Ocean Technologies Group to Raise English Language Skills in Indonesia

[By: Ocean Technologies Group]

Ocean Technologies Group (OTG) has won a contract with the Skills for Prosperity Programme in Indonesia (SfP-Indonesia)—an initiative implemented by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and funded by the United Kingdom government—to improve the English language skills of maritime instructors at four colleges in Indonesia.  

Using the experience of specialist Maritime English training and assessment brand Marlins, (part of OTG), a programme of general English language instruction has begun with the aim of improving the general level of English of technical subject teachers at four Indonesian polytechnics.

Forming part of the UK Skills for Prosperity programme which works with a select number of countries to support education and skills development of its citizens, the ultimate goal set out by SfP-Indonesia is to make English the medium of instruction for certain courses of the four partner colleges.

Two online courses have been developed at distinct language levels. Each has an integrated syllabus with a focus on improving language levels and also developing confidence in using the three communication skills of speaking, listening and reading English to help the technical instructors prepare for teaching their subjects in English.

“We are delighted to have won this contract with the ILO which has been tasked with improving the skills development, policies and systems in Indonesia to enhance the career prospects of its people. The maritime sector has been prioritised by the Indonesian government.
Being able to converse, read and understand English is seen as an essential skill for those Indonesians wishing to improve their employment prospects especially when working abroad or for multi-national companies so strengthening English language skills was identified as an area of support for these four Polytechnics.”

“The Marlins English language teaching method is the de facto standard for Maritime English assessment and we have used that experience to develop these online courses to train the technical teachers at these four colleges which specialise in different subject areas covering engineering, logistics, ship building and tourism,” said Catherine Logie, Director of Direct to Consumer Services.

“Marlins language trainers are experienced teacher trainers and all have a deep understanding of language training and methodology. They have strong backgrounds in development of assessment, training materials, curriculum development and are accustomed to working on government level projects,” she continued.

With funding from SfP-Indonesia, Politeknik Maritim Negeri, Semarang became a Marlins Approved Test Centre in November 2021to facilitate supervised English language testing of cadets and seafarers, helping prepare for employment by ship operators.

“Winning this contract is a great achievement as it indicates how renowned the Marlins English learning and assessment programme really is. The UK Skills and Prosperity programme is a great initiative and one which we are proud to be a part of,” said Raal Harris, Chief Creative Officer at OTG.