8,000 Language Learners Start New Semester at INL

Today, Friday 24 September 2021, marks the start of the new academic year for almost 8,000 language learners at Luxembourg's Institut National des Langues (INL).

For the autumn semester, the INL is offering more than 520 language courses for adults across its three sites: INL Glacis in Luxembourg-Limpertsberg, INL Belval (on the site of the University of Luxembourg in Esch-Belval) and INL Mersch. The languages taught are German, English, Chinese, Spanish, French, Italian, Luxembourgish, Dutch and Portuguese.

INL courses are accessible to all adults, and there are still places in all language courses. In order to register, candidates must take an online test and orientation interview which allows them to be placed in a class of their level. These interviews are possible throughout the school year. Registration and appointment bookings can be made at myinl.inll.lu.

The start of the 2021-22 academic year at the INL is accompanied by several major projects:

• Intensive professional courses: To meet its mission of inclusion and integration, the INL is continuing its collaboration on the “intensive courses for professional purpose” project with the ADEM unemployment agency. The project aims to facilitate the employability of job seekers in four areas: commerce, construction, hospitality and cleaning. These specific French-language courses are now offered at all three INL sites. Professional courses in Luxembourgish will follow in the next semester.
• Luxembourgish e-learning for all: A group of Luxembourgish teachers from the INL are developing, together with Luxembourg's Ministry of Education, Children and Youth and accompanied by external experts, an e-learning platform for the Luxembourgish language. This platform will be accessible free of charge for anyone wishing to learn Luxembourgish. Its launch is scheduled for the start of the 2022-23 school year.
• Digitalisation: The “blended learning” innovation group bringing together eleven teachers from four departments will continue to invest in the operation and provision of an e-learning platform which is offered to all INL learners in order to diversify the teaching offer and better meet the needs of all types of learners. To meet growing demand, around 50 classes will operate in “blended learning” mode, combining traditional face-to-face courses and tools from e-learning teaching. The “Héierverstoen” (oral comprehension) part of the “Sproochentest” has also been digitalised. In the same vein, an internal working group, in collaboration with the TestDaF institute, will reorganise the "Lëtzebuergesch als Friemsprooch" (Luxembourgish as a foreign language - LaF) course to accommodate future digitalisation.
• Luxembourgish: The training courses for obtaining the "Zertifikat fir Lëtzebuerger Sprooch a Kultur" (Luxembourgish language and culture - ZLSK) will be provided again on Saturdays; more than 30 participants have already registered. The Luxembourgish department has also invested in developing online orientation tests in Luxembourgish which will be put to the test for the first time in December 2021. These online pre-tests, like those for other languages, will be accessible on the INL website (www.inll.lu).
• Events: The INL will continue to offer and develope further its language cafe and language tandem initiatives, while respecting the health measures in force. The INL has also given itself the mission of organising, as far as possible, an increasing number of cultural events for the general public.