Since our foundation, the pedagogical team of the Centro Europeu de Línguas has been dedicated to research in the area of training for adults, especially for those who need to learn languages for professional reasons. Thus, in 1982, we decided to align our pedagogical orientation with a study by the Council of Europe, published shortly before, on the principles of language training for adults and the concept of citizenship and mobility. This study, the Modern Languages Project, would become decisive regarding the current vision of language training and was the subject of a remodelling in 2001, which transformed it into a reference already familiar to all: the European Language Portfolio. It aims at effective communication between all citizens of Europe, both in everyday life and in the professional context, making the measurement and certification of skills transparent (through the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) and allowing flexibility in choosing the most suitable learning process. ideal for each learner.

Our courses thus seek to respond to the practical needs of each individual or group, at each level, so that the student can progress quickly and effectively in relevant contexts in their daily life, whether in terms of social life or in terms of professional activity. This determination to adapt our work entirely to the needs and objectives of our students, at a time (the 1980s) when most language schools were doing the opposite (“forcing” students to follow their “method”), constituted one of the first steps, if not the first step, in the construction of professional training in languages in Portugal. And it was precisely the fact that we understood this concept that was at the base of the development of the image of the Centro Europeu de Línguas over these four decades.

Our mission is, therefore, education and professional training in European Union languages, in accordance with standards of pedagogical excellence, providing a specific and effective training path in view of the concrete needs of our clients. The Center is responsible for training in foreign languages for professional purposes in several Portuguese and multinational companies, as well as in institutes and institutions of the Portuguese state. Most of our work has been carried out via face-to-face training, involving a professional foreign language trainer whose role in the training process we consider essential, due to the dynamization and motivation effect. However, over the last few years, we have had the opportunity to establish training partnerships with some of our client companies, in order to provide a mixed solution, through additional b-learning support, which has produced very positive results for all stakeholders. .

The Centro Europeu de Línguas also has considerable experience in terms of European education and training programmes, always from the perspective of languages for professional purposes, currently including participation in mobility projects, pedagogical research partnerships and the construction of innovative learning material, particularly in the area of e-learning or b-learning platforms using information technologies.

Having managed to transform, during the COVID-19 crisis, the need to adapt to the circumstances into a learning initiative for our team, we are also fully prepared to offer language training at a distance, via the Zoome Teams platforms, among others, which is currently in the entire operation and with excellent results. It’s like having face-to-face classes, but online.