Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution has introduced an International Certificate Conference (ICC)-certified teacher training programme for teachers working with international student groups. The training is led by Dr Marijana Prodanović, Associate Professor at the Language Centre of the Faculty of Arts and Education, who initiated and developed the programme.

‘My role was to lead the development of this intercultural communication programme from concept to completion,’ she explains. ‘I designed the training to reflect the realities and challenges of teaching diverse student groups. My role was to ensure the programme met the high standards of the International Certificate Conference and embodied relevant EU values promoted by the Council of Europe as well as the European Centre for Modern Languages.’

Behind this recognition lay a complex and meticulous development process. The programme went through extensive curriculum design, piloting, documentation, and alignment with international quality assurance protocols. ‘It was a lengthy and detailed journey,’ Dr M. Prodanović notes, ‘but also a culmination of years of professional practice and research in the field.’

The Head of the Language Centre, Ieva Brazauskaitė-Zubavičienė, is pleased with the training that has begun and emphasises its significance for the Kauno kolegija community: ‘This training is a very important step for the professional development of our lecturers in a global context. It helps to strengthen an inclusive, culturally sensitive and open academic environment, and such initiatives create the image of Kauno kolegija as an international, modern institution.’

The training, which will take place on October 27–28, will involve lecturers from various faculties who aim to deepen their intercultural communication competencies, better understand the needs of students from different cultures, and apply student-centred pedagogy.