With contributions from Benedikt Coekoll
Over the past few years, Labor Mobility Partnerships (LaMP) has explored what makes language learning succeed—or fail—when aspiring workers in low-income countries prepare for high-stakes language exams to migrate to Germany and Japan. Through our programs in India, Kenya, and Rwanda, we’ve seen clear patterns emerge around what works, where learners struggle, and which gaps remain unresolved.
While these insights come from a system-level vantage point, we’ve also partnered closely with Velocity, a start-up founded by Laliteswar Kumar, Siddharth Gusain, and Betty Chelangat to ground these observations in on-the-ground experience. Velocity works to democratize access to language learning by building and delivering tech-enabled, hybrid German language programs designed specifically for working professionals. Their work adds a practitioner’s lens to what LaMP has observed across pathways.
Together, these experiences point to several lessons.
What Works in Language Learning for Migration
Lesson #1: Teaching format matters more than modality
The most effective programs we’ve seen use hybrid models: in-person instruction anchored in the learner’s home context, complemented by virtual classes with teachers from destination countries. However, the trade-offs—particularly around opportunity costs of work and the geographic constraints of both students and teachers—are important to consider and are discussed in Lesson #2.
Apps like Duolingo and platforms like YouTube can support self-study, but they work best as supplements—not substitutes—for structured instruction. Most language apps are designed to maximize engagement and enjoyment, not exam readiness. They are often light on grammar and poorly aligned with international examination frameworks like the CEFR1 or JLPT2. As a result, learners typically use apps to flank formal courses, boosting listening and vocabulary rather than replacing instruction. Few tools are built specifically to prepare candidates for official language exams required for migration (e.g. B2/N4), though this is likely to change rapidly as AI-enabled language learning evolves.
Even in virtual settings, community and ongoing accountability are critical. While one-on-one tutoring may be pedagogically ideal, many low- to mid-skilled workers benefit more from a classroom environment, particularly at early stages. Peer interaction sustains motivation, normalizes struggle, and reduces dropout. Language learning is deeply individual, but for many learners, progress depends on not learning alone.
Lesson #2: Time, focus, and trade-offs are real
Programs that allow learners to focus full-time on language acquisition tend to move faster and more smoothly. However, this model is often unrealistic for workers who already hold full-time jobs, especially blue-collar workers. Balancing work and language learning is feasible only for certain demographics, and this trade-off needs to be acknowledged upfront rather than glossed over.
Where full immersion isn’t possible, minimizing distractions becomes essential. This includes providing appropriate facilities, equipment, and dedicated learning time, alongside structured opportunities for guided self-study.
Lesson #3: Incentives and skin-in-the-game drive persistence
Language learning for migration is not just about passing an exam—it requires sustained motivation over months or even years. Having skin in the game matters. When learners make a partial or full financial contribution for their language learning, whether upfront, milestone-based, or linked to a loan or income-share agreement, they are more likely to stay engaged and take ownership of their learning outcomes.
Programs that tie learning milestones to tangible rewards, such as conditional job offers at the destination country, tend to outperform those that offer certificates alone. Incentives can also include regular engagement with prospective employers. When the opportunity cost of learning is high, learners need a clear, concrete goal to work toward.
Lesson #4: Teachers remain central
There is still no technological solution that outperforms a good human teacher. Beyond formal certifications, effective instructors combine pedagogical skill, contextual understanding of the learner demographic, and intrinsic motivation. Teachers who can relate to learners lived realities—and who bring structure, discipline, and encouragement—make a decisive difference.
Lesson #5: Learners are highly heterogeneous
Language learners vary enormously. Some thrive online; others struggle without in-person support. Some need individualized coaching; others rely on group accountability. Predictably, younger learners, those with tertiary education, and those who already speak multiple languages tend to progress faster. Language familiarity matters—but it does not negate the need for thoughtful program design.
What We’d Like to See More Of
Looking ahead, LaMP would like to see:
- Language schools that go beyond instruction to build community, target specific worker demographics, and prepare learners explicitly for migration
- More incentive-based learning pathways tied directly to employment outcomes
- Tailored programs for low- to mid-skilled workers who may be unfamiliar with classroom learning
- Apps aligned with exam preparation e.g. B2 German or N4 Japanese, and not just conversational fluency
- Language training that integrates sector-specific and technical vocabulary
Velocity’s Perspective: Three Questions on Language Learning
To deepen these insights, we asked Velocity’s founding team three questions based on their experience delivering German language programs in Africa.
Are human teachers still necessary in a world of AI and instant translation?
Translation is not communication. Human communication is layered: tone, timing, facial expression, and cultural context all shape meaning. Decades of research in non-verbal and cross-cultural communication show that the same words can reassure, alarm, or offend depending on how they are delivered.
This distinction is especially critical in high-trust environments like healthcare. Hospitals are emotionally charged spaces where patients are anxious, families are fearful, and colleagues operate under pressure. In such contexts, accurate translation is only the baseline. Trust and empathy are conveyed through human presence, emotional intelligence, and judgment—qualities no translation tool can replicate.
Velocity treats language not as an exam to clear, but as professional readiness. From the outset, learners are trained to function confidently within real healthcare systems, with real patients and colleagues.
As one Velocity learner who got a job offer in Germany as a nurse explained: “What I realized during training is that speaking German is not just about passing the exam. We were taught how hospitals in Germany work, how nurses communicate with patients and doctors, and how different this is from Kenya. Even the way you speak to a patient, how direct you are, and how you explain things are different. Practicing these situations with a teacher helped me understand what is expected in German healthcare settings.”
While AI tools can support practice and feedback, experiences like this show why human-led training remains critical for building cultural and workplace readiness. As translation tools improve, the value of human communication becomes clearer, not weaker.
Do online learning or virtual classrooms work?
“Online learning doesn’t work” is a familiar refrain. It is often delivered with conviction, and sometimes with good reason. Many digital programs simply replicate classroom lectures on a screen and expect different outcomes.
Velocity designed its program around a different reality. Learners are working professionals with shifts, families, and financial responsibilities. Asking them to pause their lives to study is viable for few. Instead, language learning had to fit around work.
Classes are deliberately short—typically 60 to 90 minutes—recognizing cognitive fatigue and diminishing returns. Digital delivery enables flexible scheduling across early mornings and late evenings, allowing learners on different shifts to participate without sacrificing income. It also expands access to learners in remote locations.
A Velocity learner balancing work and study described it this way: “I work long shifts; there was no way I could attend physical classes every day. With online classes that were about one hour, I could plan around my schedule. If the classes were longer or fixed during the day, I would have dropped out.” When designed intentionally, digital learning can make consistency possible for working professionals—without forcing them to choose between income and upskilling.
Crucially, this is not a teacher-less model. Early cohorts consistently expressed a strong preference for structured guidance, human teachers, and intensive engagement with both instructors and peers. Digital tools reinforce learning, but teachers remain central. Designed intentionally, blended learning can work exceptionally well.
What makes language learning for migration programs work?
Velocity highlights three factors:
- Teacher quality as the foundation: Fluency alone does not make a good teacher. Effective instruction requires pedagogy, structure, and diagnostic skill. Velocity invests heavily in qualified teachers who understand both the learner’s context and the professional norms of the destination country—often drawing on instructors who have navigated similar migration journeys themselves.
- Selection as learner protection: Not everyone who applies should be enrolled. Professional-level language acquisition is demanding, requiring persistence and resilience. Velocity uses a rigorous intake process to assess readiness early, reducing costly dropouts and protecting learners from unrealistic expectations.
- AI used with restraint and purpose: AI excels at personalization—supporting accent correction, pronunciation, and targeted practice at scale. In practice, this allows programs to move closer to a 1:1 learning experience at marginal cost, giving each learner individualized feedback and practice outside live class time. This level of hyper-personalization is often what separates good outcomes from great ones. But in people-facing professions like healthcare, removing the human layer would undermine the very outcomes learners seek. Velocity uses AI to augment, not replace, human teaching.
Language learning for migration is not about words alone. It is about trust, motivation, structure, and integration. Programs that recognize this complexity—and design accordingly—are far more likely to succeed.
The views and perspectives shared by Velocity reflect their independent experience and do not necessarily represent or imply endorsement by Labor Mobility Partnerships (LaMP). They are included to offer on-the-ground insights for practitioners and stakeholders exploring language training models for cross-border labor migration.
