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Your bridge

to world-class learning

We help organisations in emerging markets to establish world-class Learning & Development programmes, training professional learners in a crucial combination of professional English and 21st-century business skills.

About us

We are an education & training firm founded in the U.K, specialised in providing high-quality English and business skills training to partners in emerging markets in Asia.

Through our blended training programmes, we aim to connect world-class U.K trainers and educators with under-resourced learners, and deliver exceptional professional learning outcomes.

Focused on Asia

We work with professional learners in several countries in Asia, with a close focus on partners in China and the ASEAN region, particularly Myanmar.

Our training team has familiarity with learning requirements in a wide range of industries & market sectors critical to the growth of the region. Our trainers are mobile, adaptable and culturally sensitive, and committed to work with your teams on site: we will come to you.

Key features

of our training services

Contact us below to discuss your training plans in 2020

High Quality Trainers

All of our trainers are sourced from top-10 global universities, with a record of strong professional experience and having undergone our own internal training programme.

Blended with e-learning support

Our partners receive access to a bespoke e-learning site, enabling course participants to reinforce their knowledge further both during and after an in-person training session.

Combined English & skills training

Our programmes equip you with all of the    4 Skills in English, but also the confidence to use these in practical, real professional scenarios, such as in having a meeting or delivering a presentation.

One-to-one mentorship

Modeled on Oxbridge-style coaching, we offer all of our course attendees professional mentorship on a one-to-one basis, to give learners the personal feedback they need to develop and grow.

How our training programmes work

Consultation

Our management team will work with you to understand your specific training requirements, identifying business areas where your teams will benefit from enhanced communication.

Custom course development

We will build a customised training programme tailored to your selected learner group.

English placement test for course participants

All course participants will sit our Synergy Learning placement test, benchmarked to internationally-approved standards from Cambridge English, to determine English levels.

Native-English training

Your employees will work directly with our native English trainers, who will continue to support you outside of classes, online.

Interactive, practical learning

A common feature of our programmes is an emphasis on real-world, practical activities. These may be individual or group-based, and are designed to help learners develop greater professional confidence.

One-to-one support

Our team are also trained to provide one-to-one feedback and mentorship on a weekly basis, giving learners personalised support.

Average expected improvement

Our team aims to ensure that all learners make a considerable improvement of 30-40 percent in both their academic skills and their non-academic, practical skills.

On a full-length training programme, students can expect to learn around 2,000 English words, but also to do so in a way that increases their confidence in using this vocabulary in professional situations.

We monitor and evaluate performance continually throughout a programme, to provide learners with detailed information about where and how they can most improve.

Fully e-learning supported

BEGINNER LEVEL

Places available

Professional emails

Blended module
PRE-INTERMEDIATE LEVEL

Places available

Presentation skills

Blended module
PRE-INTERMEDIATE LEVEL

Places available

Customer service

Blended module
ALL LEVELS

Places available

Supply chains

Blended module
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL

Places available

Networking in English

Blended module
UPPER INTERMEDIATE LEVEL

Places available

Team management

Blended module
ADVANCED LEVEL

Places available

Diplomatic language

Blended module

Hosted accounts on our platform

Subscribing organisations and individual learners will gain hosted accounts on our online platform, to access these and all our other courses.

Available programme types

Online-only programmes for remote or distant learners
N
Self-paced professional English training in 4 skills, with full range of interactive modules
N
Foundation in business skills development, such as in managing teams or salesmanship in English
N
Constant feedback on improvement and live support from staff
N
Digital certification awarded to learners who achieve our passing grade
Blended programmes in Professional English & Business skills
N
Professional English training, encompassing 4 skills & applied, practical English
N
Focus on increasing interpersonal skills, such as confidence and leadership
N
Complete e-learning support for learners outside of training sessions, enabling ongoing learning and practice
N
International mentorship network, supporting your skill development with personal feedback
N
Official certification awarded to learners who achieve our passing grade
Custom-created Learning & Development (L&D) for companies
N
Access to all features of our blended training programmes
N
Multiple programmes developed for different cohorts or teams, delivered by a dedicated training team
N
One-to-one mentorship to develop key talent
N
Advisory services to set out & achieve strategic L&D goals
N
Bespoke e-learning environment built & maintained for ongoing training needs
N
On-demand technical support

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The birth of Synergy Learning

Synergy Learning is part of the IDEAS Globally Group, an organisation dedicated to supporting the development of human capital in emerging markets.

IDEAS Globally was founded by our Managing Director, James, in response to his experience of the  aftermath of Sichuan earthquake in China, with the purpose of bringing people together to build sustainable bridges between the U.K & emerging markets. The team started by launching a project to support students in China whose education had been affected by the earthquake (some of whom are shown, left), which became Synergy Learning. It subsequently expanded to work with other partners in China and Asia.

Synergy Learning is a social enterprise, which means we put our local partners first. We have a track record of delivering programmes which augment English skills among a wide range of learners.

Early steps

Supported by a tremendous team of U.K volunteers, Synergy Learning collected and shipped almost 10,000 English books to under-resourced schools in China over two years, to help expand English teaching resources and school capacity. The team began in Sichuan, and quickly expanded to Shandong, Jiangsu, Xi’an, and other provinces. Some of these schools built or refitted libraries around their new books.

Creating sustainable learning

It was not enough just to provide books. The team also wanted to ensure that people who received reading materials were able to make the most of them educationally. Inspired by the International Baccelareate (IB), we launched a series of intensive teaching programmes in China, particularly focused on developing students’ critical thinking, creativity and confidence.

The team went on to train around 80 educators, delivering over 15,000 hours of in-person teaching, and began to integrate e-learning technology into our process early on.

 

Focusing on high-quality training

From running a large number of educational programmes with schools, private businesses and local government, our team began to increasingly apply its expertise in delivering quality training to professional learners, both in-person and online.

We discovered that there were a number of flourishing SMEs around Asia with outstanding missions and strong teams, but limited training resources, so we refocused our efforts on supporting professional learners.

Technology-supported L&D

Today, Synergy Learning offers over 100 professional learning programmes to clients around Asia, supporting a wide range of partners from SMEs and NGOs to international firms.

In many instances we are engaged in helping develop strong internal L&D programmes, which bring together HRM, continuous training, e-learning systems and monitoring & evaluation, in order to help prepare local teams to work and communicate more effectively with international markets.

Management team

James Lavender

James Lavender

MANAGING DIRECTOR

James is the Founder and Managing Director of Synergy Learning, and its parent company, IDEAS Globally. He has a 1st Class Degree in English from University College London (UCL), and studied Chinese at Peking University in China. James has considerable experience designing & delivering specialised teaching programmes for emerging markets, several of which have been government-sponsored. He has also consulted with organisations such as the Confucius Institute for Business at the London School of Economics, and partnered with global firms such as Ernst & Young (EY).

Vivek Shah

Vivek Shah

GLOBAL TRAINING manager

Vivek leads the training delivery process for our international programmes, managing our team of trainers and working directly with learners in several countries. He was awarded a degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from University College London (UCL). Vivek previously led Synergy Learning programmes for Young Learners and Professionals, working in London, China, and now Myanmar. He also worked with IBM, where he received a patent.

Joel Sugarman

Joel Sugarman

DATA DIRECTOR

Joel oversees our Monitoring and Evaluation, providing data-driven analysis to support our young and professional learners on their development. He has an MBBS degree in Medical Sciences and has led 8 intensive learning programmes for Synergy Learning partners in China, Myanmar and Central Asia. Joel is also responsible for delivering the Medical Policy course at the University College London Management School.

Jose Calero

Jose Calero

NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Jose advises our management team on operational setup, financial planning, partnership development, and strategic relationships. He has supported our parent company, IDEAS Globally, as an executive business-advisor for over three years, and has extensive experience in change management (including at J.P Morgan, UBS and EY).

Naomi Chen

Naomi Chen

China PR & Communications officer

Naomi is our local PR representative in China, helping to manage and support many of our active partnerships  on behalf of Synergy Learning. She has studied Communications and Marketing in Boston (United States), and also advises on the delivery of our educational content to Chinese learners, both online and offline.

Virginia Lampani

Virginia Lampani

U.K training coordinator

Virginia handles recruitment, training and induction of U.K-based educators to the Synergy Learning team. During her degree, Virginia completed courses at Harvard and the London School of Economics. Now based at University College London (UCL), Virginia facilitates global opportunities for educators with Synergy Learning.

Recent happy programme graduates:

read more

Yu

Field: Oil & Gas

Amazing…we obtained over 3,000 new words in our vocabulary…

 

Read the full testimonial here.

Tinn

Field: Logistics & SCM

After finishing two courses…my skills are totally changed…

 

Read the full testimonial here.

Shweyee

Field: Customer Service

Best English class ever…I feel more confident in the work place…

 

Read the full testimonial here.

Contact us

We appreciate all inquiries from interested prospective learners or partners. Please register your email with us and our team will be in touch.
Copyright 2020, Synergy Learning Ltd. All rights reserved.

Synergy Learning is a registered trademark and part of the IDEAS Globally Group, an organisation committed to growing human capital in emerging markets through social enterprise. For more information, visit IDEAS Globally at www.ideasglobally.org.