Image credit: Gerrit Wilcke via Pexels.comThis two-part blog series discusses two very different types: language proficiency tests after completing a language training program and summer school language immersion programs taken through German higher education institutions. Language programs are popular for students worldwide, and Germany is a popular choice. More than 100 million people worldwide speak German, with estimates ranging widely from 130 to nearly 290 million speakers. German, Austria, Switzerland, Brazil, and France make up the largest share of native German speakers worldwide. However, significant numbers of residents consider German a mother tongue or language spoken at home who...

  Image Source: Catarina Sousa, via Pexels.com   Within Australia, post-compulsory education can be offered by a number of institutions, including senior secondary schools, universities, higher education providers, and Vocational Education and Training (VET) providers known as Registered Training Organizations (RTOs). There are four organizations authorized to accredit qualifications in the vocational education and training sector in Australia: the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASA), the National Skills Standards Council (NSSC), the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA), and the Western Australia Training Accreditation Council (TAC). Because of the breadth and complexity of post-compulsory education, the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) was...

Historically, education in Samoa was coordinated with the Secretariat of the Pacific Board of Educational Assessment (SPBEA), a pan-national authority providing quality assurance and external examinations, including the South Pacific Form Seven Certificate (SPFSC) and the Pacific Senior Secondary Certificate (PSSC), sometimes known as the Pacific Senior School Certificate. The PSSC was offered after year 13 in Samoa, but after year 12 in other countries in the South Pacific.   In 2013, Samoa introduced their own secondary school leaving examinations after years 12 and 13. This blog post is about the primary and secondary system prior to 2013, however. Primary...

Image source: Moussa Abdou, via Pexels.comAlgeria has a robust system of vocational training and education, which is separate from the general academic education system. These studies are overseen by the Ministry of Vocational Training and Education, which includes studies at the lower secondary, upper secondary, and post-secondary levels as well as intermediate education in between secondary and post-secondary. Vocational training, which is also known as professional training, is offered across approximately two dozen branches with hundreds of specialties. The branches include fields such as agriculture, graphic arts, construction, electricity, clothing, hospitality, computers, mechanics, and business. The vocational training and education...

Photo Credit: Andre Furtado, Pexels.comIn Alberta, post-secondary programs and training are offered via certificate, degree, diploma, and non-credential studies (such as trade technician or apprenticeship programs), and they range from one semester to five years in length. Post-secondary study includes full-time and part-time programs, cooperative education, continuing education, distance learning, and full-time, in person options. Just as important as the credential type, however, is the program type. Some post-secondary training programs are offered as undergraduate or graduate study that is part of the Alberta Transfer System, and the credentials can be transferred to a degree program. This includes Post-Diploma programs...