Occupational Spanish Language Training Courses: Command Spanish Review

Command Spanish Review
A number of local community colleges are partnering with Command Spanish, Inc. which is an affiliate language training agency that provides Spanish instruction for the workplace environment. They call this “job-related Spanish” which they also supplement with “cross-cultural training,” because working with other people requires fluency in more than just the spoken word.

Their goal, apparently, is to increase their market share by appealing to professionals in virtually every sector, both public and private, where knowledge of the Spanish language is increasingly necessary. We believe they have accurately defined a vitally important market demographic. Knowledge of Spanish in the workplace is increasingly indispensible, and that is our professed goal all along.

Occupational Spanish training
What we want to analyze here, however, is not the need that Command Spanish is responding to, but the effectiveness with which they respond to it. In order to cut to the chase, we are not going to focus on their “cross-cultural programs” because we believe regardless of however substantial those courses are, we believe they are included in the program in order to lure in consumers, both admin-side and student-side. Which is fine, but what we here at Spanish Professor are really focused on is the meat and bones of the program, which ideally should be quick, easy and effective language acquisition for the workplace. That’s why for the purposes of this review of Command Spanish, we are going to look exclusively at their job-related Spanish language training program.

First we address who, exactly, they are serving. After all, there is a wide variety of professions which could do well with Spanish. A quick brainstorm could find virtually any job or service in need of Spanish language skills. True enough, but, fortunately, Command Spanish has done the market research and determined which industries are currently exhibiting the direst need for increased Spanish fluency among their workforces. They have identified who needs to learn Spanish, and they have created classes for them. Here is a list of professions that Command Spanish caters to. They offer cheap Spanish language training for the following professions:

Hospital Nurses
Dentists
Financial Institutions
Spanish for Real Estate Sales
Construction Supervisors
Workplace (Clerical and Industrial employees)
Dental Hygienists
Respiratory Therapists
Pharmacy Personnel
Spanish for Physical Therapy – Continuing Education Credit offered
Spanish for Medical Office Nursing – Some colleges features community education credit
Spanish for Physicians
Community (Social Work)
Spanish for Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
Spanish for School Teachers (Preschool, Elementary & High School)
Law Enforcement Officers
Spanish for Library Personnel
Spanish for Retail Sales

This list is the result of precise market research. While at first glance it may seem like a random selection of industries, it is based on painstaking research of the actual demand that is out there. If you are an employee working in any of the above sectors and seeking to increase your human capital, or if you are a business owner or supervisor looking to increase the effectiveness of your workforce in reaching out to an increasingly key demographic – Spanish speakers – then it is important that you pay close attention to this review of Command Spanish, because regardless of what their quality is, they are becoming a pioneer in the language learning industry, and they could be coming to a college near you. In fact, they could effectively replace the existing Spanish program at your local college, or the university you are admitted to. That’s what could be either a good thing, or a cause for concern. On the one hand, by reaching out and becoming the outsourced resource for local, budget-strapped universities, Command Spanish is providing availability for Spanish language training where it might not otherwise exist. On the other hand, they could be outbidding and overwhelming the existing quality programs and, while streamlining and improving market efficiency, possibly cutting corners in a way that a local, community program might otherwise not be doing, necessarily.

To determine the quality of Command Spanish, we have conducted several interviews with employees, employers and college administration, to determine the experience. What most people agree on and praise about Command Spanish is the affordability. Cheap Spanish lessons for the workplace means that people can attain much-needed job skills in a very short period of time. This is crucial to people who have bills to pay, mouths to feed, and need to get into a higher paying bracket as soon as possible. Likewise, employers who sponsor Spanish language training for their staff appreciate the opportunity to fit this vital enhancement program into even the strictest of budgets.

Another aspect of Command Spanish, both online and classroom based programs, is the efficiency. In virtually all of the schools we interviewed, Command Spanish integrates seamlessly into the existing infrastructure, adding a negligible amount of paperwork for administration, and allowing students to enroll just as if it were another class developed and orchestrated by the college itself. Admin folks love Command Spanish because after the setup process, which naturally takes a little bit of work, this program runs itself and actually saves their offices time and resources. It doesn’t require babysitting; in many ways Command Spanish is its own supervisor.

One point of concern, however, is that the Command Spanish folks have generally been acquiring licenses and partnerships with lower-rung community colleges. While this may be a natural first step for an entrepreneuring outfit like Command Spanish, there are a couple of red flags worth examining. The first would be that the quality of their overall program is only suitable to the schools out there that serve the lowest income demographics, typically meaning the poorest quality programs. We wonder, is this going to be their level, consistently? Fortunately, they have been showing inroads in this regard, but we would like to see more. We will be keeping a close eye on their progress to higher level universities. Will their workplace Spanish language training program provide a competitive alternative to that of the existing programs in accredited state colleges and universities across the nation? That itself is a test of both their business acumen and/or their quality and effectiveness at providing preparation for the Spanish-speaking workplace.

Another factor to consider is test results. Are employees, aides, technicians and professionals actually at a level of Spanish fluency once they graduate from this short program. The answer is a resounding Yes. Of course there are statistical instances in which students fail. Just like any other program. But in general, there is a proven level of Spanish language acquisition that is outstanding.

But because the program is young and we need to see how it progresses, and whether or not sutdnents’ test scores can remain in their stellar positions as they currently are, we believe that the key selling point for Command Spanish remains its affordability. Cheap Spanish language training for the workplace is a vital necessity for those seeking to carve out a better place for themselves in this economy. Feed their families and pay the rent and provide a better future for their children. Command Spanish is a much needed program out there for many who would otherwise have no other option, because most Spanish workplace programs are too expensive. Command Spanish, so far, is providing excellent Spanish language training for employees and businesses at low cost.

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