As part of the Ministry of Education’s continuing thrust to provide educational opportunities for all citizens at every level, the Ministry partnered with the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs and the Embassy of the Republic of Colombia to train fifty-four (54) civil servants as part of the Fourth Edition of the Spanish Language Course for Public Servants.
The six week Spanish Language programme was conducted at the Education Towers on St. Vincent Street, Port of Spain by tutors from the Embassy of the Republic of Colombia from November 12th to December 18th, 2018. Successful participants were presented with their certificates at a simple ceremony on Wednesday 19th December, 2018.
This group of public servants was selected from Government Ministries such as the Ministry of National Security, Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs and the Ministry of Trade and Investment. The participants not only improved their conversational Spanish Language proficiency but were also immersed in various aspects of Colombian culture which enabled them to fully appreciate the beauty of the language.
The aims of the programme are to provide trade, investment and employment opportunities for nationals by enabling them to converse with native Spanish speakers. It also provides opportunities for nationals who are fluent in Spanish to develop closer cultural ties with our Latin American neighbours, while simultaneously addressing the national security needs of Trinidad and Tobago.
Approximately two hundred and thirty (230) public servants have participated and benefitted from the Spanish Language Course since its inception in 2016.