PCARRD completes first round of English training for R&D

PCARRD has successfully completed the month-long English as a Second Language (ESL) Course for research and development (R&D).

The program is part of the PCARRD – Rural Development Administration (RDA) Korea work plan of cooperation.

Five Korean scientists attended the program, which ran the whole month of July. Under this program, PCARRD is facilitating the Korean scientists’ learning of the English language to help enhance their communication skills in R&D.

The English course for R&D has three key modules – basic applied communication, intensive practice and an integrating course to help the Korean scientists hone their English communication skills which they would find useful in their line of work.

A course evaluation from the participants indicated that the training was “good” and “very good”. The evaluation was based on their view of the content, organization, and capability of the facilitators/lecturers as well as the overall coordination of the course.

“The course provided us a lot of chance to speak through the study tours, cultural visits, and the lessons,” says Hee-Jong Woo, a scientist from the National Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, RDA. “The role-play as part of the interviewing skills for research allowed me to learn how to conduct interview not only for research activities but even more in everyday life” he added.

The program also gave the Korean scientists and their Filipino counterparts a chance to exchange information during the study visits.

PCARRD currently conducts the second round of the course for another batch of Korean scientists and researchers. The course will run the whole month of August. (Ma. Estel Facundo, S&T Media Service)