English proficiency tests launched in Jubail
Jubail Industrial College ( JIC) and the British Council (BC) have begun holding English proficiency tests.
The candidates who pass the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and APTIS examinations would improve their chances of getting jobs.
APTIS is an English assessment tool from the British Council. It is designed to help organizations and institutions identify standards of English and select the staff or students with the right skills.
The first group of IELTS candidates arrived at the JIC on Saturday Jan. 10. The college had already received several candidates for the APTIS test, which is computerbased.
The Royal Commission for Yanbu and Jubail is using APTIS as a testing requirement for recruitment.
Adel bin Salem Bahakeem, managing director of JIC, welcomed the new cooperation between the college and the council. This provides an opportunity for the college to strengthen ties with other academic institutions, he said.
Saad Al-Shomrani, the test coordinator of the college’s English Language Center (ELC), said the programs and examination would help prepare local students for overseas study and domestic industries.
Mohammad bin Rajab Al-Nofaie, the ELC director, told Arab News that in-house placement tests go hand-in-hand with the college’s curriculum to examine the new students’ English proficiency.
“We aim to place students at the right level in the ELC, taking into consideration that they are secondary school graduates.”
Bahakeem said that although JIC graduates are in top demand in the market because of the college’s reputation, “we plan to cooperate with an outside party to examine, diagnose and verify our students and trainees on graduation.”
“This is to make sure that we have been doing the right thing and achieved our goals to provide the Saudi labor market with highly skilled youth. We want our students to compete and excel in any work environment,” Bahakeem said.