It is well recognised that employable, globally mobile skills can make a big difference in income generation and wealth distribution of any country. Good English language skills can, in the long run, contribute to sustainable livelihoods across India and Sri Lanka.

In 2006, the British Council conducted an in-depth study of the education and employment sector in the area of English language and communications skills in India and Sri Lanka. The findings indicated an urgent need for educators and employers to talk to each other in a meaningful and practical way. In this backdrop, the British Council organised the English for Progress: First Policy Dialogue on November 19-20, 2007 in Chennai (South India) – the first of its kind involving participation from India, Sri Lanka and the UK.

The conference attempted to provide answers to potent questions relating to language teaching methodology and training delivery in a highly interactive and participatory format. This dialogue signalled the need to:

			develop or improve examinations and assessments to meet the needs of stakeholders while following a clear pedagogy
			motivate teachers to embrace new methodologies and implement change on the ground
			improve society’s perceptions of teachers and to ‘professionalise’ the profession
			harness new technologies to reach more teachers and learners
			ensure teaching and learning programmes are scalable and sustainable in the long term

Based on the issues that emerged at this conference, the British Council organised the Second Policy Dialogue in November 2008 at Kolkatta with emphasis on English language development and training in recruitment and retention.