Monday 12 October 2015

The British Council Qatar hosts third successful IELTS stakeholder event

The British Council Qatar hosted the 3rd consecutive IELTS Stakeholder Event on Tuesday 6 October 2015 at La Cigale Hotel Doha. The gathering, designed to celebrate and recognise schools, institutes and individuals who prepare IELTS candidates to excel in their exams, has now become an annual fixture in the British Council’s Calendar. The British Council Qatar’s new Country Director Frank Fitzpatrick opened the event and welcomed attendees. 

The day began with Director Frank Fitzpatrick congratulating the recipients of the 2015 IELTS Ambassador Awards. IELTS is the world’s most popular English language testing system, and the British Council Qatar uses the IELTS Ambassador Awards to recognise the contribution made by schools, institutes and individuals to promote IELTS and uphold its international standards.

The well-attended event, which attracted over 70 participants, confirmed the popularity of the IELTS Stakeholder series, which began in 2013. The British Council Qatar created the IELTS Stakeholder event to provide guidance support, and share a customised array of development resources with participants.  The programme is designed to maximise the opportunity to increase learning standards and build a platform for the continuous improvement of IELTS programmes in schools and institutions. 

Present at the gathering were representatives of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) who are reaching out to Qatar’s school network in order to develop students’ accounting skills and promote accounting as a future career choice. 

Addressing the press, Country Director Frank Fitzpatrick said “It is a great pleasure for us to continue building on the success of our IELTS Stakeholder events. We are truly encouraged by the rise in the level of enthusiasm of our participants. The British Council Qatar is glad to take the lead in contributing towards the success of schools and institutes as they host the IELTS programme for candidates. We embrace the opportunity to equip these stakeholders with the best available resources and we invest wholeheartedly in their training. Through all this our ultimate aim is to bring out better results for candidates who take the test. We want to see an upsurge each year not only in the capability of trainers and administrators of the IELTS programme but also in candidate results. They are the final beneficiaries of this internationally recognized accreditation and The British Council Qatar is committed to doing everything we can to assist and equip them.” 

Amanda Ingram, Director English and Exams at the British Council Qatar, offered her encouragement to all educators attending the event saying, “The IELTS ambassadors gathered here today deserve our congratulations for their commendable contributions. They have come from different schools and institutions, and are all committed to creating  a positive learning and testing environment for their students, building on student potential and equipping them for a successful future.”  

About the British Council

The British Council has a long-standing presence and strong brand in Qatar. Our work in English language teaching, the arts, education and social development has undergone enormous growth over the last three years. It is highly valued by local stakeholders who understand how it supports Qatar’s ambition to be a knowledge hub for the region. The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We create international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and build trust between them worldwide. We work in more than 100 countries and our 7,000 staff – including 2,000 teachers – work with thousands of professionals and policy makers and millions of young people every year by teaching English, sharing the Arts and delivering education and society programmes.

Website: www.britishcouncil.qa 

British Council Qatar on Twitter: www.twitter.com/qaBritish 

British Council Qatar on Facebook: www.facebook.com/BritishCouncilQatar