Enhancement of Employees Professional Development via Incorporating an Online Training Program: A Study on Oil and Gas Companies in Oman

Abstract

Professional development is considered a critical factor for organizations around the world that seeks to succeed in order to follow up the updates of globalization and marketization and face their challenges as well. Any organization needs to enhance the professional development of its staff, develop their performance, and consider the overall efficiency of its staff. Organizations need to consider effective strategies for enhancing their human resources to be in line with the requirements of modern life. To this effect, petroleum companies need to develop their employees’ professional development to perform successfully and competitively in their workplace. Petroleum companies in Oman are no exception. In the era of globalization, the enhancement of any workplace in any sector is determined by several key factors, and the English language is among these key factors. According to Evers et al., “Effective participation in contemporary, technology-based, knowledge society implies increasing importance for voluntary learning and development by employees (Cited in Collin & Heijdenden, 2012, p. 155). To this effect, companies must consider the relationship between the workplace and the investment of English to help employees and professionals operate effectively and professionally in the workplace.

This study aims to investigate the importance of developing an online course offering English for the workplace targeting the enhancement of professional development of employees in oil and gas companies across the country. The study is mixed method that employs questionnaire and interview surveys. The study came up with the findings that most employees are in favor of proposing an online platform that is specifically designed for offering English for the workplace.