Richmond ELT Hosts Richmond 2Pros International Summit in Punta Cana and Marks the International Launch of Richmond Pro for Higher Education

Oxford, United Kingdom | April 2026

100+ senior Higher Education leaders from 12 Latin American countries gathered around one institutional journey: From learning 2 employability

Richmond Global hosted the Richmond 2Pros International Summit in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, bringing together nearly 100 senior Higher Education leaders from 12 Latin American countries for three days of strategic dialogue and practical insight on a shared priority: how universities can turn English from a standalone requirement into an integrated system that strengthens learning, assessment, and employability.

The Summit also served as the setting for the international launch of Richmond Pro, Richmond’s new Higher Education ecosystem designed to connect classroom learning with credible evidence and real-world outcomes. Anchored in the Summit’s central storyline, From learning 2 employability, the program invited leaders to think in systems: what students learn, how progress is validated, and how institutions make capability visible and portable beyond campus.

Across the agenda, speakers approached that journey from complementary angles and with the kind of authority Higher Education audiences expect. Donald Clark, entrepreneur, author, and long-standing learning technology thought leader, challenged institutions to treat AI as a strategic decision rather than a trend, focusing on responsible adoption, quality, and productivity (“AI Is Your Friend; Not Your Enemy”). From the institutional side, Jill Fortune, Director of the Instituto Virtual de Lenguas (INVIL) at UNAD, connected learning modalities (online, face-to-face, and hybrid) with the development of professional identity and transferable skills (“From Learning to Employability: Building Professional Identity in ELT”).

The assessment narrative was equally deliberate. Nancy Reeves, international specialist in AI in education and formative assessment, reframed evaluation in the age of AI as an engine for growth, creativity, and critical thinking (“Rethinking Assessment in the Age of AI”). Building on that, Benjamin Cook, Head of Assessment and Academic Development at British Council EnglishScore, focused on what makes certification meaningful for employability, emphasizing secure, CEFR-aligned signals that reflect real-world language use (“Making Certification Meaningful for Employability”).

To bring a market-facing lens into the room, Seamus Clancy, Head of Public Sector, Healthcare & NFP Sales at LinkedIn EMEA & LATAM, explored skills-first employability in the age of AI and what Higher Education leaders can do now to make skills visible, relevant, and credible at scale. The journey was grounded in institutional practice through Christopher MacGuire, Academic Director of English UC at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, who shared how professionally oriented learning and authentic tasks can translate into measurable capability and graduate outcomes.

A central moment of the Employability storyline was a moderated panel discussion led by Andrés Guerrero, Global Director of Coaching and Academic Consulting at Richmond. The panel translated strategic ideas into practical decisions, exploring how institutions can operationalize skills development, evidence, certification, and outcomes in real Higher Education contexts.

Partner presence and ecosystem validation were also central to the experience. The Summit featured key Richmond Pro partners including ETS TOEIC and British Council EnglishScore, reinforcing the focus on trusted assessment, recognition, and evidence the market can interpret.

Beyond plenaries, attendees participated in showcase sessions and guided experience spaces facilitated by Richmond Global’s product and technology teams, designed to connect strategy to implementation through digital learning environments, teaching support, professional development, and data-informed decision-making.

“Richmond 2Pros was designed as a high-trust space for university leaders to share perspectives, challenge assumptions, and leave with greater clarity on what comes next,” said Esdras Taylor,Richmond Global Managing Director.

“The launch of Richmond Pro reflects our focus on helping institutions connect learning and assessment with the outcomes that matter most: student opportunity, mobility, and employability.”

“Higher Education leaders are asking for coherence: a system where learning, evidence, and employability reinforce each other,” said Arturo Calderón, Global Product Director at Richmond Global. “Richmond Pro is our response to that need, and 2Pros is where that vision becomes concrete.”

Explore the Summit and the Experience hub (agenda, resources, highlights): https://richmondpro.global/2pros_experience/