our daily tasks. We are already looking forward to the follow-up course in the fall and highly recommend Academia Languages.
Rea Zimmer, HR Manager CamfilDuring the course, our employees were able to further develop their German language skills directly through realistic working situations – ranging from technical vocabulary and internal documents to conversations on the construction site, in customer service, or with clients. The participants’ high level of motivation and their desire to continue learning show us that this training was perceived as genuine support and a sign of appreciation. Academia Languages provided professional guidance throughout the process and delivered a practical course program that was a great fit for our company and our employees.
Tamara Hersperger, HR Manager alltech Installationen AGWorking with Academia was a smooth and straightforward experience. We particularly appreciated the comprehensive support with all administrative tasks, which saved us a great deal of time and effort.
An individual learning plan was developed for our staff, tailored specifically to our trade and the technical terms needed in their day-to-day work.
The practical German course was the ideal solution: in a small learning group, our employees were able to elevate their language skills in a targeted manner.
We are very satisfied with the collaboration and can recommend Academia as a competent and reliable training partner.
Nicole Zimmermann, Human Resources dürrenberger maler ag