"As the organisation representing 85% of English language teaching institutions in Malta, Feltom will always remain committed to ensuring the highest standards - a commitment that ensured our industry grew over the past 25 years. This is why when it comes to Quality Assurance and Accreditation, Feltom adopts very stringent procedures because we believe that if you want to position yourself among the best, you need to attract the best. And this only happens when the best standards are set."

This was stated by Julian Cassar Torreggiani, chairman of the Feltom Board during the opening round-table discussion at the third Qalen Symposium held in Malta and hosted by Feltom as a member of Qalen.

Qalen (Quality Assurance in Language Education Network) is a network of organisations that cooperate and safeguard standards for the further development of the English language learning services and teaching industry.

The symposium, held between 9 and 12 September in collaboration with the Malta ELT Council saw the participation of delegates representing various ELT Accreditation and Quality Assurance Organisations from Malta, Australia, the USA, the UK, Canada and New Zealand.

"Qalen is all about quality and ensuring the highest standards and this is why Feltom is proud to have hosted this prestigious event in Malta. Feltom and its 20 member schools share this same philosophy and this meeting creates the right environment for a healthy discussion forum to share and learn from each other's experiences to further improve this industry," added Mr Cassar Torreggiani.

Qalen's Malta symposium focused on a number of round-table discussions between the participating members and industry players, policy makers and education experts on topics that are key to English language teaching around the world.

Besides the various meetings, delegates had the opportunity to experience Malta as a Mediterranean destination and were treated to a programme of cultural visits and events such as a Captain Morgan Harbour Cruise, the Malta 5D experience and a number of culinary treats. A number of presentations and interesting discussions also ensued during a full day event at the Ministry of Education.

Speaking about the 2015 Qalen Symposium in Malta, Mark Raven, CEO of NEAS Australia and founding member of Qalen stated that: "The Malta 2015 Symposium has achieved its objectives and established the groundwork for the sharing of best practice across jurisdictions, making the business of quality assurance and accreditation more meaningful for our respective stakeholders."

Genevieve Abela, CEO of Feltom explained how hosting this event shows all stakeholders namely members, the ELT Council, and the Ministry of Education, Feltom's ongoing commitment to ensure that not only our members are top quality, but that the industry is supported and respected by authorities across the board.

"One of the best outcomes of this symposium was the opportunity to share best practice and listening to how other countries are tackling this industry and making it better. However, it was also a validation that Feltom is doing things right and following the international standards set by traditionally larger English language teaching destinations."

"Today Feltom is a highly respected institution because we do not just represent the member schools, but beyond tuition, we bring tangible support to students' entire stay including leisure, travel and accommodation. We work very closely with authorities on education, tourism, home affairs, visa and residence permits. Our industry's small size allows us to hand-hold all stakeholders involved and we do this for quality and to ensure the best outcome for every student's visit. We are also proud to say that the Education Ministry uses our industry as an example of best practice in the internationalisation of education," concluded Ms Abela.