Speaking French is more than an asset on your CV, it’s actual added value for your career. The École de français de la Faculté de l’éducation permanente (FEP) confirms this through its specific offer to organizations: more and more companies are offering French courses to their employees, and rightly so. They have everything to gain from providing French courses to their staff, whether it’s to optimize overall performance or for their employees’ career progression.
According to the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF), companies with more than 50 employees are not required to implement a francization program as long as they demonstrate the general use of French in their offices. However, to guarantee its widespread use and to attract the best talent, offering French courses is an essential condition for the success and quality of the employer brand.
French is an essential economic language
With a market of 300 million people, the French-speaking world enjoys certain economic vitality in a number of sectors. Québec or francophone flagships in the cultural industry, including the Cirque du Soleil, the creative industry, such as Moment Factory, or video game developers, like Ubisoft, show that working in French or bilingually can be a proven winner. Several networks are even organized within the Francophonie: the French-speaking Réseau francophone de l’innovation or the Réseau des associations professionnelles francophone, for example.
According to Biba Fakhouri, Vice-Dean of the FEP and former director of the École de français de la FEP, “English is certainly important in business, but French has a card to play and occupies a very important role in the French-speaking economic space. Furthermore, we observe this vitality in several economic sectors and regions around the world, especially in Africa, where a large part of commercial exchanges are carried out in French. It’s therefore an undeniable asset for those organizations and their people.”
One language across cultures serving the corporate world
According to Biba Fakhouri, French is not only an economic or working language, it’s also loaded with cultural references for everyone who speaks it, whether in Québec or elsewhere. “This language shapes our societal identity and thus contributes to our development within the community and, of course, organizations,” she specifies. “This is also the reason why culture takes such an important place in our courses at the École de français de la FEP. We not only teach French as a linguistic system, but also include Québec, Franco-Canadian and French-speaking cultural references. Intercultural skills are essential for finding your place among your colleagues, integrating into your company and advancing your career. Hence the importance for companies to offer French courses that integrate these concepts. For example, in one of our courses we discuss how time, a universal concept found in all cultures, is used in language, in history, geography, sociology, science and in business.”
An argument for attracting and retaining talent
In Québec, French has been established as the language of work, commerce and business. It’s a major asset for anyone in the job market or linked to the Québec market. Understanding Québec or French-speaking culture is necessary when interacting with colleagues, managing teams, showcasing skills... in a word, it’s essential for managing your projects, establishing quality connections and advancing in your career. Companies have every interest in teaching their staff French to improve internal relations, attract talent from the Francophonie and, of course, retain them.
It’s this professional aspect on which several of the French courses at the École de français de la FEP focus, whether for example the French for business purposes course or the professional communication course offered at the École de langues, but also tailor-made for businesses.
“What characterizes the École de français de la FEP, beyond its long tradition of teaching and disseminating French for more than 75 years, is our expertise and the variety of angles with which we approach the teaching of French. Of course, we teach oral and written skills, but also and above all, French for specific objectives: French in a professional context or French for health, law or administration. We are predominantly known for this expertise and it is a real advantage for companies looking to train their teams, particularly the French in their activity sector,” concludes Biba Fakhouri.
The École de français de la FEP offers a range of tailor-made, intermediate-level French courses for public and private organizations, as well as a certificate in French as a second language and a linguistic stay.
To organize French courses for your company, contact Sana Sabouni: sana.sabouni@umontreal.ca.