INTO University Partnerships’ NILE division joins forces with British Council to deliver world-class English language teaching programs to teachers in Colombia
The agreement will see NILE deliver a range of English language teaching development programs to thousands of Colombian educators, in collaboration with British Council
(BOGOTA/LONDON): Norwich Institute for Language Education (NILE) and British Council have entered into a collaboration to deliver a range of professional development programs to English language educators in Colombia.
The initiative, the first in a series of a pioneering global education project between the two institutions, will upskill thousands of Colombian teachers.
NILE – a globally renowned teacher training division of INTO University Partnerships and one of the world’s biggest providers of professional development courses for English language teaching - will lead the delivery of teacher education programs in Colombia, in collaboration with British Council.
The language teacher education program will initially be delivered at British Council’s modern Park 93-based Centre in Bogota where NILE's professional development courses and programs will be delivered face-to-face by British Council teaching staff, who will receive full training, mentoring and support from NILE’s expert education consultants. Teaching is expected to commence in July 2024.
NILE’s Director, Thom Kiddle, said: “Working with British Council to launch our teacher development programs in Colombia has been inspiring. We look forward to leveraging the British Council's network and NILE’s expertise to provide exceptional quality to language teachers and educators in Colombia.”
The initiative is expected to expand to British Council’s other two Bogota-based centres over the coming months, utilizing the spaces to their full capacity, and supporting the development of British Council’s own language education programs. This in-market presence will connect NILE’s language training experts to local teacher communities in Colombia, servicing local educators with tailored professional development solutions to address their English language educational needs.
Daniel Johnston, Business Development Manager - Americas, British Council Colombia, said: “We are thrilled to embark on this new venture at our teaching centre in Bogota. Our shared vision is to cultivate a culture of continuous learning and growth among educators, ultimately enhancing the quality of education for learners of all ages.”
“These transformative courses are designed to equip teachers and lecturers with the latest methodologies, tools, and insights necessary to excel in their profession. By leveraging the expertise of both NILE and the British Council, participants can expect unparalleled access to best practices and international perspectives.”
Programs will be provided to educators in a wide range of educational settings including kindergartens, private and public bilingual primary and secondary schools, private language schools, and institutions across the tertiary education sector.
NILE’s Deputy Director, Mike Riley, said: “The launch of NILE’s language training programs in Bogotá marks a pivotal step in NILE and British Council’s collaboration and shared goal of delivering transformative, high-quality educational experiences to Colombian teachers. We look forward to seeing wider impact on the Colombian education system, utilizing British Council’s state-of-the-art centres, extensive network of teaching professionals, and global prestige.”
The initiative was formally launched at an event at British Council’s Centre in the upmarket Chico region of Bogota on 20 May. Professionals from British Council and NILE came together with local education institutes and government officials to celebrate the collaboration.
During the launch event, attendees had the opportunity to learn more about NILE’s diverse program offering for Colombian educators through a series of talks and workshops. This was followed by a Q&A session, and concluded with an evening networking event.
“It has been a pleasure to celebrate the formal launch of NILE’s English teacher development programs in Colombia. Working here over the last few months, we have really started to see awareness around NILE’s programs gain momentum. We look forward to seeing the transformative effects this has on the Colombian education landscape as it continues to progress,” said NILE’s Bogotá lead, Mark Klopper.
NILE’s English language teacher development programs focus on enhancing teachers’ knowledge of best practices and teaching skills in their own classes, and building educational institutions' capacity to serve their learners. Modules include classroom methodology, syllabus design, assessment practices, materials development, and academic management.
Larissa Tatiana Rico - a Curricular Unit Director & Academic Vice Rector at The University of Quindio, Colombia, and published Co-author of the English language coursebook, ‘English, Please!’ – studied Materials Development at NILE’s main centre in Norwich, UK.
Reflecting on her experience, she said: “There is no place like NILE where you can improve as a teacher, and where reflection is part of the learning process. It’s a place where interesting and challenging activities made me think as a teacher, enriching and inspiring my life through the materials development course.
“Participating in NILE’s Materials Development course has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my teacher development process, because I learned how to write a textbook. I learned what to take into account when designing teaching materials and the result was English, Please! – a highly regarded and informative textbook, written by English teachers for English teachers.”
Since 1995, NILE has trained over 70,000 teachers from more than 90 different countries, supporting thousands of educational professionals across all areas of ELT from teachers at primary to tertiary level, private language schools and government ministries.
As well as providing training courses online, in the UK, and overseas, NILE is regularly involved in the development and implementation of large-scale education reform projects around the world.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Davinder Kumar
VP, Corporate & Public Relations
davinder.kumar@intoglobal.com