WHEN the British Council officially opens its new offices later this morning, it will be extending its range of services.

The Council which was housed in temporary accommodations at 28 Trafalgar Road – home of the British High Commission – finally has a new home on the premises.

And with the opening of the new offices, Jamaicans will be able to make appointments to use the Council’s state-of-the art information centre for research.

“Along with our existing services, we are now able to offer the public the opportunity to visit our offices by appointment to utilise our information centre for extensive education online search,” manager Pauline Samuels said in a statement yesterday.

Today, Education Minister Maxine Henry-Wilson and British Council Regional Director, Latin America and the Caribbean, Alan Curry will cut the proverbial ribbon at the official opening ceremony.

The Council, with its strong focus on knowledge and learning, currently facilitates examinations, events and professional development that draw extensively from UK expertise. It also administers the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) on a monthly basis. In addition, a number of UK institutions that offer distance learning programmes rely on the British Council to oversee their exams.

The British Council is the United Kingdom’s organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations, and its presence in Jamaica predates independence; the first office was opened here in 1942.

For more than five decades, the British Council in Jamaica has been closely linked with the arts and the promotion and development of education. Through this organisation, Jamaicans have been connected to a wide range of quality learning opport-unities and creative ideas from the UK. The Council collaborates with the Ministry of Education in its education development programme, and assists study visits to the UK for educators and education managers.

It also offers seminars, local workshops and technical expertise. Under the DFID Global Schools Partnership Programme, schools all around the island are partnered with schools in the UK to add a global dimension to their education.

Meanwhile, the Council said it would continue disseminating information on study in the United Kingdom through its Annual Education UK Fair and outreach visits to education and training institutions throughout Jamaica. This year’s fair will be held at the Hilton Hotel, New Kingston, from October 3 to 4.