TORONTO, October 29-30, 2018 - Languages Canada is proud to have co-hosted, with Orion Assessment Services, representatives from the world’s leading English language education quality assurance organizations. Quality Assurance Language Education Network (QALEN) is a very important body for continuous improvement in standards and accreditation internationally.

Representatives from English standards and accreditation services such as English New Zealand, Orion Assessment Services, Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET - USA), NEAS (Australia), ABLS Accreditation, as well as delegates from the British Council, were present for the two day symposium.

Various presentations were held around topics including benchmarking and analytics, the impact of English language education on a global level, strategies for external communication, as well as the symposium outcomes and the strategic direction for QALEN.

Julian Inglis, Business Development and Program Manager at the University of Guelph and co-chair of Languages Canada’s Quality Assurance Committee, said of the symposium “the ability and platform to discuss quality assurance with representatives from leading standards and accreditation organizations is incredibly valuable to us in Canada. Over the four years that we’ve been part of the network, we’ve seen it mature to the point where all participants understand each other’s contexts very well. This year was all about strategic direction and how we prioritise and address the most challenging issues that are common to all of us.” Gonzalo Peralta, Executive Director of Languages Canada, echoed this sentiment, stating “QALEN is an ongoing valuable resource for the sector, allowing the various organizations involved in English language education standards and accreditation to share best practices, sector developments, and collective challenges.”

Languages Canada is extremely grateful to REAL Institute of Ryerson University for hosting QALEN in their state of the art facilities.