Iraqi Air Force College opens English language training computer lab

Published Jan. 25, 2011
By Senior Master Sgt. Larry Schneck
9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force-Iraq Public Affairs

TIKRIT, Iraq -- The Iraqi Air Force College has added a new multimedia computer lab that officials and trainers at the academy say will significantly improve the English language skills of the cadet pilots here.

The college prepares young Iraqi men for careers as aviators in the air force. It's the first step to getting behind the controls of an aircraft.

"Aviation is different than ground skills," said Staff Brig. Gen. Ali Hasan, Iraqi Air Force College commander and 1988 graduate of the school. "English is the international language of aviation. This computer laboratory with 20 computers will increase the level of learning by 25 percent or more, immediately."

Though the college first opened in the 1950s, training for the current class began Sept. 1, 2010.

A foundation of the course work for Class 76 is dependent on understanding English.

The 321st Expeditionary Mission Support Advisory Group part of the Iraqi Training and Advisory Mission-Air provides advisors and trainers who worked with the Defense Language Institute, American Language Center in San Antonio to bring the program here.

"This will test their reading and listening skills which is what cadet pilots get tested on to enter introductory flight training on a basic trainer," said Capt. Luis Martinez, 321st EMSAG Iraqi Air Force College manager of the English Language Training program and native of Niceville, Florida. "The American Language Course computer lab uses DLI's interactive software."

The U.S.-funded project cost $130,000 and is one of two sites. The second location is in Baghdad at DLI-Iraq.

The objective is to enhance the classroom instruction by giving the students the chance to hear different English voices.

"We started this like a Peace Corps mission from nothing," said Marcus Scorer, ELT program site lead from Wales, United Kingdom. "We began by organizing the students into levels according to their English skills with four trainers teaching 151 cadets at the start."

Without the support of U.S. Airmen the program wouldn't have gotten off the ground.

"We were brought here to teach English and open up roads," said Pia Bozzo, English language trainer from Fort Pierce, Florida. "You have to work hard and give the Iraqis opportunities."

Ms. Bozzo's students are 20 to 24 years old and some have college degrees. In three years, they will be the first graduating class of pilots for Iraq and future for a self-sufficient and strong Iraqi Air Force.

The students spend at least four hours each training day learning English. By their third year, the cadet pilots must pass the DLI American Language Course Proficiency Test with a score of 80 percent or higher to begin pilot training.

"English language is a core value," said Capt. Charlie Dorssom, 321 EMSAG Iraqi Air Force College advisor from Lawrence, Kan. "For them to get this is critical."

The ELT computer lab provides the trainers with a new tool to help the college achieve this goal.

"Even with the new multimedia ELT computer lab they'll continue to get in-classroom teachers," said Captain Martinez, who grew up near Eglin Air Force Base, Florida where his father was a physician in the U.S. Air Force. "We'd like the cadets to spend an hour or two in the lab in addition to interacting with English instructors."

The ELT site lead believes the lasting legacy of U.S. Forces-Iraq as it transitions and repostures is to hand-off this training in partnership with the Iraqi Air Force.

"Keeping the team together and do the job we've been hired to do is our objective," said Scorer. "We started low-tech and now have a modern computer lab to turn over to them."