At Bosch Global Services in Costa Rica, 63% of surveyed learners said they were not confident using English, and 82% were anxious about speaking it. Yet their work required communication with Bosch teams around the world.

After learning in IMMERSE, 85% reported improved speaking skills and confidence, and 78% reported a positive impact on collaboration across teams and regions.

See how Bosch helped learners build the confidence and communication skills their work requires.

Client context

Bosch Global Services provides finance, IT, supply chain, engineering, and business support services to Bosch operations around the world. Its Costa Rica services center opened in 2015 and supports Bosch operations across North America and Latin America. Teams there work predominantly in English and Spanish, making cross-border communication part of the center’s day-to-day work.

Bosch began partnering with IMMERSE in 2025, with a focus on strengthening English communication capability within its Costa Rica Global Services program.

Language need

With Bosch teams collaborating across countries and time zones, English plays an essential role in helping global colleagues communicate effectively and work together efficiently. For Bosch learners in Costa Rica, spoken English is particularly important because they need to communicate with Bosch headquarters.

The pre-program survey reinforced how directly English affects their work and career opportunities: 69% said a second language was required for their current job, while 81% said it was required for promotion.

Client challenge

Language gaps between English- and Spanish-speaking teams were slowing collaboration, limiting confidence in meetings, and reducing engagement in global initiatives.

Before the program, 63% of surveyed Bosch learners said they were not confident using English, while 82% felt anxious about speaking it. Most were also spending very little time on language development: 50% reported less than one hour per week, and another 44% reported one to two hours.

Solution

Bosch implemented IMMERSE across its Costa Rica Global Services program. Employees had unlimited access to expert-led live instruction, educator-designed self-paced lessons, immersive speaking practice, and peer practice. They embraced the flexibility of the blended model, which allowed them to build their communication skills any time, not just during scheduled classes.

The program included both public and private live classes, with private sessions able to focus on Bosch-specific communication needs. Employees practiced English in the types of situations they encountered on the job: meetings, presentations, customer interactions, and cross-functional collaboration. AI-guided conversations gave immediate feedback and repeated opportunities to build confidence.

Organizational impact

Workplace communication improvements

The impact of the Bosch program extended beyond language development itself. Survey findings demonstrated measurable changes in learner confidence, workplace behavior, and communication performance.

85% of surveyed learners said IMMERSE content applied directly to their jobs.

Learners reported applying newly developed language skills directly in their daily work—from participating more confidently in meetings to communicating more effectively with colleagues across regions. More than half said colleagues or managers had noticed improvements in their language skills, and over two-thirds were applying what they learned in real workplace situations.

In addition to improved abilities to participate in workplace conversations, learners reported:

The collaboration result is particularly significant for Bosch Global Services because the original communication challenge was affecting collaboration across English- and Spanish-speaking teams.

The benefits extended beyond communication itself. 78% of surveyed learners reported a positive impact on the quality of their work, while two-thirds reported a positive impact on personal productivity.

English gains for career growth

For Bosch learners, English capability was closely connected to both employment and advancement. The survey findings show how central language skills were to their career goals:

IMMERSE helped learners at Bosch improve a capability they would need to advance their careers.

Why it matters

The gains Bosch saw in Costa Rica—from stronger everyday communication to better cross-regional collaboration—address a need that extends far beyond a single team or location.

Across Bosch more broadly, people from around 150 nations work together across regions and business units. Bosch describes lifelong learning as a core part of its culture, making flexible development particularly valuable in such a globally connected organization.

IMMERSE gives Bosch a way to build communication skills that learners can apply in the flow of work, supporting clearer collaboration across borders while developing capabilities tied to future career opportunities.

Bosch is continuing its Costa Rica Global Services program with IMMERSE and working to expand participation. Building on the strong results in Costa Rica, discussions are also underway about extending the program to Bosch Global Services in Brazil.