International Science and Technology Journal

Needs analysis is the initial step before designing an ESP course program. This study used a quantitative approach to gather data from 40 Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) higher diploma students in Libya. The data was collected using a descriptive questionnaire that asked about the students' current and target needs, commonly referred to as necessities, wants, and lacks. The findings showed that most students thought English was crucial for their future careers as safety officers and that they had high expectations for using English for communication in both oral and written text in the target situations for their future careers as safety officers. The findings indicated the students ' lack was concerning particular macro-skills, namely speaking , writing and listening which needed improvement, while very few students indicated their lack of improvement in their micro-skills. The findings also indicated the degree of difficulty for students to perform certain activities that needed improvement. The findings also demonstrated the students' need to improve their language skills at both the macro and micro levels for their future career and workplaces. The findings also displayed the students' needs towards the importance of some topics to be included in their SOH English course program. The findings also revealed that almost all students wanted more contemporary learning approaches and teaching materials that include the use of IT technology& simulation labs in their OSH course. Hopefully, the results of the study will be essential for the managers of OSH industry, OSH English instructors and material developers in order to improve the quality of the ESP courses to concentrate more on the needs of the learners who intend to become safety officers................... Keywords:.............. Need Analysis, Learners’ Needs, Occupational Safety and Health, ESP.