New Delhi, January 17, 2008: Educational Testing Service (ETS), the world’s leading educational measurement and research organization, and NIIT, a leading Global Talent Development Corporation and Asia’s largest trainer have entered into a strategic alliance to offer ETS suite of products in India. The new initiative will enhance employability and provide competitive advantage to Indian organizations in the global market place.
As part of the strategic agreement, NIIT will have exclusive rights to offer ETS’s TOEIC® test (Test of English for International Communication™), TOEFL® Practice Online (TPO), and CriterionSM Online Writing Evaluation Service–-in India. The multi-year agreement with NIIT will also enable both the companies to raise awareness of ETS products and services in India.
The TOEFL® test is the world’s most popular academic English language examination, accepted by more than 6,000 universities in 160 countries, and the TOEIC® test is the global standard for communicative English ability in the international workplace. The TOEIC® test is offered in about 60 countries around the world. More than 5,000 companies, government and public offices and other organizations, across the world use the TOEIC® test.
“We are pleased to enter into this strategic relationship with NIIT and we welcome them as our Country Master Distributor in India,” says David Hunt, Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of ETS’ Global Division. “This agreement will provide companies, institutions and individuals in India with greater access to key ETS products such as the TOEIC test, TOEFL Practice Online and Criterion to help them succeed in the world of education and business.”
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Vijay K. Thadani, Chief Executive Officer, NIIT, said, “India is poised to be a talent hub for global manpower needs. In our efforts of developing global talent, we are happy to partner with ETS to enhance employability of individuals and help large Indian organizations become more competitive in the global market place.”
The agreement comes at a time when millions of people throughout the world are learning English; workplaces are increasingly becoming more globally focused; and workforces are more culturally diverse than ever. In addition, non-native English speakers outnumber native English speakers by more than three-to-one, an accelerating trend worldwide.
Through this alliance, NIIT will leverage its Testing and Assessment capabilities to offer ETS’ tests to students, professionals and job aspirants who seek to evaluate their English Communication skills for employment prospects in emerging sectors such as IT, ITES, Retail, Banking and Insurance, among others in India.
ABOUT THE TOEIC® TEST, TOEFL® PRACTICE ONLINE AND CRITERIONSM SERVICE
“TOEIC®” is the branded name for the Test of English for International Communication. The TOEIC test is a global standard for communicative English ability in the international workplace. It is taken by nearly five million people in 60 countries.
“TOEFL®” is the branded name for the Test of English as a Foreign Language, and is administered in over 160 countries to persons seeking to enter over 6,000 institutions of higher education worldwide. TOEFL Practice Online is a web-based simulation test officially provided by ETS, the makers of the TOEFL® iBT test. TOEFL Practice Online is derived from previously administered TOEFL iBT tests and provides instant scoring by ETS. Providing a real TOEFL iBT test experience, TOEFL Practice Online assists TOEFL test takers in becoming familiar with the test format and measures their readiness for test day.
The CriterionSM Online Writing Evaluation service is a web-based, instructor-driven, comprehensive instructional tool that helps students plan, write and revise essays. The system provides annotated diagnostic feedback and a holistic score to both student and instructor within 20 seconds so that students can quickly review, revise and resubmit essays.
ABOUT ETS AND ETS GLOBAL
ETS is a nonprofit organization with the mission to advance quality and equity in education by providing fair and valid assessments, research and related services for all people worldwide. Founded in 1947, ETS designs, develops, delivers and scores more than 50 million tests annually in more than 180 countries, at over 9,000 locations worldwide.
ETS’ Global Division and its related subsidiaries have offices around the world to meet the needs of non-US based entities in Asia, Canada, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. In serving individuals, businesses, educational institutions, government agencies and membership organizations worldwide, ETS offers valid and reliable assessments, research and related services such as customized solutions workforce products and services, and research-based teaching and learning tools.
For more information, visit the ETS Global website at www.ets.org/etsglobal.