High quality education is the only road to a better life for us and future generations. This is the motto of LINK group, which is a pioneer in online education
Paradoxically enough, today’s educational institutions employ cohorts of teachers who are unprepared for challenges in online teaching and learning. “We do it differently. We have set off with the notion to understand our students’ needs,” says Dr Valentin Kuleto, President of LINK group, advocating the company’s mission in educational management.
“With the outbreak of COVID-19, we switched to fully online-moderated lessons in a matter of a day. Our IT architecture supported this transition quite easily, allowing teachers and students to embrace a new normal, not only with digital materials, but also with digital mindsets,” continues Dr Kuleto, emphasising the accessibility to learning his company offers.
LINK Educational Alliance gathers 20 educational institutions in 12 locations across the world. In Serbia, Savremena Secondary and Primary School, International School and IT High School lay the foundations for tertiary education institutions, ITS School and Faculty for Contemporary Arts. In the U.S., the newly acquired Allison Academy offers a premium education in Miami. On the other hand, upskilling and reskilling are offered at the ITAcademy, BAcademy and InternetAcademy, while the Institute for Contemporary Education promotes innovative trends in education and teacher training. LINK group has forged partnerships with, and received accreditations from, some of the most influential companies, such as Apple, Microsoft, Adobe and Autodesk, as well as institutions like the British Council, Pearson VUE, Chartered Management Institute, Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), the European Council for Business Education (ECBE) and the University of Cambridge, among others.
LINK group has almost 25 years of experience in vocational, secondary and tertiary education. How is your educational system organised and how do you deal with the modern day challenges in this area?
– Having created a modern educational philosophy, we proudly provide dozens of educational programmes and hundreds of online courses globally. Our team is large and comprised of various experts. The programmes are designed and delivered by academics, learning specialists and experienced educators, along with the design and video production support team. From beginning to end, there’s a synced workflow: from those who make sure the educational materials are teachable, through those who make sure they are duly delivered, to those who provide undivided support to our students while ensuring that the educational potential is fully sourced.
Our mission is to help people become more successful. This is where we embark. We have embedded our mission into every process, decision and approach, accounting for our professional academic service. We strive to make our educational programmes most accessible, our teachers best-versed, our equipment highest-tech and our staff kindest of a kind.
The learning loss caused by the global pandemic has challenged traditional pedagogy and its impact on the learning society. What do you think the remedy should look like?
– It is high time that schools relocated from the industrial age to the 21st century. With Europe heading digital in many ways, we have to adapt our educational philosophy to new demands. This paradigm shift is widely discussed today, yet it can be easily overcome with visionary leadership. We have no time to waste while waiting for this to happen. This is the very reason why we have built our microcosm, in which we have both the right and the opportunity to change… to change the lives of young people.
We strive to make our educational programmes most accessible, our teachers best-versed, our equipment highest-tech and our staff kindest of a kind
Having realised that we have much more to offer globally than locally, we decided to offer our services in the international educational arena, where every trifle matters. Unlike many automated learning systems, particularly those based solely on video clips, we have insisted on the changed role of teachers in scaffolding students – they are now mentors and leaders. Competing under these rules enables us to create high-quality services based on globally-recognised standards. With this in view, We’ve also welcomed a new school into our educational alliance – Allison Academy, based in Miami, USA.
There are twenty educational institutions that operate under the scope of the LINK Educational Alliance. What educational profiles and levels do you offer to students?
– We respond to the new European initiatives emphasising upskilling and reskilling by offering educational services both horizontally and vertically. Our students can start developing their skills in our primary and secondary schools, then seamlessly integrate upwards to our tertiary educational institutions. Reskilling is available at our academies, which offer diverse professional development programmes and certifications related to IT and business.
We have created schools for a new age, new people and new leaders who step courageously towards professional success and confidently navigate the digital world. Right now, we offer more than a hundred, and counting, internationally-recognised diplomas and certificates. We incessantly look for new opportunities to ensure the best possible competences. Let me share with you an interesting piece of information. We have students from around the globe at our International School, some of whom are among the best 1% of Cambridge students worldwide. We scaffold them on their academic path and provide a premium education, which prepares them for the future. We hope to re-plant the same learning and teaching enthusiasm in our new Miami-based school, Allison Academy.