MTN Group Invests in Business Communication Skill Development for Its Operations Across Africa and the Middle East to Meet the Needs of a Diverse Multinational Workforce

BRISBANE, CA--Marketwire - July 26, 2010: GlobalEnglish Corporation (www.GlobalEnglish.com), the leading provider of on-demand learning and support for business English communication, today announced that MTN Group, a multinational telecommunications group with operations across Africa and the Middle East, has signed a contract to offer GlobalEnglish's complete online solution to all of MTN employees.

The contract was initiated by GlobalEnglish's new partner in South Africa, The LR Management Group (LRMG). LRMG is responsible for introducing GlobalEnglish to global companies throughout Africa that need an effective online solution for developing business English competence, increasing employee productivity, and reducing costs. Both the partnership with LRMG and the new contract with MTN Group come at a time when all eyes have been on South Africa, where MTN was Africa's first-ever global sponsor of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.

The MTN Group has declared English their official business language. Yet as many of the company's employees are non-native speakers of English, the need for enhanced English communication skills is a strategic imperative so employees are able to communicate more effectively with both customers and colleagues across the world. Before implementing the GlobalEnglish solution, MTN decided to pilot the GlobalEnglish program with its employees; the desire for the programme was overwhelming, with 96% of participants stating that they would recommend GlobalEnglish to a colleague.

The internationalisation of the MTN Group, which has operations in over 21 countries with diverse languages and culture (over 30 different cultures work at MTN), has brought a significant number of HR benefits. While benefits include the mobility of employees between the different countries, there are however also communication challenges.

MTN Group HR Executive, Paul Norman, says "We have long recognised the importance of unifying our people, our operations, and our service through the use of English but until now, we had taken a decentralized approach which we realised was inconsistent, expensive and difficult to measure. We're excited to have found a solution that allows us to offer consistent and effective training of communication skills to all our employees, and believe that this is a valuable self development tool for them." 

The GlobalEnglish solution -- assessment, skill development, personal coaching and productivity tools -- will be deployed by MTN Group to all employees across the group's operations in Africa and the Middle East. GlobalEnglish CEO and President, Deepak Desai, says, "GlobalEnglish offers companies a solution for improving business English communication skills across the world so they can address communication needs in a way that is cost-effective, measurable, and scalable."

MTN Group is the first contract to result from GlobalEnglish's partnership with LRMG. "The LR Management Group has a strong reputation for providing outstanding solutions and supporting the development of people and organizations. We are delighted to be partnering with GlobalEnglish in order to meet the growing demand for English communication skills in the region, and we are grateful to MTN Group for committing to utilising the excellent resources delivered by GlobalEnglish," said Ricky Robinson, CEO for The LR Management Group.

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About GlobalEnglish
GlobalEnglish is the leading provider of online assessment, learning, and support for business English communication for the world's top companies. The company offers a suite of scalable, on-demand products that helps employees improve their ability to communicate effectively in English and enables companies to succeed in the global marketplace.

GlobalEnglish is proudly made up of a team of global consultants who partner with clients to assess their business English needs, ensure successful implementation, and provide ongoing local support in over 30 countries worldwide.

GlobalEnglish is the preferred choice of the world's largest companies, including BNP Paribas, Capgemini, Cisco, Deloitte, Deutsche Telekom, GSK, Hewlett-Packard, Hilton, John Deere, Procter & Gamble, Unisys, and Wyeth.

Learn more at www.GlobalEnglish.com

About MTN Group
Launched in 1994, the MTN Group Limited (MTN Group) is a multinational telecommunications group offering cellular network access and business solutions. As at 31 March 2010, MTN recorded 123,5 million subscribers across its operations in Afghanistan, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Republic, Iran, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville), Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Limited under the share code: "MTN."

Learn more at www.MTN.com

About The LR Management Group
The LR Management Group are leaders in people performance solutions. They focus on optimizing organizations' performance through engaging learning and consulting experiences. LRMG won the prestigious Deloitte 'Best Company to Work For' in 2007 and continue to live by these standards within their company and through their client interactions.

LRMG provides the African market with a vast range of people performance solutions. Their offerings include: generic and customized e-learning programs, talent management systems, leading learning material (DVDs & manuals) and consulting services that are guaranteed to increase employee effectiveness. 

Learn more at www.lrmg.co.za

© Press Release 2010