July 13, 2021.- 36 English language teachers and government officials from Pacific Alliance countries graduated from the New Zealand Global Competence Certificate + Teacher Training course, an initiative of Education New Zealand and the Pacific Alliance English Network (RIAP, by its acronym in Spanish).
The Global Competence Certificate or GCC, created by AFS Intercultural Programs and facilitated by Massey University, aims to help students become more aware of how culture influences human interactions. Likewise, it empowers students and teachers with tangible skills fundamental to building just and peaceful societies.
“This celebration today is first and foremost yours but it is also a milestone for New Zealand because it reaffirms the commitment we have to the Pacific Alliance. We are pleased to continue to build and strengthen this relationship in various areas, including the creation of educational and people-to-people links,” said Linda Te Puni, New Zealand Ambassador to Chile and Peru.
The course, led by professors from Massey University, lasted six weeks. During that period, there were two weeks of training sessions, in which teachers were able to put their new intercultural understanding and communication skills into practice in their classes and in their own engagements with their students.
“The promotion of the English language allows our nationals to expand access to educational, scientific, technological and labor opportunities, while contributing to the formation of a more productive human capital and the insertion of our economies in international markets, with a view to strengthening our competitiveness in global arenas,” said Adela Maestre, Director of Regional Concertation and Integration Mechanisms of the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and National Coordinator of Colombia for the Pacific Alliance.
The Pacific Alliance English Network (RIAP) aims to develop a cooperation strategy to improve this language in the bloc, a task in which it has been supported by New Zealand as an observer country.
“We are honored and privileged to participate in this teacher training initiative. Equally, we are proud of the passion and dedication that each one demonstrated throughout the course. We saw how they invested their time and energy in developing the global and tangible skills essential now more than ever to live, work and make a real social impact in their classrooms, communities and around the world,” said Chris Carey, Executive Director of Global Engagement at Massey University.
