“Our main commitment throughout 2015 will be the implementation of our accreditation scheme which has been updated this year through formal training of all stakeholders namely inspectors and accreditation officers and strengthening of the Accreditation Council in terms of human resources, policy, and procedure," Genevieve Abela, CEO of FELTOM, said this morning during the 2015 Annual General Meeting held at the Radisson Blu Golden Sands Resort which saw the participation of representatives from all the main industry players.
“The industry has reached very high standards and Malta enjoys an excellent reputation when it comes to the teaching of English as a foreign language. These standards need to be protected and sustained and this is why FELTOM’s main focus during 2015 will be one on maintenance of standards and sustainability. Ultimately, this goes in line with FELTOM’s mission to set, improve, and ensure, the maintenance of standard in all aspects of English language stays in Malta and to develop co-operation amongst licensed English language schools,” she said.
More specifically, as an association that has always maintained Accreditation and Quality as the cornerstone of FELTOM’s excellent standards, a framework will be established for FELTOM-Approved Service Providers.We will also introduce Agent Accreditation to strengthen our international position as an example of best practice.
“The aim of FELTOM-Approved Service Providers is to provide schools with service-providers that have been ‘screened’ by FELTOM and that are considered FELTOM Trusted Partners. On the other hand, Agent Accreditation will be a new project for FELTOM. The aim of this will be to use our online presence to provide schools with a forum for the exchange of information on agents, whilst also providing a screening process for agents who are seeking to become FELTOM Trusted Partners,” Ms Abela added.
The AGM also addressed a number of key projects that came into fruition in 2014 and will now require sustainable implementation whilst expanding and taking on new challenges. These include more human resources to achieve stronger executive infrastructure, a brand new website with improved content as well as more presence on the social media to reach out to FELTOM’s respective audiences and stakeholders.
“2015 is a very exciting year for FELTOM. In collaboration with the EFL Monitoring Board we will be hosting the 2015 Quality Assurance Language and Education Network meeting in Malta to strengthen our cooperation and partnerships with other recognized accreditation bodies. On the international front, FELTOM’s commitment will be to enhance our presence at workshops, fairs, and conferences. Collectively, our biggest challenge remains that of member participation in all that is FELTOM, pride in the product that our members and FELTOM provide, and brand recognition both locally and internationally,” she concluded.