Report on visit to Australia by Chile English language delegation
12 – 16 MAY 2005
In May 2005 Australian Education International hosted a six-member English language delegation sent to Australia by the Chilean Ministry of Education to Australia. The delegation comprised representatives of the Government of Chile, senior managers in private enterprise, and a representative of a not-for-profit organisation. All members of the delegation expressed positive feedback about the opportunities available for English language provision, particularly the ability for providers to tailor programs to the needs of the student or company.
Purpose
The purpose of the visit for the delegation was to:
1. inform the delegates of the Australian approach to English language teaching and teacher-training, particularly with respect to quality control
2. seek out and identify opportunities to collaborate with Australian providers in the field of English language/TESOL
Delegation members
The delegation was led by Dr Rodrigo Fábrega, Director of the Chilean Ministry of Education’s ‘English Opens Doors’ programme.
Other delegation members were: Michel Faure, President, Inversiones Centa SA; Manuel Labbe, Training Manager, Banco Del Desarrollo; Eduardo Rodriguez, Head of Enterprises Training Department, Servicio Nacional de Capacitación y Empleo (SENCE), Government of Chile; Dr Juan Álvarez, Education Coordinator, Fundación Minera Escondida; Mr Pietro Corsi, Sub Manager of Training and Development, Endesa Chile.
Key outcomes
Key outcomes from the visit include:
· Dr Fábrega informed the universities visited that they would be invited to ‘quote’ for the English Summer Town program to be conducted during January 2006 in Chile. English Summer Town is a total immersion program of workshops and seminars for English teachers from all over Chile, run over a one week period by the Chilean Ministry of Education.
· Dr Fábrega also signalled his intent to send a representative to Australia to visit universities to discuss the PhD and Masters scholarships that will be available through the Chilean Ministry of Education.
· Australian TESOL Training Centre (ATTC) is part of the ACL Group, and was the first Australian organisation chosen to provide training for English language teachers, as part of the Chilean Government Program of Scholarships for Professionals of Education – Pasantías. ATTC has also been successful for the 2005 round of the program. ACL Group presented a number of scholarships to Dr Fábrega for programs run by members of the ACL Group.
· The Institute of Continuing and TESOL Education (ICTE-UQ) at The University of Queensland presented Dr Fábrega with two tuition scholarships for its English & Methodology for TESOL Purposes (EMTP) program.
· ICTE-UQ signed an agreement with the Fundación Minera Escondida (FME) in Antofagasta, Chile to deliver a customised EMTP program in Brisbane for 20 English language teachers in January 2006 and follow up professional development activities and program monitoring in Chile by senior ICTE-UQ staff. Signings took place in Canberra on 13 July 2005, attended by President Lagos of Chile, and in Antofagasta on 14 July 2004 to mark the 9th public anniversary of FME.
· Planet English™ has been selected by The Chilean Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) as a key component of a pilot project to deliver English language training to the Chilean Military. The project, which is an initiative of the ‘English Opens Doors Program’, is due to commence on 3 October 2005. The project team will be comprised of representatives from Planet Learning and Universidad Central in Santiago, Chile. The project partners will deliver an intensive program combining face to face instruction and the interactive computer based English language teaching resource, Planet English™ over an initial three month period to some 200 soldiers across two locations in Chile.
· Since the departure of the delegation the AEI office in Santiago has been contacted by Mr Michel Faure about a delegation of 20 human resource managers visiting Sydney in September to seek opportunities for English language training.
Itinerary
The delegation visited Sydney and Brisbane while in Australia. They met with accreditation organisations, public and private providers, and peak industry bodies during the visit.