Project-Based Learning as a Bridge: Using Authentic Industry Tasks to Close the Curriculum–Workplace Gap in ESP Courses

The persistent gap between ESP curriculum content and authentic workplace communicative demands remains a central challenge in English for Specific Purposes education. Traditional approaches frequently prioritise decontextualised language forms or idealised professional genres, leaving graduates underprepared for the interactive, multimodal, collaborative, and digitally mediated practices of contemporary workplaces. This article examines Project-Based Learning (PBL) as a pedagogical bridge capable of narrowing that gap through the systematic integration of authentic industry tasks. Drawing on theoretical foundations in ESP needs analysis, sociocultural learning theory, and established PBL frameworks, the discussion analyses how carefully designed projects can align classroom activity with real professional communicative practices across engineering, business, and healthcare contexts. Core design principles are articulated, including task authenticity grounded in needs analysis, sustained inquiry, meaningful collaboration, multimodal and digital outcomes, and structured reflection. Insights from existing research and illustrative course implementations demonstrate potential gains in genre awareness, interactional competence, multimodal literacy, learner motivation, and transfer of skills to workplace settings. Challenges related to teacher preparation, assessment of process and product, institutional constraints, and the establishment of sustainable industry partnerships are critically examined. The article argues that PBL, when rigorously grounded in needs analysis and supported by targeted professional development and institutional enabling conditions, offers a coherent and adaptable means of enhancing the workplace relevance of ESP courses. Implications are drawn for curriculum design, teacher education, assessment reform, and university–industry collaboration, positioning authentic project work as a central rather than peripheral feature of effective ESP provision.

کلیدواژه ها:

Project-Based Learning ، English for Specific Purposes ، authentic tasks ، curriculum–workplace gap ، professional communication.