QQEnglish joined the language school association English UK virtual summit event on September 14 – 16 to talk about how to overcome the perils of the coronavirus pandemic on English Language Teaching.
Capping the theme “Working Together To Rebuild And Succeed,” QQEnglish’s most dynamic managers attended the English UK webinar. They are Mr. Mahmood Bahadori (International Marketing Manager), Mr. Ya Wen (IELTS Manager), and Ms. Grizette Ponce (Academic Manager.)
The summit’s first day started with a program of seminars and panel discussions, while the following two days focused on agent meetings in different time slots to suit student markets: 07:00-12:00 UK time on September 15th for Asia, Europe, and MENA; 14:00-19:00 on September 16th for Europe, MENA, and Latin America.
During the Virtual Summit, Graham Stuart, the Department of International Trade, promised the UK’s struggling ELT sector the full support of the British government. He started by saying, “I know English language training has been hit badly by Covid-19. There have been tough choices to make and heavy [burdens] to sustain,” said Stuart. “To this ELT centers trying to weather the storm… we are here for you.”
The promise of support comes when ELT centers in the country are facing many challenges, including an estimated loss of nearly half a billion pounds in revenue. In the said virtual summit, Stuart presented his department’s outlined support plan for the ELT sectors amid the pandemic. The said plan includes a review of how the government and the ELT sector have responded to the pandemic.
Approximately 40 notable ESL schools worldwide attended the said virtual summit.
As one of the British Council agents, QQEnglish participation in the English UK virtual summit is significant. QQEnglish, being one of the very few schools operating amid the pandemic, could gain such knowledge on how to handle the challenges of English language teaching. Mr. Bahadori cited that the English UK Summit gave QQEnglish a brand new hope.
“The virtual summit gives me so much optimism on how to win the perils of the pandemic. It helped me create the safest strategic plan so we can give our students the educational experience they expect from us. Besides, it also made me reconsider my approach to how we can work with partners whose countries may be at the varying status in the pandemic.”
As QQEnglish International Marketing Manager, Mr. Bahadori believes that the virtual summit became his turning point as a manager in QQEnglish. “The effects of the crisis are too much to bear, but I believe the virtual summit boosted my faith and confidence. I could re-think and reflect on what we should do. I see this summit as an opportunity for QQEnglish, our service providers, and agents to discuss and resolve issues that predate Covid-19. It also helped us ensure that we’re all working together to help the entire supply chain for the future of ELT to recover, succeed, and thrive once more.”
According to Miss Ya-Wen, the summit educated her on the trends and changes of the British Council’s approach to IELTS testing and assessment. “I am delighted that I joined the seminar. If not because of it, I will not understand and learn about the important updates about IELTS. I’d have never made immediate changes to keep our IELTS curriculum updated.”
With the COVID-19 badly affecting ELT worldwide, the English UK webinar gave ESL schools so many benefits. First, is their informative and study-backed seminars from ELT experts across the sector provide delegates the information they need. Second, their panel-led discussions that helped clarify strategies on market and business development. The third is the one-to-one meetings with key buyers that helped secure the relationships needed to put these strategies into action.
During the webinar, Jodie Gray, the interim CEO of English UK pointed out the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 over ELT centers. Gray revealed that the impacts of the pandemic are unexpected and unprecedented, forcing teaching centers to close since March.
English UK member centers estimated an 81.7% reduction in student’s enrollees from January and September 2020. The staggering figure resulted in a £510 million revenue loss in the UK’s GDP because of COVID-19.
However, Graham Stuart presented the plan outlined by the DIT to support the ELT sector. This includes a joint effort between the Dept. of International Trade/Dept. for Education advisory group review. The DIT is also working together with the Hungarian government. Both agencies are working on the development of an “ambitious” language learning program. The said program aims to support teachers and pupils to take ELT courses abroad.
Mr. Stuart also emphasized that his department is also leading a virtual mission to 40 ESL organizations in Vietnam.
Moreover, Jodie Gray also said that the English UK will continue to support ELT centers. She said that the organization has pivoted its focus and adapted its strategy in response to Covid-19.
“We aim to support English UK members through this crisis. We also want to optimize the recovery of the UK ELT sector, both for our members and the wider global ecosystem, that includes our international agent partners.
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