The Lucena City Council has launched a new edition of its intensive English courses, focusing on preparation for the B1 and B2 levels. This municipal initiative aims to help Lucena's youth obtain official accreditation, which is increasingly in demand in academic and professional fields.
The call for applications received 89 submissions, with more than half successfully passing the initial level test. For three weeks, around 45 students are attending these intensive courses, delivered by the academy Learning Corner, the company awarded the service contract. The municipal investment amounts to approximately 15,000 euros, which also covers examination fees.
The mayor of Lucena, Aurelio Fernández, highlighted the positive results from previous years and the importance of maintaining this training line. "Knowledge of languages has become a basic competency, not only for university students but also for accessing numerous job positions," he stated.
Accompanied by the Councilor for Education, Miriam Ortiz, the mayor emphasized the City Council's financial effort to make these courses accessible to any young person, regardless of their family's economic situation. In this regard, he announced that the Council will consider expanding access to high school students in future calls and particularly reinforcing preparation for the B2 level, a qualification already required for many university degrees.
"We want students to be able to enter university with this certification already obtained, thus facilitating their academic path," explained the mayor, who stressed that this program, which supports students with both training and exam fees, "is also an investment in the future of our young people, in their employment, and in equal opportunities".
Araceli Pineda, director of the contracted academy Learning Corner, positively assessed the continuity of this project and the results obtained in previous editions. "Last year, except for one person who came very close, all students obtained the certification, which represents practically a hundred percent pass rate," she explained.
Pineda indicated that the course objective goes beyond passing a test, as "we work to ensure students receive good training, improve their level, and especially gain confidence in using the language." She also highlighted that a significant portion of the group preparing for the B2 level previously completed the B1 within this same municipal program.
The City Council expressed gratitude for the work of the academy Learning Corner, as well as the trust of the families and the effort of the participating students, whom they encouraged to face the upcoming tests with confidence on July 30 and make the most of the training received.
