Realigning ESP Curricula with Industry Demands: Insights from a Longitudinal Needs Analysis of Alumni and Employers

This study presents a four-year longitudinal needs analysis (۲۰۱۸–۲۰۲۱) investigating the alignment between ESP curricula and evolving industry communicative demands. Drawing on repeated questionnaire data from ۱۱۲ employers and ۱۸۶ alumni, complemented by semi-structured interviews and systematic analysis of programme documents, the research tracked changes in employer priorities and alumni perceptions of university preparation. Results indicate that core workplace requirements remained relatively stable, with highest importance consistently assigned to meeting participation, negotiation and conflict management, audience-focused digital writing, intercultural adaptation, and hybrid collaboration. The perceived importance of digital and remote communication skills increased notably over the study period. Alumni reported that their programmes had provided adequate grounding in formal writing and business vocabulary but had insufficiently developed real-time interactive speaking, pragmatic flexibility, and adaptive communication. Curriculum analysis revealed only modest adjustments between ۲۰۱۸ and ۲۰۲۱, with persistent under-emphasis on authentic negotiation, BELF-oriented pragmatics, and digital professional discourse. The findings demonstrate that one-off needs analyses are inadequate for maintaining curriculum relevance in dynamic professional environments. The study argues for institutionalised, multi-stakeholder longitudinal feedback systems involving both employers and alumni. It concludes that meaningful realignment of ESP curricula requires sustained attention to high-stakes interactive genres, explicit intercultural and pragmatic training, and stronger structural links between universities and industry. These measures are essential if ESP programmes are to fulfil their aim of preparing graduates for the communicative realities of contemporary workplaces.

کلیدواژه ها:

ESP ، needs analysis ، curriculum alignment ، longitudinal study ، workplace communication.