Press Release: 17th February 2010
New Home
We are delighted to announce that from 1 March 2009, we will relocate to our new premises at 19 Carpenter Street, opposite Clarke Quay MRT. Please take note of the following points:
- Our new six classrooms will be on the ground floor.
- Our new state of the art multimedia lab will be on the 5th floor.
- The multimedia lab will house 45pcs and will be staffed by a full-time teacher.
- In addition to the current three hours of classroom lessons, all students will have access to the award winning e-learning platform - English Campus - for up to a maximum of two hours per day.
- Students will also have more space to self-study and do their homework.
- Students will also have access to the rooftop terrace where they can socialize
New Multimedia Lab with 45 PCs |
Rooftop Terrace |
All our current students will enjoy Ascend’s new facilities from 1 March 2010. New students joining in our April, July and October 2010 intakes will also enjoy the full benefits of our new city campus.
We look forward to welcoming you all to our new spacious home.
David Doyle
CEO
Ascend Education Centre
Press Release: 10th February 2010
Ascend is Expanding!
Ascend –The English Professionals - is expanding and moving into its new premises from March 2010. Ascend’s new home is 19 Carpenter Street, which is strategically located in the heart of the Central Business District (CBD), just a five-minute walk from Clarke Quay MRT and Central Mall. With the move to their new location, Ascend’s floor space will more than double from its existing 2,500sq ft to 5,400 sq ft. Ascend students are the winners in the move, commented David Doyle, Ascend’s Principal, as they will have access to Ascend’s new state-of-the-art multimedia lab, which will house 45 PCs. Ascend is investing S$60,000 in the new multimedia facility and teaming up with Macmillan, the UK-based publishing company, to provide its students with access to their award-winning e-learning software platform – English Campus. David is confident all Ascend students will benefit from this collaboration, as it will give them access to the best e-learning platform in the market. David commented that the key feature of Ascend’s new multimedia lab is that it will have a “qualified teacher physically present at all times to answer students’ queries and questions. Not only will students continue to have the best English language teachers in Singapore, they will also have assisted access to the latest and best technology in helping them to improve their English language communication skills”. Busy part-time students who do not have the time to be on campus in Carpenter Street will also be able to enjoy the benefits of remote access from their own PCs, which is offered by English Campus. The blended learning approach combining classroom teaching and assisted e-learning is, David believes, “the optimal solution for students who want to see their English improve”.
Commenting on the partnership, Patrick Hafenstein of Macmillan East Asia said “we are excited and proud to collaborate with Ascend and this marks our first collaboration in Singapore. The courses have been specifically created by leading Macmillan authors and the Ascend teaching team so that it perfectly matches the Ascend curriculum and to ensure that students are offered a truly blended solution. Students will benefit by having access to the entire database of over 4500 activities and tens of thousands of questions which include everything from exam prep such as IELTS to Business English in animated video and text format.
Ascend – The English Professionals started in 2004 , has seen 3000 students graduate and currently has 200 students from over 16 different countries studying English Language certificate courses on a full-time and part-time basis.
Press Release :17th April 2009
Minister Mentor, Lee Kwan Yew, was right to emphasise once again the importance of foreigners mastering the English language in Singapore, according to Irishman David Doyle, CEO of Ascend Education Centre - a private English school offering English language courses to foreigners in Singapore.
David has seen an increase in the number of foreign professionals who are taking up English classes at his school in Bugis Junction despite the recession. According to David, the students who attend English classes at Ascend often possess a working command of the English language, “their motivation is to brush up their English so they can remain competitive in these difficult times”. David also notes that the English classes that Ascend run are appealing to expatriate students as they are multicultural in their make-up reflecting Singapore society in microcosm, David says “we have students from 14 different countries in our school, this replicates the situation our students face in their workplaces, so not only do students absorb the English language, but they also learn to appreciate the key cultural skill of effective intercultural communication which is the social glue which makes for harmonious relations in the workplace”.
In response to the growing demand from foreigners in Singapore for English classes, Ascend is launching more part-time classes. “We are launching part-time classes focusing on improving speaking skills and pronunciation skills”. These classes cater for foreign working professionals in Singapore. David adds that Ascend is also launching part-time IELTS classes which prepare students for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam which is used for admission purposes in universities here in Singapore and in other English speaking countries. The increased demand for IELTS classes also reflects, according to David, the success of the Singapore governments’ “Global Schoolhouse” initiative of attracting more international students to study in Singapore. In addition to international students, foreign professionals in Singapore are in David’s view also taking the IELTS exam in increasing numbers “to demonstrate to governments and employers their competence in the English language”.
Ascend’s English courses course are all taught by professionally qualified English teachers from all around the world who guide international students in the right direction in mastering the English language. |
Nearest