Marc Cullen, Marketing Director at the school, said the IELTS facility would cater to 40-50 test takers per month in its first year and encourage growth at the college. IELTS testing is known to boost revenues at language schools given high demand for IELTS results from students who may use the result to gain acceptance to university or for visa purposes.

“We provide a full time IELTS preparation course and this is an extra service that we can provide not only to our students but IELTS candidates throughout Ireland,” said Cullen.

Cullen said the industry was holding its own in a difficult economic climate

Commenting on the performance of the Irish ELT market in general, Cullen said the industry was holding its own in a difficult economic climate and that there were opportunities for quality products in new and emerging markets. “We are looking at new markets and we hope to grow our presence in the Middle Eastern and Asian markets,” he said.

He added that Ireland’s international education strategy – which stepped up a gear this year – was also having impact. “With new initiatives regarding visas and the emergence of a quality mark, the government is recognising the importance of this sector to the economy.”

IELTS is recognised by organisations including universities, government agencies and corporations in more than 135 countries. Demand for the test recently passed the 1.7 million per year mark.

Cork will join University College Cork, Centre of English Studies (Dublin) and University College Dublin as the only centres offering the IELTS test in Ireland. CEC has also developed a new website for students interested in taking the test.