British Council signs MOU with Kerala State Government to deliver 300,000 Aptis English Language tests
The British Council has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to use Aptis as a part of their ASAP skill development programme. The Kerala State through its ASAP (Additional Skill Acquisition Programme) initiative has embarked upon an ambitious project to equip its young population with skills in cutting edge sectors in order to effectively alleviate the unemployment problem in the state. The ASAP programme is intended to reach students in the age group of 18 to 25, impart them skills in the vocational stream (of which English language is an important component) and help students to attain employable resource status.
The State Education Minister, Abdu Rabb who witnessed the exchange of the MoU was positive on the goals of the ASAP programme to improve employability of students in Kerala. The computer based version of the All 4 skills Aptis test will be delivered by the ASAP team through 90+ skill centres that have been established across every district in Kerala. Enrolment of students into ASAP are to be identified through feeder institutions and other selected institutions. Aptitude tests are to be conducted to gauge students’ skill level and counselling services are to be imparted to students to guide and help them to choose the right skill development sector.
Aptis is a new and innovative global English assessment tool from the British Council. It is designed to help organisations reach more people, connect with them and raise standards of English. Aptis is designed to be flexible, adaptable and accessible, which means more people can be assessed quickly, affordably and with minimum fuss. Developed by testing experts and based on the latest research in assessment, Aptis is a smarter way to evaluate English skills such as reading, writing, listening and speaking.
According to Rob Lynes, Director British Council India “This agreement is in line with our strategic work on skills, will have enormous impact on further such initiatives”.
British Council Director South India Paul Sellers who signed the MoU from the British Council’s side said that “In the area of education & cultural relations, this is one of the many projects that we have been working in partnership with the Government”
According to Vineeth Vijay a user of Aptis in Kerala felt that this kind of a test assesses the right areas of English language, improves their confidence by providing an accurate description of where they stand and where is it that they need to improve.
For more information on Aptis, please reach your nearest British Council office or visit our website