SEELPA, HU ELIC, DELL Organize Entrepreneurship Workshop for ELT Professionals.

The Southern Ethiopian English Language Professionals’ Association (SEELPA) in partnership with the English Language Improvement Center (ELIC) and the Department of English Language & Literature at Hawassa University organized a one-day professional experience sharing and exchange workshop for English language professionals and teachers drawn from Hawassa University as well as primary and secondary schools in Hawassa city, on Tuesday, September, 26, 2023.

The workshop with the theme “English Language Teachers as Entrepreneurs - Unlocking the Opportunities and Potential within the Ethiopian ELT Industry”, was aimed at raising awareness and sharing experiences on the existing opportunities and potentials for English language professionals in Ethiopia so as to inspire them develop an entrepreneual mindset.

Mr. Tesfaye Weldemedhin, an internationally accredited English language teacher and a successful ELT entrepreneur based in Addis Ababa, was a guest speaker. He shared his experiences as the first and so far the only Ethiopian national to have achieved a Cambridge Level 7 DELTA (Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) professional qualification in ELT. He is also the founder and director of Utopia Learning Center, which provides English training, tutoring, consultancy and other professional services to individual and corporate clients. He has previously worked as an employee in various governmental and non-governmental organizations, including Hawassa College of Teacher Education and the British Council. In 2022, he launched his own private company, Utopia Learning Center, and has since created numerous employment opportunities for many people.

Meanwhile, the participants deliberated the challenges, opportunities, demand, and potential for English language professionals working at various levels and in different places in Ethiopia. Most the participants said they found the workshop to be quite timely and inspiring.