Non-native speakers snap up places on Deliveroo's free Cantonese Zoom class

Adelyn Lau

Deliveroo Hong Kong is offering free online Cantonese language classes for its delivery riders, who have little or no proficiency in the language.

Since March, over 50 students have participated in these classes as part of Deliveroo's rider upskilling program, which was initiated in 2020.

The delivery platform has partnered with the French online education platform Lynx Educate to provide a range of educational courses to over 10,000 riders and their families.

The courses are delivered through an e-learning platform, similar to CanToLearn and OpenClassrooms, which cover topics such as data analytics and marketing.

CanToLearn is an e-learning platform backed by the Education University with a team of experienced instructors capable of teaching Cantonese to native speakers and foreigners.

Leung Yan-yi, Deliveroo's rider engagement and support manager, said the classes provide riders with enough time to revise the online course materials.

Deliveroo is planning to introduce an intermediate Cantonese course next year, based on feedback from its couriers who found the beginner-level Cantonese classes worthwhile.

The course is also advised by Lau Chaak-ming, an assistant professor in the Department of Linguistics and Modern Language Studies at the university.

Deliveroo has over 11,000 self-employed riders in Hong Kong, with around 25 percent coming from ethnic minority communities, predominantly from South Asia.

Jaspreet Singh, a 28-year-old rider from India, has been taking Cantonese classes for the past two months, attending a one-hour session per week during his break time.

Singh said the classes have helped him communicate with local customers and restaurant staff in Cantonese, which he finds similar to the tonal aspects of his native Punjabi language.

"I can now handle tasks such as confirming orders and talking about food and places, which I previously needed assistance from Cantonese-speaking friends to do," he said.

The language classes have helped Singh in his daily life, such as communicating with his son's teacher and negotiating rental agreements.