Vancouver-based Canadian College of English Language (CCEL) has recently signed contracts with governments in the Ukraine and across Latin America to train instructors in its digital English teaching curriculum, SMRT.
The agreements mark the development of the institution’s focus to expand offshore implementation over the last year that has resulted in over 23,000 students in 96 partner institutions around the world learning through the SMRT method.
Through the most recent agreement, the Ministry of Education in the Ukraine approved the SMRT English programme as an official English curriculum in all public institutions allowing full implementation in the 100 universities and schools in Ukraine already using it.
“The Canadian College’s Smrt English program is expecting rapid expansion throughout the world in 2014”
Meanwhile, Brazil’s professional education institution, Serviço Nacional de Aprendizagem Comercial (SENAC), founded in 1946 and responsible for training 1.7 million students a year in trade services and languages, signed an agreement with CCEL to implement SMRT classrooms in its Recife centres.
“Discussions are underway for programmes in other cities,” confirmed CCEL CEO Jim Clark.
The president of SENAC Josiah Albuquerque and CCEL CEO Jim Clark sign the agreement to use SMRT at SENAC’s Recife location
Speaking with The PIE News, Clark said taking the curriculum beyond Canadian borders is one of CCEL’s key objectives. “There is clearly a need globally for reputable, teacher based/technology centered curricula and with its 22 year reputation for excellence and extensive agent network the Canadian College’s Smrt English program is expecting rapid expansion throughout the world in 2014.”
The web-based methodology was developed five years ago with instructors at CCEL and is accessible from any place and any type of device. According to developers, lessons incorporate online content from sites including YouTube, the BBC and Wikepedia to create dynamic, interactive learning.
Smrt English is currently operating in universities, colleges, schools and government training institutions in six Latin American, three Middle Eastern and four Eastern European countries.
“Working closely with institutions and our partners overseas we’ve developed a curriculum that is revolutionary and that has been very popular with students, corporate, government and institutions,” added Clark.
CCEL also recently signed an agreement with the regional government in Tumbes in Peru to train the English teachers in the SMRT method and worked with the Escuela Politécnica del Ejército in Ecuador to train 50 English teachers at its centre in Canada.
