ALIGNING BUSINESS ENGLISH INSTRUCTION WITH THE KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY: INCREASING PERFORMANCE OF A GLOBAL WORKFORCE

The global market for professional skills and competencies has undergone a radical transformation due to the shift from an industrial to a knowledge economy. Managing and applyng information has become as important as technical expertise in this new economy. This article discusses how Business English training can be changed to focus not only on the language but also on different aspects needed in the interconnected and information-rich business world. We believe that the integration of new methods of teaching English for business, particularly within the framework of games like Virtual Reality (VR) simulation and interactive software, will provide students with the skills they need to succeed in the knowledge economy.