The University of Queensland’s Institute of Continuing & TESOL Education (ICTE-UQ) has celebrated three decades of success with a week-long calendar of anniversary activities and events.
Established in 1981 as the first ELICOS* centre in Queensland and operating from a single teaching room, ICTE-UQ has grown to become an award-winning global institute offering a wide range of onshore and offshore programs and services to more than 6,500 participants from more than 60 countries each year.
“The institute’s achievements over the last 30 years have been an exciting and diverse showcase of ICTE-UQ flexibility, ingenuity and commitment to excellence in teaching, learning and support services,” Director Christine Bundesen said.
“To date, ICTE-UQ has delivered a diverse suite of high quality programs and services to more than 115,000 participants from over 108 countries and has administered in excess of 90,000 IELTS tests.
“The institute has also established strong collaborative partnerships across the University and has developed an active network of more than 100 institutional, government and corporate partners in Australia and around the world.”
ICTE-UQ has played an important role in assisting international students to commence UQ study and reach graduation through intensive preparatory, concurrent English language training, pathway and support programs.
Other significant ICTE-UQ achievements include delivery of English language and methodology training to more than 2000 English language teachers from over 15 countries since 2011; delivery of customised Study Abroad programs to more than 15,400 students from the Jikei Gakuen Group of Technical Colleges, Japan since 1999; delivery of successful study to employment pathway training to more than 80 Australian international student graduates since 2009; and a wide variety of onshore and offshore collaborations across UQ faculties, schools and divisions.
In recent years, ICTE-UQ operations have expanded to include the establishment of UQ’s first physical presence offshore, The University of Danang-University of Queensland English Language Institute (UD-UQ ELI) in Vietnam in 2007, and more recently, a second offshore ELI established in partnership with the Universidad Católica del Norte in Antofagasta, Chile.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Greenfield congratulated ICTE-UQ for its role in meeting the University’s internationalisation objectives and paving the way for broader alliances.
“A plethora of initiatives have come out of collaboration between ICTE-UQ and other UQ areas. The ICTE-UQ story to date is impressive – but even more exciting is the promise of ICTE-UQ,” Professor Greenfield said.
Anniversary events included two cocktail functions for more than 200 ICTE-UQ staff, UQ colleagues, government, industry and partner organisation guests, and a week-long program of free cultural and sporting activities for the institute’s students.
The celebrations were capped off with a carnival-style “Super BBQ” event held for more than 600 ICTE-UQ staff, program students and participants from more than 40 countries.
For more information visit www.icte.uq.edu.au/anniversary
Media: Frances Wickerson (07 3346 6709, f.wickerson@icte.uq.edu.au)
*ELICOS – English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students
