By Kwon Mee-yoo
Source: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/06/113_47315.html
A group of people were caught transmitting TOEIC answers through wireless headsets and cell phones.The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said it arrested Kim, 42, and Park, 31, for interfering with the business of the Korea TOEIC Committee. A total of 28 test takers were booked without physical detention Tuesday.According to police, Kim and Park reaped 50 million won ($39,000) in illegal gains for providing TOEIC answers from February to May. Each applicant paid 2-3 million won for the service.They collected their ``customers'' by guaranteeing high TOEIC scores. Park, a former English instructor, who lived in the United States for 27 years, took the test and sent the answers through a wireless set, and Kim, waiting outside the testing facility, re-transmitted the answers to their customers.Kim used a special wireless system for nearby applicants and text-messaged via cell phone for examinees at farther locations.The test takers, who previously recorded an average score of 500, scored more than 900 points each. Most of them were in their 20s and 30s ― 13 jobseekers, nine office workers and six university students.The cheating came to the light after another test taker reported the suspicious acts on the Internet and reported it to the local TOEIC committee. The committee requested the police to investigate.``The fraudsters took advantage of the desperateness of low-scoring test takers, as TOEIC scores have a big effect on getting jobs and promotions,'' a police officer said.Police said Kim and Park interviewed the examinees beforehand to check if any family members were police, and did not reuse the mobile phone used for the crime.Kim was caught for TOEIC cheating three years ago and conveyed the method to Park, who he met in prison, the police said. The investigation is being expanded for tests conducted before February.``The proctors take away cell phones and store them before the test. However, some do not submit theirs and there is no way to restrain it since we cannot search every applicant,'' Kim Hak-woo of the committee said.meeyoo@koreatimes.co.kr
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Fraudsters Used Mobile Gadgets to Transmit Answers
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Source: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/06/113_47315.html
A group of people were caught transmitting TOEIC answers through wireless headsets and cell phones.The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said it arrested Kim, 42, and Park, 31, for interfering with the business of the Korea TOEIC Committee. A total of 28 test takers were booked without physical detention Tuesday.According to police, Kim and Park reaped 50 million won ($39,000) in illegal gains for providing TOEIC answers from February to May. Each applicant paid 2-3 million won for the service.They collected their ``customers'' by guaranteeing high TOEIC scores. Park, a former English instructor, who lived in the United States for 27 years, took the test and sent the answers through a wireless set, and Kim, waiting outside the testing facility, re-transmitted the answers to their customers.Kim used a special wireless system for nearby applicants and text-messaged via cell phone for examinees at farther locations.The test takers, who previously recorded an average score of 500, scored more than 900 points each. Most of them were in their 20s and 30s ― 13 jobseekers, nine office workers and six university students.The cheating came to the light after another test taker reported the suspicious acts on the Internet and reported it to the local TOEIC committee. The committee requested the police to investigate.``The fraudsters took advantage of the desperateness of low-scoring test takers, as TOEIC scores have a big effect on getting jobs and promotions,'' a police officer said.Police said Kim and Park interviewed the examinees beforehand to check if any family members were police, and did not reuse the mobile phone used for the crime.Kim was caught for TOEIC cheating three years ago and conveyed the method to Park, who he met in prison, the police said. The investigation is being expanded for tests conducted before February.``The proctors take away cell phones and store them before the test. However, some do not submit theirs and there is no way to restrain it since we cannot search every applicant,'' Kim Hak-woo of the committee said.meeyoo@koreatimes.co.kr
Source: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/06/113_47315.html
A group of people were caught transmitting TOEIC answers through wireless headsets and cell phones.The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said it arrested Kim, 42, and Park, 31, for interfering with the business of the Korea TOEIC Committee. A total of 28 test takers were booked without physical detention Tuesday.According to police, Kim and Park reaped 50 million won ($39,000) in illegal gains for providing TOEIC answers from February to May. Each applicant paid 2-3 million won for the service.They collected their ``customers'' by guaranteeing high TOEIC scores. Park, a former English instructor, who lived in the United States for 27 years, took the test and sent the answers through a wireless set, and Kim, waiting outside the testing facility, re-transmitted the answers to their customers.Kim used a special wireless system for nearby applicants and text-messaged via cell phone for examinees at farther locations.The test takers, who previously recorded an average score of 500, scored more than 900 points each. Most of them were in their 20s and 30s ― 13 jobseekers, nine office workers and six university students.The cheating came to the light after another test taker reported the suspicious acts on the Internet and reported it to the local TOEIC committee. The committee requested the police to investigate.``The fraudsters took advantage of the desperateness of low-scoring test takers, as TOEIC scores have a big effect on getting jobs and promotions,'' a police officer said.Police said Kim and Park interviewed the examinees beforehand to check if any family members were police, and did not reuse the mobile phone used for the crime.Kim was caught for TOEIC cheating three years ago and conveyed the method to Park, who he met in prison, the police said. The investigation is being expanded for tests conducted before February.``The proctors take away cell phones and store them before the test. However, some do not submit theirs and there is no way to restrain it since we cannot search every applicant,'' Kim Hak-woo of the committee said.meeyoo@koreatimes.co.kr
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Universities urged to improve English language skills for students
Source: http://english.vietnamnet.vn/education/2008/12/817255/
VietNamNet Bridge - Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Education and Training Banh Tien Long has asked universities to help students improve their English so that they can use it confidently and competently by 2015. Mr Long made the statement at a seminar held in Hanoi on December 5 with a focus on English language training for students at universities in Vietnam. The event was co-organised by the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) and the Educational Testing Service (ETS) Global. Mr Long said that to improve the quality of teaching and English language skills, universities should attach more importance to upgrading infrastructure and English teaching facilities. In addition, teachers should improve their teaching methods and their knowledge to encourage students to get involved in studying English. Tran Thi Ha, head of the University and Post-University Department under the MOET said that universities should pay more attention to teaching English for Special Purposes (ESP). To help universities accomplish this, from now till 2010, the MoET will implement the teaching of English under four specialities including information technology, finance-banking, business administration and tourism. By 2020, universities should strive to prepare students to learn ESP in English. General Director of the ETS, Dr Zoubir Yazid said that English teaching in Vietnam should be in accordance with international standards in future. Accordingly, universities should invite foreign experts and lecturers to teach their students. In addition, it should be a compulsory requirement that employees should hold TOEFL, IELTS or TOEIC certificates before being admitted to work at enterprises and agencies.
VietNamNet Bridge - Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Education and Training Banh Tien Long has asked universities to help students improve their English so that they can use it confidently and competently by 2015. Mr Long made the statement at a seminar held in Hanoi on December 5 with a focus on English language training for students at universities in Vietnam. The event was co-organised by the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) and the Educational Testing Service (ETS) Global. Mr Long said that to improve the quality of teaching and English language skills, universities should attach more importance to upgrading infrastructure and English teaching facilities. In addition, teachers should improve their teaching methods and their knowledge to encourage students to get involved in studying English. Tran Thi Ha, head of the University and Post-University Department under the MOET said that universities should pay more attention to teaching English for Special Purposes (ESP). To help universities accomplish this, from now till 2010, the MoET will implement the teaching of English under four specialities including information technology, finance-banking, business administration and tourism. By 2020, universities should strive to prepare students to learn ESP in English. General Director of the ETS, Dr Zoubir Yazid said that English teaching in Vietnam should be in accordance with international standards in future. Accordingly, universities should invite foreign experts and lecturers to teach their students. In addition, it should be a compulsory requirement that employees should hold TOEFL, IELTS or TOEIC certificates before being admitted to work at enterprises and agencies.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
The BPO industry is keen on developing a common standard
Source: http://www.businessworld.in/index.php/Information-Technology/Setting-The-Bar.html
The BPO industry is keen on developing a common standard
M. RAJENDRAN
11 July 2008
Illustration By Anthony Lawrence
Inevitably, it is competition that forces better standards. Faced with growing competition from countries such as Ireland and the Philippines, the ITES/BPO (information technology enabled services/ business process outsourcing) industry in India is now willing to develop a single standard for recruiting universally acceptable candidates. “We as an industry have failed till now, and need to develop various levels of competence as a standard,” says the pioneer of the Indian BPO industry, Raman Roy, chief executive officer of Quattro, an ITES company. “That way, customers can choose a company that would meet their demand.”
English language skills, commonly seen as the most obvious area requiring attention, is not the only thing on the mind of industry peers. Common standards are also sought for recruitment, due diligence and employee security. In addition, software majors are working with the BPO industry to evolve a common standard for the software it uses.
The subject has critical value for BPOs as they spend crores of rupees annually, and lose valuable time in training and re-training executives. Industry estimates put the average cost that a BPO company ( 200-300 seats) spends on training at Rs 5 lakh-10 lakh per month. Therefore, a universal standard holds considerable promise.
“We need a standard that can test skills in speaking, writing, communicating and listening, not just English [as a language],” says a senior executive responsible for recruitment at Steria India (formerly Xansa), an ITES company based in Noida in Uttar Pradesh.
“The BPO industry should also look at a screening software that can identify candidates and test their integrity. If the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) can offer all this, it can become an industry standard.” TOEIC is a global standard for measuring English language skills for business; the test is conducted by Princeton-based ETS, a private, non-profit organisation for educational measurement and research, primarily through testing.
Part of the reason why the Indian ITES industry did not bother with a single standard for over a decade was that it was raining business. Now, fears of a strong rupee alongside competition from other countries have made a single standard essential. “The situation is ripe for India to take the lead amongst global BPOs by setting a single standard,” says Roy.
India’s software body Nasscom (National Association of Software Services Companies) launched an initiative in 2006 called Assessment of Competence (NAC). “The association has taken the employment pyramid approach to understand the industry’s skills requirement better and [to] create specific education and development initiatives [on this] basis,” says Som Mittal, president of Nasscom. However, Mittal could not provide any specific number with regard to companies that have accepted NAC as a standard.
“The initiative by Nasscom has failed to address key issues and, hence, the search continues for an all-industry acceptable standard,” says Muneed Ahemad Khan, head of human resource and training with Call2Connect India, which provides ITES services to Tata Teleservices, Airtel and Vodafone. According to Khan, the key issue that Nasscom failed to address include security, written and accent skills.
Still, if the current momentum to establish that elusive standard is sustained, the Indian BPO industry could soon come out with an international standard, says Khan. Necessity is the mother of standards, too.
(Businessworld Issue 15-21 July 2008)
The BPO industry is keen on developing a common standard
M. RAJENDRAN
11 July 2008
Illustration By Anthony Lawrence
Inevitably, it is competition that forces better standards. Faced with growing competition from countries such as Ireland and the Philippines, the ITES/BPO (information technology enabled services/ business process outsourcing) industry in India is now willing to develop a single standard for recruiting universally acceptable candidates. “We as an industry have failed till now, and need to develop various levels of competence as a standard,” says the pioneer of the Indian BPO industry, Raman Roy, chief executive officer of Quattro, an ITES company. “That way, customers can choose a company that would meet their demand.”
English language skills, commonly seen as the most obvious area requiring attention, is not the only thing on the mind of industry peers. Common standards are also sought for recruitment, due diligence and employee security. In addition, software majors are working with the BPO industry to evolve a common standard for the software it uses.
The subject has critical value for BPOs as they spend crores of rupees annually, and lose valuable time in training and re-training executives. Industry estimates put the average cost that a BPO company ( 200-300 seats) spends on training at Rs 5 lakh-10 lakh per month. Therefore, a universal standard holds considerable promise.
“We need a standard that can test skills in speaking, writing, communicating and listening, not just English [as a language],” says a senior executive responsible for recruitment at Steria India (formerly Xansa), an ITES company based in Noida in Uttar Pradesh.
“The BPO industry should also look at a screening software that can identify candidates and test their integrity. If the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) can offer all this, it can become an industry standard.” TOEIC is a global standard for measuring English language skills for business; the test is conducted by Princeton-based ETS, a private, non-profit organisation for educational measurement and research, primarily through testing.
Part of the reason why the Indian ITES industry did not bother with a single standard for over a decade was that it was raining business. Now, fears of a strong rupee alongside competition from other countries have made a single standard essential. “The situation is ripe for India to take the lead amongst global BPOs by setting a single standard,” says Roy.
India’s software body Nasscom (National Association of Software Services Companies) launched an initiative in 2006 called Assessment of Competence (NAC). “The association has taken the employment pyramid approach to understand the industry’s skills requirement better and [to] create specific education and development initiatives [on this] basis,” says Som Mittal, president of Nasscom. However, Mittal could not provide any specific number with regard to companies that have accepted NAC as a standard.
“The initiative by Nasscom has failed to address key issues and, hence, the search continues for an all-industry acceptable standard,” says Muneed Ahemad Khan, head of human resource and training with Call2Connect India, which provides ITES services to Tata Teleservices, Airtel and Vodafone. According to Khan, the key issue that Nasscom failed to address include security, written and accent skills.
Still, if the current momentum to establish that elusive standard is sustained, the Indian BPO industry could soon come out with an international standard, says Khan. Necessity is the mother of standards, too.
(Businessworld Issue 15-21 July 2008)
Many cos using NIIT’s English test
Source: Hindu Business Line
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/11/13/stories/2008111352180400.htm
Many cos using NIIT’s English test
Our Bureau
New Delhi, Nov 12 NIIT has said 24/7 Customer, Genpact, Inventurus and Wipro are among the companies that have utilised its TOEIC English-language assessment test, as criteria of employee communication skills.
“Through NIIT’s TOEIC test administration, these companies participated in a benchmarking exercise of their employees’ communication skills. The benchmarking exercise will help corporations set acceptance standards while recruiting.” an NIIT release said here.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Your TOEIC Experience
Dear TOEIC Test taker,
Do leave your comments here to share your TOEIC experience - pleasant or unpleasant. Do let us know how TOEIC has helped you advance your career, identify training areas or win appreciation from your colleagues and seniors.
We value your comments!
Thank You
NIIT Litmus Team
http://www.niitlitmus.com
Do leave your comments here to share your TOEIC experience - pleasant or unpleasant. Do let us know how TOEIC has helped you advance your career, identify training areas or win appreciation from your colleagues and seniors.
We value your comments!
Thank You
NIIT Litmus Team
http://www.niitlitmus.com
Thursday, November 13, 2008
BPO Industry in India endorses TOEIC
Source: http://www.indiainfoline.com/company/innernews.asp?storyId=84558&lmn=4
NIIT announces endorsement of TOEIC
India Infoline News Service / Mumbai Nov 11, 2008 18:15
The benchmarking exercise will help corporations set acceptance standards while recruiting
NIIT Ltd has announced the endorsement of the TOEIC (Test of English for International CommunicationT) test by leading corporations throughout India. Through NIIT's first nationwide TOEIC test administration, 24/7 Customer, Genpact, Inventurus and Wipro participated in a benchmarking exercise of > their employees' communication skills.
The benchmarking exercise will help corporations set acceptance standards while recruiting. This will also aid in monitoring improvement of communication skills of employees as they undergo training. 24/7 Customer, Wipro and Inventurus join other industry leaders such as - Call2Connect, Fiserv, HCL, HTMT, Steria (Xansa), Minacs (TransWorks) and NIIT Technologies - in their endorsement of the TOEIC test as the established industry criteria for assessing a candidate's proficiency of English for workplace communication.
Calling the first TOEIC test 'a benchmark of its kind in the country,' Ashish Basu, President of New Business Incubation for NIIT, says, 'Participation of blue-chip companies in the TOEIC test is a validation of their acceptance of TOEIC test scores as the criteria for English >communicative ability of individuals at workplace.'
"We plan to roll it out across 20 cities in the next three months,' adds Basu. The TOEIC test, developed by Educational Testing Service (ETS), is the > world's most widely accepted workplace English-language assessment tool. Offered in 90 countries around the world, the TOEIC test is used by more > than 9,000 corporations, educational institutions and government agencies.
The company has announced that TOEIC test administrations will be held every month. During this introductory period, the TOEIC test will be priced at Rs 2495, with a special waiver for students who desire to take the test. As part of the preparation kit for the test, NIIT will provide aspiring candidates with an e-Learning CD that will contain the examinee handbook and sample test content.
NIIT announces endorsement of TOEIC
India Infoline News Service / Mumbai Nov 11, 2008 18:15
The benchmarking exercise will help corporations set acceptance standards while recruiting
NIIT Ltd has announced the endorsement of the TOEIC (Test of English for International CommunicationT) test by leading corporations throughout India. Through NIIT's first nationwide TOEIC test administration, 24/7 Customer, Genpact, Inventurus and Wipro participated in a benchmarking exercise of > their employees' communication skills.
The benchmarking exercise will help corporations set acceptance standards while recruiting. This will also aid in monitoring improvement of communication skills of employees as they undergo training. 24/7 Customer, Wipro and Inventurus join other industry leaders such as - Call2Connect, Fiserv, HCL, HTMT, Steria (Xansa), Minacs (TransWorks) and NIIT Technologies - in their endorsement of the TOEIC test as the established industry criteria for assessing a candidate's proficiency of English for workplace communication.
Calling the first TOEIC test 'a benchmark of its kind in the country,' Ashish Basu, President of New Business Incubation for NIIT, says, 'Participation of blue-chip companies in the TOEIC test is a validation of their acceptance of TOEIC test scores as the criteria for English >communicative ability of individuals at workplace.'
"We plan to roll it out across 20 cities in the next three months,' adds Basu. The TOEIC test, developed by Educational Testing Service (ETS), is the > world's most widely accepted workplace English-language assessment tool. Offered in 90 countries around the world, the TOEIC test is used by more > than 9,000 corporations, educational institutions and government agencies.
The company has announced that TOEIC test administrations will be held every month. During this introductory period, the TOEIC test will be priced at Rs 2495, with a special waiver for students who desire to take the test. As part of the preparation kit for the test, NIIT will provide aspiring candidates with an e-Learning CD that will contain the examinee handbook and sample test content.
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