Reykjavík Grapevine - 06.06.2008, Qupperneq 44

B12 | Reykjavík Grapevine | Issue 07 2008 | Article
Since 2006, Menntaskólinn í Kópavogi (MK) has
been offering a course in Office Skills for students
over the age of 20 who don’t speak fluent Icelan-
dic.
The course consists of subjects in Book-
keeping, Computer Studies and Icelandic taught
in the first two semesters, and Book-keeping, Mar-
keting, Business English, Culture and History of
Iceland, Commercial Law, Maths and Icelandic in
the final two.
The course is primarily taught in Icelandic
so a basic knowledge of the language is necessary.
“We try to teach as much as possible in Icelandic –
basic Icelandic – and support this with English or
which ever language we can,” Inga Karlsdóttir the
program’s director says.
Karlsdóttir, who is also an Icelandic teacher
of many years, first got the idea to hold a course
in Office Skills about 20 years ago. “We started the
course around 16 years ago but later realised that
it would be good to also have a course for foreign-
ers,” Karlsdóttir explains. According to Karlsdóttir,
since its inception in 2006 the course for foreign-
ers has seen increasing enrolments.
The business units of the course are identi-
cal to those taught to fluent Icelandic speaking
students, but because more time is spent on im-
proving students’ language skills, it takes students
four semesters, rather than two, to complete the
entire course. Students have the option, though,
of simply completing two semesters and receiv-
ing a diploma, rather than graduating with the full
qualification.
The course aims to give students some ex-
perience in the Icelandic education system and,
more importantly, an Icelandic qualification.
“Some foreigners have a lot of knowledge and
education but looking for a job doesn’t always
go so well – sometimes it’s the language, other
times it’s the education. They may have degrees
from foreign countries but that doesn’t necessar-
ily mean that they are accepted here and it takes a
while for them to be translated. So, I thought ‘why
not have them come into the Icelandic school sys-
tem so they can say they have both experience in
the Icelandic system as well as their degrees from
abroad,’” Karlsdóttir says. And for one student this
resulted in direct employment. “One company
rang the school and specifically asked to hire
someone who had completed the course,” Karls-
dóttir says.
According to Karlsdóttir, students mainly en-
rol in the course on their own initiative, but some
are sent by their employer. “They [employers] may
say ‘I have a lady cleaning whom I know has a
good education from home and I’m willing to pay
for her to go on this course,’” she says. And this
was the case with one woman, who was working
as a cleaner, and who has been enrolled by her
employer for the next semester. The course runs
in the evenings from 17:30 to 20:30 on Mondays,
Tuesdays and Wednesdays, allowing students to
attend after they have finished work.
Karlsdóttir says that the course is unique
in that it offers students a combination of Icelan-
dic and specialist skills without the commitment
of university. “We are the only school who does
this – there is university and there are language
schools but this is something in between,” she ex-
plains.
The next course begins in autumn. For more infor-
mation visit www.mk.is or contact Inga Karlsdóttir
at ik@mk.is
Text by Zoë Robert
Office Skills for Foreigners
www.bluelagoon.com
Energy for life through forces of nature
“The course is unique in
that it offers students a
combination of Icelan-
dic and specialist skills
without the commitment
of university. “We are
the only school that does
this – there is university
and there are language
schools but this is some-
thing in between.”