British Council celebrates longstanding IELTS Registration Centre Network for the eighth year

The annual partner forum that brings together the island-wide IELTS registration centres of the British Council was held on Wednesday, 25 July at Cinnamon Lakeside. 

Twenty-three awards were given out to the registration centre and test venue partners who collaborate with the British Council in facilitating IELTS tests to candidates across Sri Lanka. The International College of Business and Technology (ICBT) secured the Partner of the Year Award for the fifth consecutive year along with five more awards, bagging the highest number of awards at the ceremony. The Australian College of Business and Technology (ACBT), which joined the British Council IELTS network only last year, bagged the Test Venue Partner of the Year Award along with three more. 

British Council Country Director Keith Davies spoke of the key role IELTS plays in creating opportunities worldwide for people to study, work and live. He said: “With over 10,000 organisations across 140 countries in the world recognising IELTS as an international English language proficiency test and over 2.9 million tests taken in the year 2016, IELTS is truly global and you all play a crucial role in facilitating it.”

“The British Council IELTS Registration Centre Network started in 2010 and has over 60 partners which include educational institutes, migration agents and IELTS tutors across the country in 14 districts spread across eight provinces. The partner network serves IELTS candidates in the test registration process, as if they were working through a British Council branch in Colombo, Kandy or Jaffna. It is an extension of our own services to candidates who have no access to our offices and online platforms or who simply prefer a different access method. “It’s important that the public pays attention in correctly identifying the authorised British Council IELTS registration centres, as there could be many who maybe use our association wrongfully. In this respect, the award ceremony is a key forum where the partners working with the British Council are recognised and awarded certificates of partnership,” said Head of Business Development UK Qualifications Dileepa Manawadu. 

ICBT won the much coveted Partner of the Year Award for the fifth consecutive year and CEO Dr. Mohan Pathirana, speaking after receiving the award, said: “We value the association with the British Council and are proud to have received this award continuously for the last five years. Our relationship with the British Council is a longstanding one and it will continue.”

ACBT received the Test Venue Partner of the Year Award. Receiving the award, Head of the Department of English at ACBT, Dr. Thilini Abeypala said: “We are very happy to be recognised for our contribution towards IELTS in Sri Lanka. The British Council has been very easy to work with and we want to continue offering our services to IELTS candidates in Sri Lanka. We are looking forward to our test venue expansion to Galle very soon.”

The event concluded with a message from the British Council Country Examinations Manager Simon Creasey, who emphasised the importance of the role of the British Council IELTS partner network members as brand advocates. 

“People interested or who have a need to do IELTS come to you (partners) when they recognise there is a relationship between you and the British Council. It’s a crucial role in the journey of IELTS candidates and we encourage you to truly make it meaningful by offering the range of free services and scholarship opportunities that are offered through the British Council IELTS offer.”

Boiler plate

IELTS is a measure of the English language proficiency of people who want to work or study abroad. The test is available in over 1,100 locations across the world across 48 dates a year. 

IELTS is co-owned by the British Council and the test is administered in Colombo, Kandy, Jaffna, Batticaloa, Matara, Negombo, Galle and Kurunegala. For further information on the test please visit www.britishcouncil.lk

For further information on IELTS contact British Council Head of Business Development UK Qualifications Dileepa Manawadu at [email protected] or on 0773142920.