Since April 2018 PLS has been the Prime Provider of language training to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). We provide customised, intensive training in over 50 foreign languages to diplomatic and consular staff, at all levels from beginner to advanced. Through this contract we also provide training for many other government departments and agencies.
We are also entirely responsible for the staffing and day to day running of the FCDO Language Centre, located in Westminster.
The FCDO Language Centre, Westminster
One-HMG Contract
Our FCDO contract is a Treasury-approved “One- HMG” contract, which can be accessed by any other government departments or agencies on the same terms and conditions. This avoids the necessity to run a separate procurement process, or to negotiate new terms.
Customers accessing our One-HMG contract include: Cabinet Office, Home Office, DIT, MoD, BEIS, NCA, HMRC and many others.
For further details on the services we can provide, including our online solutions to overcome Covid-19 restrictions, please contact our Operations Manager : corinne.taylor@langsols.com
Fit for purpose
We have developed a true understanding of public sector language training needs and our service provision includes bespoke training, specifically tailored to the learner’s needs.
Course plans are carefully tailored to the topics and skills required by civil servants.
The course programmes we offer to government departments include:
- Full time, intensive training
- Flexible, individual courses to fit in with learners’ busy schedules
- Weekly group lunchtime and evening courses
- Instructor-led online lessons using virtual classroom technology
Our approach
All courses start with a Needs Analysis, level assessment (if the individual has already had some language exposure) and the development of a tailored course plan. Progress is tested and reported on regularly, both informally during lessons and formal testing can be arranged. We work closely with all clients to review training programmes and align them with your needs and expectations.
Our FCDO teachers
Our 150+ qualified and highly experienced FCDO teachers are familiar with civil servants’ language requirements. We offer a range of training workshops, observations, mentoring and ongoing CPD to fine-tune their teaching skills.
This helps our trainers keep up to date with the latest teaching methodologies, such as the flipped-classroom approach we introduced to the FCDO contract.
Whitehall Virtual Languages
