Challenge

CORFO, the Chilean Economic Development Agency, realised that the lack of information on English-language credentials for job candidates was affecting Chile’s growth — even though businesses were drawn to Chile because of its prime offshore location. Several companies stated the sole reason they did not outsource business to Chile was because they were unable to assess
the English-language skills of Chile’s workforce.

Solution

After a thorough evaluation of English-language certification exams, CORFO selected the TOEIC^® test as the most appropriate tool for effectively assessing how well Chile’s workforce could communicate in English in the global workplace. CORFO also financed the production of a new database, a national English-speakers’ registry that contains an individual’s TOEIC test scores, along with personal, educational and professional data.

Results

• The accessibility of TOEIC test results has allowed foreign companies to offer nearly 1,000 employment opportunities to bilingual candidates.
• Without TOEIC test results and CORFO’s English-speakers’ registry, these candidates would have remained unknown. 
• TOEIC test scores have made it possible for many professionals to find jobs, even though they are not 100 percent fluent in English.
• The TOEIC test has been given in 26 cities, across all regions of Chile.
• The database has been used by more than 500 companies and contains the names of 36,500+ people

Other government agencies worldwide that use the TOEIC test:

Organising committee of the 2007 Qingdao International Regatta