Specialist Language Courses

Enhancing Medical English Capacity and OET Preparation in Uzbekistan: Specialist Language Courses (SLC) to work with the Ministry of Labour and Poverty Reduction

I am delighted to share the outcomes of my recent trip to Uzbekistan, representing Specialist Language Courses (SLC). Our primary objective during this visit was to bolster capacity for English language education and Occupational English Test (OET) preparation in Uzbekistan. In turn, this will lead to greater opportunities for the workforce to enter employment in non-Russian speaking countries and also forms part of a national strategy to move closer to the UK in the higher education sector.  It’s notable that UK Foreign Minister David Cameron was also in Tashkent at the same time and gave his blessings to our endeavours.

Key to the success of the trip was the meeting with Minister Musaev at the Ministry of Labour and Poverty Reduction. Here, we presented a comprehensive proposal focused on strengthening clinical and medical English language teaching and facilitating OET and IELTS readiness programs in Uzbekistan. We are currently awaiting government review of this proposal, anticipating significant potential for collaboration in the near future.

We also had the privilege of co-hosting a press conference at the Tashkent Monocentre, which garnered substantial national attention and media coverage. For those interested, video highlights of the event are available on my LinkedIn profile and on the SLC Linkedin Page.

NEU and SLC in Uzbekistan

Proposal Overview

 Our joint proposal to the Ministry encompasses the following key components:

  • English Language Education: Our aim is to help elevate English language proficiency levels across Uzbekistan through targeted training initiatives for educators and students alike. This will be in partnership with local higher education providers such as Tashkent Medical Academy and Samarkand Medecon University.
  • OET Preparation: We are committed to supporting healthcare professionals in Uzbekistan in excelling in the Occupational English Test (OET), essential for success in English-speaking healthcare settings.
  • Capacity Development: We have proposed a comprehensive Needs Analysis Project to assess the current landscape and design tailored English language and OET preparation programs aligned with local needs. This will include capacity building programmes with local partners and educators.

Through these three areas we aim to support the national plans to position Uzbekistan as a key source market for NHS recruitment and also support wider initiatives for Uzbekistan to become a regional hub for higher education.

A word of thanks to everyone involved in making this such an enjoyable and impactful trip. We are excited to be alongside the other stakeholders such as NEU Professionals who had the vision to put this together , the NHS  (notably Surrey and Borders NHS and NELFT),  All4maternity and Coventry University to further refine and implement these initiatives.

Please stay tuned for updates on our progress here on what is set to be a groundbreaking piece of work

Peter Rodway

LinkedIn