The British Council was asked by the German Development Agency GTZ to assist with English language and communications improvement courses.

Client, stakeholders, partners

• Northern and Eastern Provincial Councils, Sri Lanka
• GTZ - German Development Agency

Focus
Skills and knowledge development for Public Service employees in conflict affected areas of Sri Lanka.

The project
The British Council was asked by the German Development Agency GTZ to assist with English language and communications improvement courses. The Skills Through English for Public Servants programme is part of a wider GTZ Human Resource Development project aimed at personnel working in government departments, NGOs, and civil society in eight districts in the conflict-affected North and East of Sri Lanka.

The programme has changed the way personnel operate in the workplace. Participants come from a range of organisations and job designations, in order to strengthen communication and improve coordination of development interventions at community level.

1000 people have followed the courses, which develop English language skills through content designed to enhance knowledge and understanding of governance and development issues, such as disaster management, conflict transformation and gender. The course activities develop important strategic management skills, such as team building, communication skills, presentations, proposal writing and critical thinking.

The innovative training materials were jointly developed by GTZ and British Council teams during 2006 and were published as a stand-alone course in April 2008.

The courses have been delivered by the British Council's Professional Training Unit. However, the next phase of the project will focus on training local trainers to deliver materials. In this way the sustainability of the programme beyond 2008 will be ensured.

What the stakeholders say

• "The course had changed the way we think about work and we expect changes in behaviour as a result". Mathumai Jayadevan, course participant
• "The courses get people talking in English and bring departments and communities together."
  Mr V. P. Balasingham, Chief Secretary for the Eastern Province
• "Successful partnerships were forged between GTZ, the British Council and the North and Eastern Provincial Councils as a result of the project. It is bringing communities together".
  Mr Walter Keller, Senior Adviser, Performance Improvement Project, GTZ

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