INTER-INSTITUTIONAL LANGUAGE COURSES - BRUSSELS

2d semester 2003-2004

• INTRODUCTION

• GENERAL INFORMATION

• TYPES OF COURSES

• APPLICATION FORM

• SECRETARIAT OF THE INTER-INSTITUTIONAL LANGUAGE TRAINING

INTRODUCTION

The language training sector of the training unit (ADMIN.A.3) organises more than 600 courses and deals with more than 10000 requests a year for around 9200 participants and for 25 languages, mainly at an inter-institutional level. To accomplish this, all our resources (financial, human and logistical) are utilised to the full.

In spite of this, it is not always possible to organise all the courses requested or to satisfy all the requests for training. Priority is given to requests made in the interest of the service (particularly for level 1 in Spanish, Italian and Dutch because of their popularity and budgetary constraints) which enable staff to work effectively and priority is also given to standard courses (levels 1 to 6) which provide a basic language training.

In practical terms, we have to follow very tight time-scales established at an inter-institutional level. Please, therefore, remember that we must apply strict deadlines for enrolment in SYSLOG Web Formation.

NB: Newcomers and staff returning to Headquarters (here less than 3 months) may join an English or French course during the first 2 months of a course (except for level 1 beginner courses in which it is essential to participate from the start of the session), with the aim of becoming operational as quickly as possible in the most widely-used languages.

The organisation of language training implies a serious investment on the part of the Institution in terms of financial resources, staff resources and logistics. Before enrolling, participants are asked to consider the implications in terms of time and effort (for them and their service). Potential participants are also invited to consider the costs of lost opportunity - should you sign up for a course and then drop out, you prevent another colleague from availing of the opportunity to attend the course, as well as raising the average costs per participant.

In order to ensure optimal use of resources and to ensure that each student achieves the pre-established training objectives, regular attendance at all courses is required. Consult the attendance rules (see point 7). In this respect, you are also reminded that arrival more than 30 minutes late to a class or departure 30 minutes before the end of the class is considered as non-attendance.

All members of staff (or other participants) are reminded of the necessity to comply with all rules and administrative practices drawn up to ensure the smooth functioning of courses and participants are invited to ensure that they do not hinder the work of the Administration and of Teachers (recording of presences/absences, non-attendance, etc.)

Please note that participants who have enrolled for a course, but who have not turned up for a language test to which they have been invited on two consecutive semesters, will not be accepted on a course. Their request for enrolment will be considered null and void and they will have to re-enrol for any subsequent sessions.

Participants are reminded that it is their responsibility to purchase course textbooks. Use of photocopies of published works constitutes an infringement of international copyright laws.

I wish you an excellent course and I trust that this language training will be beneficial in your professional life.

Guido Vervaet
Head of Unit
Training

GENERAL INFORMATION

1. CALENDAR
   
   The semester will start on Monday 16 February 2004 and will end on Friday 25 June 2004. The detailed timetable will be indicated in the classrooms and on our web-site.
   
   Please note that the timetable for the candidate accession countries may differ from the calendar for other languages. Participants will be notified of the timetable in due course.
    
2. LANGUAGES OFFERED
   
   Languages of the European Union Member-States: DA (Danish), DE (German), EL (Greek), EN (English), ES (Spanish), FI (Finnish), FR (French), IT (Italian), NL (Dutch), PT (Portuguese), SV (Swedish).
   
   Non Member-States languages: AR (Arabic), JA (Japanese), RU (Russian).
   
   Languages of candidate accession countries: BG (Bulgarian), CS (Czech), ET (Estonian), HU (Hungarian), LV (Latvian), LT (Lithuanian), MT (Maltese), PL (Polish), RO (Rumanian), SK (Slovak), SL (Slovenian), TR (Turkish). NB: for the languages of the candidate accession countries, only requests made in the interest of the service will be accepted.
    
3. TIMETABLE
   
   If you are given a place on a course, you will be allocated to one of the following time slots (except for the languages of the candidate accession countries for which another timetable will be offered in due course).

08 h 30 – 10 h 20
11 h 40 – 13 h 30
13 h 45 – 15 h 35
16 h 10 – 18 h 00

These time slots have been chosen in order to optimise the use of our training rooms and suit the hours of the teachers, ensuring at the same time a minimum disruption to the daily work of the participants.

4.  ROOMS
   
   The language courses can take place in the Brussels Commission buildings (GUIMARD : rue Guimard 10 - 1040 Brussels; SCIENCE 29: rue de la Science 29 - 1040 Brussels; JECL: avenue de la Joyeuse Entrée 24 – 1040 Brussels) and in the Brussels Council of the Union (ORBAN : square Frère Orban 10 - 1040 Brussels).

5.  ADMISSION CRITERIA
   
   Candidates who at the closing date for applications and at the start of the course are either an official, a temporary, auxiliary or local agent or a seconded national expert (SNE) are eligible to apply for a course.
   
   Spouses of officials and former officials will be admitted, if there are places available, to courses in all the languages on offer ; except for French and English (for which there is always a very large number of requests), for level 1 in Spanish, Italian and Dutch, and for the languages of the candidate accession countries, for which a request made in the interest of the service is required.
   
   Due to the huge number of requests received for level 1 in Spanish, Italian and Dutch and in view of budgetary constraints which limit the number of courses we can organise, we cannot accept requests for this level made only in the interest of the individual.
   
   Officials and other servants who have been newly recruited and staff returning to Headquarters (within the previous 3 months) may join an English or French course during the first two months of a course (except for level 1 beginner courses in which it is essential to participate from the start of the session), if their service makes a special request.
   
   The following categories of applicants will not be accepted if at the closing date for applications and at the start of the course they are ‘intérimaires’, service providers (‘prestataires’), trainees, consultants, staff in receipt of an invalidity pension or on leave on personal grounds or on sick leave or on maternity leave. People working part-time can attend a course only during their working hours (time spent training is considered equivalent to work time).
   
6. APPLICATION PROCEDURE

• All requests must be made only via SYSLOG. The DG ADMIN will deal with your request only AFTER the electonic validation done by the Training Coordinator of your DG/Service (list of Training Coordinators).
   
• Deadline for enrolment in Syslog Web formation: 21 November 2003.
   
• You are only allowed to enrol for one course per semester.
   
• You will not be allowed to change language once the training coordinator of your DG/Service has validated your request electronically.
   
• People who are currently attending level 1 to 5 of a standard course do not need to submit a new application as their enrolment is automatic until they complete level 6.
   
• To follow an advanced or task based course (after level 6), participants must always make a new request.
   
• Information on the status of your request can be viewed by clicking the "Applications" button in SYSLOG WEB FORMATION.

Nevertheless, you will be informed officially of the outcome of your request by 9 February 2004 at the latest.

Because of the limited human resources available in our team, no information can be sent out to you before this date.

7. ABSENCES
   
   It's worth remembering that the learning of any language means regular attendance at all courses. Repeated absences inevitably slow down the learning pace of the individual and the whole group and risk compromising the training objectives. A similar problem is posed by chronic latecomers to courses or by early departures: which is why arriving more than 30 minutes late to your class or leaving 30 minutes before the end of the class is considered as non-attendance.
   
   It is therefore advisable not to apply for a course if you are not sure that you can attend regularly.
   
   Participants who throughout a course accumulate:

• 6 consecutive absences or 10 non-consecutive absences for a twice-weekly standard course
• 5 absences for a specialised or a specific course,

regardless of the reason for the absences will be excluded from the course and will not be allowed to sit the final test.

In these cases, if they wish to continue their training, these participants must submit a new request for the following semester.

In exceptional cases, an appeal procedure can be launched in order to avoid being excluded from the course or to be reinstated in the course, as follows:

• a note from the participant’s line superior to the language training Head of Sector certifying that participation in the course is in the interest of the service
• a written declaration from the teacher stating that the participant is capable of continuing and successfully completing the course without slowing down the progress of the class as a whole
• commitment from the participant to take part in all remaining classes and to review the material covered during his or her absence

8. PLACEMENT TESTS
   
   For people whose level in the language requested is not known or who have not attended a course in that language during the previous three years, placement tests will be organised from 8 to 12 December 2003, from 15 to 19 December  2003 and from 5 to 9 January 2004. An invitation to a test will be sent in due course.
   
   NB : Participants who have enrolled for a course, but who have not turned up for a language test to which they have been invited on two consecutive semesters, will not be accepted on a course. Their request for enrolment will be considered null and void and they will have to re-enrol for any subsequent sessions.

TYPES OF COURSES

Courses are organised within the limits of the available resources (financial, logistical and human). Requests will therefore be satisfied as long as there are places available and sufficient demand from candidates. If necessary, priority will be given to requests in the interest of the service, and to work languages (DE-EN-FR).

1. STANDARD COURSES (twice a week)
   
   Languages
   
   All languages mentioned in point 2 of the general information.
   
   Aim
   
   To enable participants to acquire the language skills which are necessary to carry out their daily work and to express themselves in everyday situations.
   
   Levels
   
   The levels on offer range from level 1 (complete beginner) to level 6.
   
   Length and frequency
   
   Course length is approximately 64 hours on a twice-weekly basis, 1 h 50 per day, for 16 weeks (excluding holidays).
    
2. ADVANCED COURSES (ex "specialised" courses) (once a week)
   
   These courses are for candidates who have successfully completed the six standard courses or those who can demonstrate in the placement test that they are at an equivalent level. A specific request is necessary as automatic re-enrolment ends after level 6 of the standard courses. People who have previously successfully completed an advanced course can re-enrol for the same module after a period of two years has elapsed.
   
   Languages
   
   Courses will be organised for the languages of the European Union Member-States mentioned in point 2 of the general information if we have received enough applications and if there are sufficient resources available.
   
   Aim
   
   To improve the participants’ listening, speaking, reading or writing skills.
   
   Content
   
   There are four specialised modules :

• Oral expression (code 020)
• Listening comprehension (code 022)
• Written expression (code 024)
• Reading comprehension (code 025)

Length and frequency

Each module lasts approximately 32 hours, 1 h 50 once a week for 16 weeks (excluding holidays).

3. TASK BASED COURSES (ex "specific" courses) (once a week)
   
   These courses are for candidates :

• who have finished level 6 of the standard courses and at least one of the specialised modules (from the same domain – written or oral), mentioned above or
• who can demonstrate in the placement test that they have an equivalent level.

A specific application is required.

Languages

Specific task-based courses are only organised in DE, EN, FR if there is sufficient demand and if the necessary resources are available.

Aim

• Specific writing courses focus on professional writing tasks (administrative writing).
• Specific speaking courses focus on professional oral tasks (speeches, meetings, negotiating).

Content

• Task based writing courses

• Preparation for administrative writing (code 026) FR, EN, DE
• Letters and memos (code 027) FR, EN
• Note taking and minute writing (code 028) FR, EN
• Report writing (code 029) FR, EN

• Task based oral courses

• Speeches and presentations (code 051) FR, EN, DE
• Meetings (code 052) FR, EN, DE
• Negotiating (code 053) FR, EN, DE

Length and frequency

Each module lasts approximately 32 hours, 1 h 50 once a week for 16 weeks (excluding holidays).

APPLICATION FORM

SECRETARIAT OF THE INTER-INSTITUTIONAL LANGUAGE TRAINING

Please, first consult SYSLOG WEB FORMATION to find out all details about the progress of your request.
 

Head of Unit : Guido VERVAET, GUIM 3/56, tel. : 59224
Head of Sector : Italo RUBINO, GUIM 1/56, tel. : 62593

Secretariat : Emmanuelle LOUEDEC, GUIM 1/53, tel. : 51160
Training adviser : Maria RATZINGER, GUIM 1/60, tel. : 98749

Coordination and planning : Martine VAN LOO, GUIM 1/50, tel. : 52394

Administrative notices and website: Marie Hélène ANDRE, GUIM 1/40, tel.: 92734

List of course managers 
(on 1^st October 2003)
(enquiries by phone or in person may be made between 10 and 12 a.m.)