A forum on the teaching of English as a foreign language (EFL) and Malta's first ever industry workshop was held earlier this month as one of the key events marking the 20th anniversary Federation of English Language Teaching Organisations Malta's (Feltom).
Feltom is the national association representing 18 well-established English language schools in Malta and Gozo. The federation was set up by 10 schools, many of which saw the need to introduce quality assurance standards as the EFL industry in Malta began to grow. Feltom is today recognised by various local government ministries and industry organisations around the world.
The three-day event was organised by Feltom in collaboration with Language Travel magazine. The magazine is distributed to 36,000 professionals across 110 countries, and is the leading international language industry publication. Its monthly issues provide a comprehensive insight into all aspects of the language training and travel industry.
With the support of sponsors and schools alike, 50 agents from 28 countries around the globe were brought to Malta to experience first-hand what the islands have to offer. On their first full day in Malta, agents were taken on a familiarisation tour of the islands. During the industry workshop on the second day, visiting agents were able to meet representatives from 27 local EFL schools on a one-to-one basis, to discuss the services being offered, and to explore possibilities for future co-operation.
The three-day programme culminated in a discussion forum which examined the current state of the language industry and looked at its direction in the future. In his opening address, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi recognised the success of this 'pillar of the tourism industry' which has been developed entirely through private entrepreneurship.
With 50 licensed schools, the language travel industry is now accountable for 13.5 per cent of all bed-nights in Malta. It directly employs well over 2,000 people in academic, administrative and management positions. Many other sectors, such as accommodation providers, restaurants, transport providers, providers of leisure services and local retail outlets, all benefit from the EFL industry. Dr Gonzi promised the government was committed to transform Malta into a destination of educational excellence by 2015.
The EFL monitoring board within the Ministry of Education, which is directly responsible for licensing and monitoring all EFL operations, will review teaching qualifications and look into establishing a national accreditation scheme. To achieve its targets within this sector, the government will strengthen the board's regulatory framework by providing it with the human, financial and physical resources it requires to accelerate reform, and the government will continue to work hand in hand with Feltom and the entire industry to ensure continued and improved success.
David Immanuel, chief executive officer of Language Studies International, gave a presentation about trends and challenges in the language school industry. Mr Immanuel owns language schools in nine countries and has been involved in the language learning industry for 40 years. He was able to give an insight into the development and challenges facing this relatively young industry.
Federation of Education and Language Consulting president Masaru Yamada and executive director of English Australia, Sue Blundell, provided a snapshot of the most current statistics for the EFL industry.
These latest statistics were collected from over 100 agencies from 10 major markets and 270 schools from eight key EFL country destinations.
The forum was concluded with a debate, moderated by Language Travel director Scott Wade, which provided an insight into what's on the horizon and the best practices for the industry for the next 10 years.
Since the arrival of the first English language students to Malta in the 1960s, Malta's share of this €10 billion global industry has grown year on year. Malta has established its reputation as a quality destination for learning English and it competes effectively with other English learning destinations. In 2008, over 83,000 EFL students visited Malta, staying for a total of 216,000 weeks. In monetary terms, that means a staggering injection of well over €85 million into the local economy annually.