BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

APPLICATIONS are still open for the English Teaching Apprenticeship (ETA) Programme 2015 and the 11-week English Language Programme (ELP) for teacher trainers, officers and diplomats.

Hosted by Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) in collaboration with the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, both programmes are initiatives under the five-year Brunei-US English Language Enrichment Project for ASEAN.

The ETA, which is on its second year, offers an opportunity for local graduates to develop and enhance their preparation to become English teachers, while at the same time nurturing an entrepreneurial spirit .

The 14-month programme also seeks to improve the apprentices’ employability.

Participants initially spend six weeks in Honolulu after six weeks in Brunei, where they take up modules and teaching placements. They are then send for teaching placements in primary schools in Cambodia and Laos.

Participation to the ETA requires having a Brunei citizenship or a permanent residency and a bachelor’s degree in the English medium in any discipline from a recognised university or institution.

ETA applicants must also be aged 30 and below and must demonstrate leadership potential, entrepreneurial mindset, a strong interest in teaching, and possess a strong record of academic achievements and promise.

Meanwhile, the 11-week ELP for teacher trainers, officers and diplomats is aimed at improving English proficiency and building human capacity in the ASEAN region.

The programme consists of two courses: English Enrichment and Professional Development for Teacher-Trainers and Professional Communication for Officers and Diplomats, the latter for public and foreign service officers who deal with ASEAN-related matters.

According to a brochure provided on the UBD website, each course for the ELP programme comprises of two core modules and four specialised modules, which will be delivered in English.

The first seven weeks of the ELP will take place at UBD, while the remaining weeks will take place at the East-West Center in Hawaii.

As with previous editions of the ELP programme, some 70 participants from all ASEAN countries are expected to take part.

Besides having a minimum of five-year working experience, ELP applicants must have a bachelor’s degree from a recognised university or institution that is not from an English-speaking country.

Participants must also have certain English proficiency levels required for the course they want to pursue (equivalent to certain IELTS or TOEFL iBT scores).

ELP participants must also be available full-time to pursue the programme for 11 weeks without interruption and return to their home country upon programme completion, among others.

The ETA is slated to begin this August, while the ELP is slated to take place from September 7 to November 21 this year.

All applications and supporting documents for the ETA must be submitted by 12pm on April 30, while applications for the ELP must be submitted by April 28.

More information on both programmes as well as their application forms can be found on www.ubd.edu.bn.

The Brunei-US English Language Enrichment Project for ASEAN was launched in 2012 by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah and former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The Brunei Times