Ashley Irving, principal of the Australian Centre for Education (ACE). Photo Supplied
IDP Education is a world leader in student placement services and English language training. The Post spoke to ACE Principal Ashley Irving about the Australia-based company’s activities in Cambodia since establishing a presence here in 1992.
What programs does IDP Education offer for English language training in Cambodia?
The Australian Centre for Education (ACE) is an initiative of IDP Education and since 1992 has been the leading English language training provider in Cambodia. ACE provides English language training and testing to over 18,000 students per term from children aged 8 and upwards to government employees, embassy staff and corporate executives.
How many language teaching facilities and staff do you have in Cambodia?
ACE has four schools in Phnom Penh and one in Siem Reap. Each school is equipped with modern classrooms, Guided Individual Learning centres staffed by English language teachers, and an extensively resourced Book Club to encourage reading amongst our students.
Currently, ACE Phnom Penh and Siem Reap have approximately 18,000 part-time students and over 240 teachers from all over the world. Many of our staff have higher level qualifications related to English language teaching, having obtained Masters degrees (both from Cambodia and overseas), teaching diplomas from Cambridge University (ESOL) and PhDs.
There are many English language programs and proficiency tests offered in Cambodia. What makes the IELTS system different?
As a proud co-owner of the IELTS test, we are the only official test centre in Cambodia and host the test every two weeks for maximum convenience. IELTS is the only high-stakes English language test where the speaking test is conducted one-on-one with an examiner in a private room so that candidates will not be interrupted by other test takers. There are no computers and no distractions.
The IELTS test content is developed by an international team of experts and undergoes extensive research to ensure the test remains fair and unbiased for any candidate regardless of nationality, background, gender, lifestyle or location. The IELTS 9-band scale grades scores consistently. It is secure, benchmarked and understood worldwide.
Test materials are designed carefully so that every version of the test is of a comparable level of difficulty. IELTS is a real-life test for real-life situations.
How can IELTS certification help Cambodians seeking to work or live in other countries?
IELTS is the world’s most popular English language proficiency test with more than 3 million tests taken in the past year. IELTS is recognised by more than 10,000 organisations in 140 countries for study, work and migration purposes, including universities, employers and immigration departments.
How do IDP Education’s student placement services work?
IDP Education has over 40 years of experience and success in international student placement services and over 400,000 students placed worldwide. We provide free counselling services to students including university selection, course selection, application submission, offer acceptance, accommodation assistance, visa counselling and pre-departure preparation.
How many Cambodian students have you placed abroad?
Excluding scholarship students, we have placed more than 2,000 students to study in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the UK and the US.
