Eton Institute announces UAE’s First Arabic four skills competency exam for non-native speakers

Eton Institute, UAE’s largest training and development centre, is proud to be the first to introduce the Arabic four skills competency exam, ECTA for non-native speakers. The growing demand for a competency exam that would cover all four communication skills of the Arabic Language, (reading, writing, listening and speaking) has been evident for the past few years. Candidates would now be able take the ECTA exam that would give a more comprehensive result of their Arabic language skills, while employers would be able to ask candidates to take ECTA to test their Arabic competency to suit their new role.

ECTA stands for Eton Competency Test in Arabic. The exam is designed to test the language proficiency level ranging from A2 – B1 and from B2 – C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages set by the council of Europe and test the listening and reading comprehension, writing skills and oral communication of the candidate. While there are placement test available in numerous centres, none cover all the four skills required to give a more rounded result of a candidate’s competency in the Arabic language. The need for the exam comes mostly from employers looking to take on non-native Arabic speakers into a company role which requires knowledge of the language.

Sue Brett, Head of Academics at Eton Institute stated: “There are a wide range of international proficiency exams available for languages such as IELTS and TOEFL for English, TCF for French, CELI for Spanish, etc. all of which are designed to help with visa or residency applications, university entry or employment screening. The demand for an Arabic competency test in the UAE has long been overdue, to support and highlight the importance of the linguistic and cultural heritage that we as ex-patriots experience working here.”

It is essential that both private and public organisations can confidently assess the Arabic communication skills of potential or current employees, and this means more than just being able to read the language or say a few phrases.  ECTA is a practical and effective tool now available to ensure this process is swift and academically rigorous, as well as providing individuals applying for jobs or looking to climb the career ladder with tested and proven skills in the Arabic language.

ECTA can be taken at Eton Institute in Abu Dhabi and in Dubai, and can be booked by visiting www.eton.ac or by calling 800 ETON (3866). The 2 hour exam is priced at just AED 300. The exam is available for anyone in the UAE.