ELS Educational Services, a world-leader in English language instruction for international students, has announced plans to launch its own specialised English language programmes to prepare Japanese students for study at U.S. universities.

The scheme will begin at a pre-selected group of Japanese universities and will run in partnership with Berlitz and the Benesse Corporation.

Participants of the programme will pursue a full semester of ELS Intensive English for Academic Purposes training first at the Japanese institutions, before transferring to an on-campus ELS centre at one of 23 partner U.S. institutions, where they will continue to study for a full academic year.

The new language strategy falls as the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) sets targets to increase both in and outbound international student mobility.

In an effort to grow the international competitiveness of Japanese higher education, three participating institutions in Japan have been selected for their status as ‘Super Global Universities’,  an elite group of institutions selected to receive Government-backed funding.

Additionally, ELS has announced a number of strategic transitions to its executive management team.

Mark W. Harris will transition from President and CEO of ELS to President Emeritus to allow him dedicate more time to business development. His new role involves consulting with partner universities to plan recruitment strategies that will enhance enrolment from South East Asia, Oceania, Central Asia and Latin America, Study Travel Magazine reports.

Reiji Teresaka is a new addition to the company, joining ELS as Chief Operating Officer to take control of investments at U.S. partner institutions and the on-campus programmes to be hosted in Japan. Teresaka previously worked as an investment expert for The Carlyle Group, covering the education sector.

The Executive Vice President of Global Operations and Business Affairs role will be filled by Alexandra Zilovic, whose position is dedicated to student success initiatives at ELS schemes based in the U.S., Canada and Australia. Zilovic will also implement student support services to assist with the successful assimilation of Japanese students across participating U.S. campuses.

Finally, Malik Sundharam will hold the position of Vice President of Business Development. Following the 2010 project to inaugurate ELS India as a higher education agency, a strategy developed by Sundharam himself, the global language training centre gained recognition from the U.S. Department of Commerce for its role in promoting U.S. higher education.

Sundharam will continue to lead ELS counselling and recruitment pursuits throughout India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar.

According to Study Travel Magazine, the new appointments reflect a period of success in U.S. education, with the announcement of seven new pathway partnership programmes that are due to open this year. Partnership institutions include: Hofstra University; Augustana University; Rutgers University–Camden; McNeese State University; West Chester University of Pennsylvania; University of Wisconsin in Kenosha; and the International Technical University.

Image via Flickr.

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