Case study

Name: Wong Ka Lai, Kathy

Country: Hong Kong

Job Title: Secretary

Qualification: City & Guilds Level 3 in English for Business Communications (EBC)

Kathy works for a garment company as a secretary. Every day she needs to liaise with foreign customers and good business communication skills definitely help give her a competitive edge in her career.

'Hong Kong is a metropolitan city. People here are required to communicate in English frequently. It is very important to have good communication with English-speaking customers and provide them with quality service.' Kathy says.

'The EBC qualifications help me because they're all work-based. I have learned about different types of correspondence, like preparing customer service letters, reports, press releases, etc. It gives me confidence when liaising with the foreign customers.

'City & Guilds EBC qualifications are recognised by the government and my employer will recognise the skills I have and will see that my abilities in English had a bearing on customer satisfaction.'

To further advance her career, Kathy is planning to study English and Company Secretarial courses and sees a good future for herself. 'I would like to be a company secretary. There are lots of promotion prospects.'