According to Información, the Diputación has launched a new intake for its "Cursos de Castellano Online", aimed at "residentes internacionales" - foreign residents of the province. There are 450 places. The courses are free for participants and are subsidised by the Diputación itself.
Registration opened on 30 October and runs until 15 November or until all 450 places are filled, whichever comes first. You can apply through www.ciudadanosextranjeros.es.
Anyone registered on the padrón (town hall residents' register) in the province of Alicante can apply, whatever country they come from. Applications must include a padrón certificate (certificado de empadronamiento) or a volante de empadronamiento.
The course offers more than 500 hours of learning material. Students can study on a computer, phone or tablet, from anywhere, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The programme can be tailored to their free time, starting level and progress.
The aim is to support integration and strengthen the Spanish of foreign nationals living in the province. The programme is run by the Diputación's Unidad de Residentes Internacionales (international residents unit). Juan de Dios Navarro, the provincial deputy for international residents (diputado de Residentes Internacionales), spoke about it. In recent years more than 9,000 residents have taken part, across 211 courses.
The report does not say when the courses start, how long they last, which language levels they cover, whether a certificate is issued at the end, or how places will be allocated if there are more than 450 applications.
