Improvement of Professional Qualifications of the Lithuanian Civil Servants Representing the Interests of Lithuania in the EU Speaker: Eglė Kesylienė, Public Institution “American English School” General Manager

Lithuanian Institute of Public Administration (LIVADIS) Project: Training Services for the Improvement of Qualifications Required by the Lithuanian Civil Servants and Politicians for Representation in the EU and EU Presidency. Project code No: VP VRM-02-V American English School (AMES) Strengthening the Communication Skills Required for the Preparation of Various Types of Documents in English and French Being Involved in the Activities of EU Institutions, Delivery of Public Speeches, Conduct of Debates in Foreign Language.

Training objectives: Strengthen English and French communication skills required for: Preparation of different types of documents when participating in the activities of EU institutions, Delivery of public statements, Conduct of debates and negotiations, Preparation of positions/drafting non-papers and presentation of them, The reinforced level writing and preparation of documents and reading in English, Execute other associated functions.

Testing the level of English or French of 700 the highest ranking civil servants Performing self-evaluation of the language level (best practice adapted) Processing the results Providing recommendations for training and grouping Preparation for effective training

Training spectrum Participants 300 civil servants (270 for English and 30 for French) 30 groups 10 students /group Training duration 4 business days 9:00 to 17:00 32 academic hours / group Residential (full-immersion) course in Druskininkai, Lithuania

Training Partners The London School of English, UK CLL Language Centres, Belgium Lecturers: Anthony Carlyle, UK Etienne Mairesse, Belgium John McKenzie, UK Yvan Leclere, France Mark Fearon, UK Remi Mossiat, France Irena Seniut, Lithuania

Training outcomes Training delivered from to training hours. 297 participants attended (300 planned). 27 groups (268 participants) for English. 3 groups (29 participants) for French pages of training material covered.

Progress and knowledge evaluation Do you agree that you have made progress? Will you find the acquired knowledge useful in your professional activities?

Material and course duration evaluation Has the training material been useful? Has the duration of training been appropriate?

Teacher’s evaluation Were the teacher's explanations clear enough? Did you like the teaching methods?

Teacher’s flexibility and atmosphere Was the teacher flexible enough while adapting to student needs? Has the teacher set a discussion-friendly atmosphere?

Skills gained: All the participants gained the communication skills of: Delivery of public statements Conduct of debates and bi-lateral negotiations Presentation of positions/drafting non-papers Preparation of different types of EU documents

To conclude: Former training for EU Presidency experience adapted successfully Best practice adapted for training format Professional approach Overall student satisfaction

Suggestions Further training for effective professional communication to prepare for the Presidency of the EU.

Thank you!