English for Focal Points at Airports and Joint Operations - phase one
10-03-2009
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The project “English for Focal Points at Airports and Joint Operations” began in September 2008 and involved representatives of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and the UK.
The project was the result of a recognized growing need for enhancing the level and quality of direct communication between all parties involved in joint operations. The lack of sufficient language skills of host and guest officers was recognized as a factor influencing the results of missions. Working groups, comprising border guard practitioners, language teachers and operational managers of checkpoints at airports, initially developed A1/A2 level classroom based and self-study training materials.
For example of materials developed, please use the link below:
Border Control gap-fill exercise
CMP Reading sample
At the airport
Border Guard Work
After training national language instructors, the course will be delivered in national training institutions or airport based training facilities. For more information, please contact your National Training Coordinator.
The first training course for A1/A2 level Language Instructors took place in Bratislava, 23-27 March 2009. The main objectives of the course were to improve language instructors’ skills in training, learning and managing language courses and additionally to draft national implementation plans for the A1/A2 level English training tool aiming at focal point officers working at airports and/or likely to be deployed to take part in joint operations. Sample feedback entries can be found here.
The course was also the venue where MS representatives were presented with the A1/A2 level course materials. Their feedback on both parts of the tool can be found as quoted here.
The member states represented at the training course were as follows: Estonia, France, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Spain.
The next training course for a new group of language instructors is to be held in June, 1-5.
