SPOT ON

Steve Hailstone, Principal

Christel Schneider, ICC- Head Office:
Steve, the ICC is pleased to introduce your College as the first member organisation in focus. The ICC and Lancashire College can look back on over 30 years of successful collaboration. What in your view are the highlights of this mutual long lasting co-operation with the ICC?

Steve Hailstone, Lancashire College:
First of all, many thanks, Christel, for giving me this opportunity to talk about Lancashire College and our work with the ICC.

The ICC and Lancashire College have been involved in many joint projects and activities over the years which have produced materials, ideas and other tools for English teachers from across Europe to use when returning to their countries and their students.  In previous years we were particularly involved in materials and course-book design based on functional-notional syllabuses, and how language programmes could be structured around them.

Over the years, we have hosted many courses here at the College and participants have welcomed the opportunity to update their English skills and knowledge of British culture as well as be able to share experience and good practice amongst themselves.  Even the best language teachers will be the first to admit that there is always something new or different that they can do and we feel very proud to have been able to play a role in the continuing professional development of so many people and which will hopefully have brought many benefits to language learners from across Europe.

Christel Schneider, ICC- Head Office:
What are the benefits you see in your College's membership of the ICC?

Steve Hailstone, Lancashire College:
I believe that our membership brings benefits both for the ICC as a whole and for the college itself.

I hope that ICC benefits through having, as one of its members, a college with significant expertise in language teaching and learning.  We try to contribute to the activities of ICC through our input at conferences, through involvement in projects, and through individual partnerships with other member organisations which have led to the development of a range of courses and activities.

The college certainly benefits from being a member of the ICC. Our membership gives us a direct link into an established and extensive European network of agencies in the field of language teaching and learning. We are able to draw on the expertise of this network as we continue to develop the range and quality of our language provision. We also benefit from our access to European perspectives on a wide range of educational issues including quality improvement, pedagogy and accreditation. It also goes without saying that our membership provides us with a market for our courses and our business, which brings obvious benefits to the college.

So, being part of the ICC enables the college to contribute to and benefit from working across national frontiers.

Christel Schneider, ICC- Head Office:
What does Lancashire College offer and how can this be useful for the ICC – European Network, and what do you expect from ICC Member Organisations?

Steve Hailstone, Lancashire College:
Lancashire College is a provider of adult education in the north-west of England. The college has high quality residential facilities and is located in a small, friendly town where people are soon made to feel at home.  When our service was inspected in 2004, we were judged to be the best provider of its kind in the country and we pride ourselves on the high quality of our teaching and learning.

Language teaching is one of our areas of specialism and we deliver a wide range of courses in most European languages including English as a foreign language.  We provide courses for the local community, for learners from across the UK, for business clients, and for learners from other countries. Many of our courses are designed with our partner organisations in order to meet the specific needs of their clients. We also have significant expertise in teaching training, both in terms of generic teaching skills and the teaching of languages.

We feel that this combination is an ideal one for ICC members who wish to work with us to provide learning opportunities particularly for people wanting to learn English in the UK or for teachers wanting to enhance and develop their skills in teaching languages. We are confident that, with our experienced team of course director and tutors, the courses provided will continue to successfully meet learners’ needs. 

We are always interested in  developing new partnership activity  and would welcome being contacted by organisations who see potential in working with us whether on specific courses or on international projects. Any members of ICC who would like further information about the college and what we can provide should contact either myself or Margaret Benouaich, Assistant Principal, who has specific responsibility for our international activity.
 
Christel Schneider, ICC- Head Office:
Thank you, Steve, for the interview and your detailed response.