NATO Language Training Brings New Personal and Professional Skills

“The English Language Training Centre in Rajlovac. One of six English language centres located in BIH teaching English language skills to members of the Armed Forces of Bosnia in Herzegovina”

The successful partnership of NATO HQ Sarajevo and the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina is giving important new language skills to soldiers that will affect their personal and professional lives. The English language training program was started in December, 2008 at the direction of the Minister of Defence. Training centres were established at six major locations, Doboj, Banja Luka, Capljina, Rajlovac, Sarajevo, and Tuzla.

Training is provided at these locations from elementary level to the upper-intermediate level of English. During 2009 over 500 officers and non-commissioned officers were trained through the pre-intermediate level of English, and over 200 service members have been trained through the upper intermediate level of English. The centres use a combination of traditional classroom instruction and computer based instruction for presentation of course materials.

In December 2008 the Training and Doctrine Command of the Armed Forces established the English Military Terminology Course. This course is for those members of the armed forces who will participate in peacekeeping missions abroad, international courses or overseas assignments. Two courses have been completed and thirty members of the Armed forces have been trained in this specialist programme.

 In September 2009 the first nine month English language course was established for key personnel from the Ministry of Defence. Currently there are 51 participants receiving instruction from expert civilian teachers in this programme. The course was coordinated by NATO HQ Sarajevo with funding  provided by NATO and the embassies of Norway, the United Kingdom and The Netherlands. A similar course began for key military leaders in the Banja Luka area in August 2009.

On the advice of NATO HQ Sarajevo the Ministry of Defence has opened this English language training to members of the Ministry of Security, primarily law enforcement personnel, to improve their English language capabilities.

A new standard certification test has now been developed to determine the level of proficiency of the students once training is complete. Eight officers from the AFBIH have attended training to serve as administrators for this proficiency test.  These AFBiH officers participated in training to become certified test administrator in BiH, Germany, Italy and in Croatia. As of June 2009, 56 Officers and NCOs have been tested and all have passed the new proficiency test. Their English language proficiency is now recognised by all NATO countries.

The English Language Training project is moving towards a complete handover of responsibility to the BiH Ministry of Defence.

The English Language Training Program is one example of a win-win situation that the AFBIH and NATO have achieved together.