eCorp English has announced it will be relocating its global headquarters and IT development center to Middlebury, Vermont in January, creating a projected 35 jobs by the end of 2011 and over 100 by 2013. The company provides online English-language training to the personnel of global corporations including Google, Alcatel Lucent, UPS, HSBC and AXA. The move was made possible in large part due to a coordinated effort involving a wide spectrum of public and private entities in Vermont including Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA), Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies (VCET), VT Dept. of Economic, Housing and Community Development, Addison County Economic Development Corporation and Middlebury College. The company received approval of an Initial Application under the Vermont Economic Progress Council’s Vermont Employment Growth Incentive (VEGI) program in August 2010.
Photo: (L-r) Governor James Douglas, VEDA CEO Jo Bradley, Middlebury Selectboard Chair John Tenny, eCorp English Founder and President Deborah Schwarz, Governor-elect Peter Shumlin and Middlebury College Dean of Faculty James Ralph.
Governor Douglas said, ‘I am very pleased to welcome e-Corp English to Vermont. They are just the kind of high quality employer we are looking to attract to the Green Mountain State. By working collaboratively with VEDA, our regional partners and the Agency of Commerce and Community Development, and utilizing tools like the Vermont Employment Growth Incentive, we are competing for jobs here in Vermont and succeeding.’
‘I am thrilled to welcome eCorp English to Vermont,’ said Governor-elect Peter Shumlin. ‘eCorp English’s move to Vermont is a great example of what happens when you make capital available to potential businesses. My Administration will be focused on continuing to provide capital so that we can bring more good paying jobs, like these, to Vermont.’
‘VEDA is very pleased to provide working capital financing to help eCorp English establish its first subsidiary in the United States. This growing and profitable multinational business will create well-paying jobs in Vermont over the next three years, and that’s good news for all Vermonters,’ said Jo Bradley, Chief Executive Officer of the Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA).
"The English as a Second Language (ESL) market is a very large, fast growing global market and one that the Fund determined a high potential employment and investment opportunity for Vermont," said Fund Manager and VCET President David Bradbury. "eCorp English pairs well with our workforce, College partners and offers potential for significant wealth creation within Vermont and for those Vermonters who are employed."
‘We are grateful for the warm welcome we have received in Vermont, said eCorp English founder and president, Deborah Schwarz. ‘We looked seriously at a number of states, but found it was ultimately Vermont that offered the best combination of high tech infrastructure, an educated workforce with linguistic skills and easy access to European and Asian markets via air. We are looking forward to growing our company here’.
eCorp English was provider of choice for over 50 global corporations in 2010 in the francophone market (France, Switzerland, and Belgium), a number which is expanding rapidly in this market to include Luxembourg, Monaco, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Canada. In 2010 operations began in China.
The company has leased 6,500 square feet at 1197 Exchange Street in Middlebury and will begin occupying temporary space in Middlebury starting January 1st and until its Exchange Street center is ready in March. The company will be looking to fill seven positions immediately with an additional 30 to be filled in 2011.
Job offerings will be posted at noon on December 9th, 2010, and are updated each Friday at noon.
About eCorp English
According to United Nations figures, 2 billion people will be study studying English worldwide by 2015, with the market estimated at $5 trillion between 2010 and 2015. eCorp English is an emerging leader in one of the most desirable sectors of this expanding global market, the market for English language training for the professional. www.e-corpenglish.com
It is the mission of eCorp English to become the global leader in corporate English language training over the next five years.
Based on its highly successful software, eCorp English offers ‘blended’ courses from its distance training platforms (leaning via the software, practice via telephone or online virtual class). The success rate of eCorp English learners is 2.3 times that of its competitors.
eCorp English was created in 2006 in Malta and is currently present in the francophone and China markets. The company expects to expand into 5 other linguistic zones over the next five years (Japanese, Russian, Arabic, Portuguese, and Spanish).
About VCET
Launched in May 2010 to offer early stage, higher risk capital to high opportunity Vermont based employers, the Vermont Seed Capital Fund, LP is managed by the Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies (VCET). For more information visit: www.VermontTechnologies.com/capital or contact David Bradbury at [email protected]
About VEDA
VEDA’s mission is to promote economic prosperity in Vermont by providing financial assistance to eligible businesses, including manufacturing, agricultural, and travel and tourism enterprises. Since its inception in 1974, VEDA has made financing commitments totaling over $1.7 billion. For more information about VEDA, visit www.veda.org or call 802-828-5627.
Source: eCorp English. Middlebury, VT’December 9, 2010