The British Council has been building links, understanding and trust between the citizens of the UK and the Czech Republic for 75 years through culture and arts, education and the English language. It also off ers high-quality corporate training for the business community. Denise Waddingham, who has many years of international experience, has been the Director since 2017.
The British Council is celebrating 75 years in the CR. Could you describe the role of the BC? Has it changed after Brexit?
The BC’s purpose is to build connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and other countries through arts and culture, education and the English language. The core mission of the British Council has not really changed since we were established in 1934. In terms of Brexit, the UK may have withdrawn from the political EU framework, but it has not left Europe. The opportunity to connect via culture and to build trust and understanding is even more vital in times of change.
How would you judge the level of Czech-British cultural cooperation? Is it wider than English language teaching?
It continues to be excellent and goes far beyond English language, although English language teaching and the provision of UK qualifi cations continues to be our main off er here in the CR. When we opened the BC in Prague in 1946, we were bringing out musicians, artists and academics — this cultural exchange continues to this day, although it happens as part of local market demand and increasingly without needing our support at all. During the pandemic, we helped to bring a number of UK and Czech experts virtually to speak on issues ranging from melting glaciers and Shakespeare’s England to racism in football. And not to forget — for 10 years, we have been running an outstanding FameLab international competition for young scientists.
How can the British Council strengthen building business links and help with further education of managers?
One of the things we do is off er high-quality corporate training. This can be traditional English-language lessons, soft skills training such as presentation and negotiation skills or customised workshops for clients. Increasingly, we offer many virtual training opportunities. Our websites, such as our Teaching English website made in partnership with the BBC (www.teachingenglish.org.uk), remain extremely popular.
Thank you for the interview.
