The “Academy of Trainers” that took place from 2 to 6 September was a pilot project organised by SCIC B1 and has to be seen in the context of the Seminars organised by SCIC aimed at practising interpreter trainers like the more classic “Training for Trainers".
For the first time, instead of being a general interpreter training seminar for new trainers, thematic workshops for experienced trainers were planned. As the Academy of Trainers was a pilot project, participation was only offered to trainers from partner universities from Member States. 12 experienced trainers, representing different partner universities, were invited to the workshops. In the framework of the Academy of Trainers two workshops were held.
The first one on “Teaching Analysis Skills” and the second one on “Feedback and Evaluation”. These back-to-back workshops, moderated by SCIC interpreters, gave the opportunity to benefit from invaluable expertise from well-recognised experienced trainers. The Academy of Trainers was very much a peer-learning exercise. SCIC interpreters/trainers were invited to take part in the course as participants. The exercise was very interactive.
Participants were strongly encouraged to bring their expertise and share their knowledge, in the form of presentations or during brainstorming sessions, in order to learn from one another and to benefit from the universities’ experience. The sharing and exchanging will now continue in the dedicated private community in the Knowledge Centre on Interpretation.
The good news for all the training community is that, on the basis of the exchanges both in the seminar and in the private community, two documents – one on teaching analysis skills and one on feedback and evaluation - will be shared in the public part of our platform in due course. An informal lunch with SCIC’s DG, Ms Florika Fink-Hooijer, and the relevant Heads of Units took place on Wednesday 4 September, giving participants the opportunity to network and meet SCIC management.
On this occasion, the Director General welcomed all participants, highlighting the state of play and the importance of current partnerships, along with future challenges and objectives. The Academy of Trainers represents a capacity building exercise but also a networking platform and a hub for the creation of a community of best practices.
