By reducing the language barriers and promoting awareness of the various cultures in the Greater Caribbean, the project aims to build a base of public servants and professionals who can collectively conduct business and negotiate with neighbouring countries and assure the continuity of language teaching in the OECS Member States with qualified foreign language instructors.

The ability of the business sector, the teachers and the government officials to communicate fluently in French and Spanish will mark a new era in the expansion of the OECS countries.

The entire training programme will include first a period of pre-qualification courses that the selected candidates will attend at teaching institutions in their own country.

Upon successful completion of the pre-qualification courses, the candidates will participate in an Intensive Immersion Language Training course, which will take place in language training institutions located in Spanish and French-speaking ACS Member Countries.

The Language Training project is aimed at key-personnel dealing with regional cooperation matters in OECS countries (government officials, business people and foreign language teachers) who have already gained an intermediate to advanced level of proficiency in the language of interest. In addition to the common language courses, each category will receive a specific training module related to its professional area. This will include visits to specific institutions linked to the relevant field of expertise to learn about the social, economic and legal entities on the ACS host language-teaching country.

The OECS/ACS language training project is sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank; the Caribbean Development Bank; along with the Regional Councils of Guadeloupe and Martinique; the French Regional Cooperation Fund and the government of Venezuela.

Thirty-six candidates from the six independent OECS Member States will be financed by a grant to cover all expenses related to the Programme (tuition fees, training material, travel and accommodation).

Interested individuals wishing further details and a copy of the application form should contact the Coordinator of the Language Training Project at the OECS Education Reform Project (OERU), Ms. Alessandra Binazzi, at Fax number (758) 453-0841 or email: abinazzi@oeru.org