Who we are
40 years of language learning expertise!
Our history
Our founding
In 1984, Prof. Woitrin, General Administrator of UCLouvain, decided to set up a non-profit organisation focused on practical language teaching, aimed at both the general public and students. The project was approved by the UCLouvain Board of Directors, and it was decided to call it the Centre de Langues de Louvain, or CLL for short.
The association’s corporate purpose is defined as follows: “The aim of the association is to teach languages, and to promote and animate this teaching, mainly but not exclusively on the university sites of the Catholic University of Louvain.”
The founders of this non-profit organisation were: Prof. Jean Moulart, General Administrator of UCLouvain; Prof. Jean Demal, Vice-Rector of UCLouvain; Mr. Jacques Van Roey, Director of the ILV at UCLouvain; Prof. Guy Muraille, Scientific Advisor for Humanities at UCLouvain; Mr. Marcel Pitance, Director of Internal Control Services at UCLouvain; Mr. Jean-Marie Lechat, Director of the Property Administration at UCLouvain; Mr. Raphaël Jacquerye, Chief of Staff to the General Administrator of UCLouvain; Ms. de Galoscy, Director of the Institut Libre Marie Haps; and Mr. Jacques Chapelle, Director of the non-profit organisation.”
Discover our key dates
| 1987 | Opening of CLL Namur |
| 1994 | Construction of the CLL Louvain-la-Neuve building in the Hocaille District |
| 1999 | Creation of CLL Business, our team dedicated to language training plans for businesses and public institutions |
| 2000 | Creation of CLL Kids & Teens, our team dedicated to organising courses and camps for children aged 4 to 17 |
| 2005 | Construction of our (and Belgium’s) largest language centre, CLL Brussels, in Woluwe-St-Lambert |
| 2008 | CLL wins the “European Label for Innovative Language Learning Initiatives“ |
| 2010 | Creation of L-campus (Language Campus), CLL’s Language Learning Hub dedicated to language training |
| 2012 | Launch of L-management (Language Management), CLL’s e-reporting platform for businesses |
| 2014 | CLL is chosen by CCI Paris to become the official organiser of the Test d’Evaluation de Français (TEF) in Brussels |
| 2015 | Launch of the Language Examination Centre, offering “official” language exams |
| 2016 | CLL becomes one of 47 ‘Institutional Affiliates’ of ALTE (Association of Language Testers in Europe) |
| 2017 | CLL becomes the only Belgian school to be audited and accredited by the association EAQUALS |
| 2018 | CLL creates Visiagora, the first video teaching platform dedicated specifically to languages |
| 2020 | CLL joins the Global Compact which aims to adopt a socially responsible attitude |
| 2021 | CLL creates its Digital Learning Department dedicated to educational innovation and the management of our platforms. |
| 2022 | CLL develops Visialingua, a video language teaching platform based on Artificial Intelligence |
| 2023 | CLL passes its 9th quality audit “Qfor“quality audit for training organisations | CLL joins the Target Gender Equality program | Creation of the “CLL Fund“, managed by the King Baudouin Foundation |
From 1984 to 2023, the CLL gave 3,606,392 hours of lessons to 699,515 participants!
Our missions
Teaching
To provide high-quality, innovative language teaching that is accessible to all, by meeting the needs and adapting to the specific characteristics of all audiences.
Research and innovation
Develop innovative teaching methods, training modules and language tests.
Service to society
Through the impact of its teaching and innovations, its regional roots and international collaborations, its train-the-trainer programs and its collaborations with public institutions, CLL contributes to the development of a multilingual and multicultural society.
Our values
Friendliness – Innovation – Transparency – Respect – Professionalism – Responsibility
Our partnerships
CLL, created 40 years ago by UCLouvain, benefits from a rich history that has led us to excellence in linguistics, language pedagogy and training technologies.
Firmly rooted in this shared history, our Board of Directors, a majority of whom are representatives of UCLouvain, guides us with rigor and boldness towards new horizons of innovation and excellence for the benefit of all our audiences.
In collaboration with the Paris Île-de-France Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIP), we have been proud to organise the prestigious “Test d’Évaluation de Français” (TEF) exams in Brussels since 2014.
This partnership represents an exceptional opportunity for our French as a Foreign Language Department to hone its expertise in assessment, at the service of lovers of the French language and the French-speaking world.
For over 10 years, we have been organising the Certificaat Nederlands als Vreemde Taal exam for the Taalunie. In partnership with the latter, we also offer Dutch language courses in Louvain-la-Neuve for future university students. This partnership expands the missions of our Dutch department, consolidating our commitment to cultural and linguistic immersion in the Dutch-speaking world.
CLL is proud to be a partner of Actiris’ Chèque Langues project, to help jobseekers stand out from the crowd, improve their language skills and even acquire a command of a new language (English, French or Dutch).
Our tools at your service
L-Campus® (Language Campus) is CLL’s Language Learning Hub, offering an interactive virtual space for fluid communication between trainers and participants. Learners can easily find the content of their program, tasks to be completed, digital resources, additional elements, level tests, messaging, a course calendar and a forum.
L-Feedback® (Language feedback) is a platform that simplifies access to our intermediate and final training satisfaction forms, providing an essential tool for even more effective management of the quality of our services.
L-Testing® (Language Testing), our innovative platform, offers instant, seamless access to placement tests and final exams in over 24 languages. Our rigorously validated tests are characterised by their speed and in-depth analysis of the four language skills, ensuring a complete assessment of the participant’s actual level.
L-Management® (Language Management) provides corporate training managers with a comprehensive, dynamic solution that gives them in stant access to all important employee training data, from planning and invoicing to pedagogical follow-up and attendance. This dedicated interface provides a real-time overview, enabling rapid and accurate evaluation of training effectiveness, and facilitating adaptation of the training policy for optimum results.
The LINGONIA® platform turns every lesson in our language courses for children into an exciting adventure! Our young learners are immersed in an interactive world, guided by their trainer through captivating discoveries. In addition to course content, they have access to a host of fun resources to enrich their learning experience, wherever they are.
Our certifications
CLL pays particular attention to the quality of its training courses. Our pedagogical teams are constantly working to ensure this quality, from program creation to course follow-up, including ongoing training for our team of trainers. And this quality is certified by external bodies following rigorous inspections.
Our CSR commitments
Since its founding, CLL has carried out its missions in the interests of all its stakeholders. We adopt a socially responsible attitude by committing ourselves to integrating and promoting several principles relating to economic development, job creation, diversity and inclusion, reduction of environmental impact and commitment to the energy transition.