IDP and the British Council, two partners of IELTS, the world’s most popular high-stakes English language test, announced today that the British Council will transfer its IELTS business in India to IDP.
This means that IDP will conduct all IELTS tests in India.
According to the terms of the arrangement, IDP will buy 100% of British Council’s India IELTS business for £130 million in debt-free cash. The agreements also state that British Council staff who work on IELTS in India will join the IDP team. The acquisition is subject to usual conditions, and completion is anticipated in August.
The International English Language Testing System, or IELTS, is the world’s most popular English language test for study and migration, and it is regarded as a secure and reliable indication of English language proficiency by over 10,000 organizations worldwide.
Customers will perceive continuity of the test they know and trust as one of the primary benefits of this deal.
According to Andrew Barkla, CEO of IDP, this arrangement marks the beginning of a new chapter for IELTS in India.
‘By bringing together two experienced teams, test takers can be confident that they are having the finest experience possible when taking their world-leading test,’ said Mr Barkla.
‘Our test takers may concentrate on preparing for their exam as planned, and our crew is here to ensure everything runs smoothly on test day,’ he said.
Because of IELTS’ 30-year history and global partnership model, globally-standardised quality and integrity protocols are already embedded into the operations of every centre.
According to Mr. Barkla, this arrangement will assist many people in India in rekindling their global objectives.
‘We will continue forward with experienced teams, a robust strategy, and a big geographic footprint across India,’ he said.’
Together, we are well-positioned to assist more people in India in taking the first step toward attaining their worldwide education, employment, and career goals.’
Interim CEO of the British Council, Kate Ewart-Biggs, reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to its broader services in India.
‘Distributing IELTS solely through IDP in India will simplify and improve the customer experience for IELTS test takers.’ Because IDP already provides IELTS in India, the high-quality service given to IELTS consumers would be maintained.’
‘In order to continue delivering on our global cultural connections objective, we investigated strategic possibilities for the English examinations business with IDP in India in 2020.’ ‘The profits of the sale would allow British Council to enhance its financial situation following the impact of COVID-19 on our finances,’ said Ms Ewart-Biggs.
Our larger British Council work in India will continue. We remain committed to achieving our goal of fostering trust and understanding between the UK and India through the arts, education, evaluation, and the English language.’
‘We would like to appreciate the dedication of our personnel across India who have worked diligently for many years, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our premier British Council IELTS teams in India, which are now migrating to IDP, put their heart and effort into providing safe and trusted testing services year after year.’
source: https://www.britishcouncil.org/about/press/idp-acquire-british-council-ielts-business
