Leading language group, Eurocentres has opened its first English school in a non-Anglophone country in partnership with Study Union Barranquilla, a Colombia-based education agency.
The school, located in Barranquilla in northern Colombia, will focus on teaching English to university students and corporate clients.
In at statement, the company said the deal comes after 30 years of working in the Colombian market.
“We have been looking into teaching English where it is not spoken as a native language for a while, and our research shows that there is a great demand for a high quality English language teaching provider in Colombia,” said CEO Michael Gerber.
“We are confident that this venture will be an important step to support Colombia with its efforts to build a bilingual population and to further strengthen our traditional ties with Colombia.”
Colombia’s Ministry of Education has a “National Bilingual Programme” which seeks to enhance the nation’s English capabilities from primary level upwards. It worked with the British Council on a wide-ranging analysis of needs and competencies via an ELT Reform Project.
This led to new national standards at primary and secondary school level and formulating an accreditation framework for private ELT schools in the country.
The new Eurocentres school will target students who are already studying and working, with classes running Monday to Friday from the early morning and Saturdays in the morning and early afternoon.
Founded 15 years ago, Study Union has seven offices around Colombia.
Eurocentres, a leading language provider for more than 60 years, maintains a network of 39 schools on five continents offering in-country native language courses.
