The English Center | Learn More

		Learn More About the English Center Offering English mastery for success in college, careers, and in life The English Center is an independent, post-secondary school as well as a workforce development agency. The English Center serves immigrants, international students and professionals who need to improve their communication skills to achieve their goals and: Find better jobs Attend college Improve their professional options For job seekers and employers, we also provide services through our on-site career center, the English Center One-Stop. Our Student Programs The English Center transforms our students into confident, proficient English speakers ready for their next life step. We offer a unique combination of English language fluency, technology and academic skills, plus employment and university placement services. We support students' progress by fostering an emotionally supportive learning environment in which students learn at an accelerated pace, thereby improving rapidly. We integrate acculturation into all programs, helping students adapt to the American workplace and university classroom. We provide internships and job placement opportunities with advancement potential. We are committed to helping each student reach his/her potential, regardless of his/her resources. We offer three programs of study, plus part-time options. Please visit our Find Programs page to learn more. English Center One-Stop for Job Seekers and Employers Both job seekers and employers benefit from our extensive services and resources at the English Center One-Stop. Our Corporate Training for Industry Program customizes on-site, employer-driven training for employees who need to improve their English to perform effectively on the job. The English Center One-Stop also offers specialized career counseling and courses for internationally trained healthcare professionals through the Healthcare Careers Program. The English Center can provide students with Professional Practicum experience for real-world practice of English. In all of our programs and services, The English Center is committed to strengthening cross-cultural communication for the success of individuals in pursuit of career and academic achievement. Mission The mission of the English Center is to realize the participation of international women and men in the social, political and economic opportunities of the 21st century world. Through English language, technology and career readiness training, we will foster cross-cultural communication and career advancement, enabling non-native speakers of English to achieve their fullest potential. Facts The English Center is… a nationally-recognized non-profit educational organization with a 35 year history unique in programs, curricula and methodology located at Jack London Square, in Oakland The English Center offers… Rigorous, intensive, year-round training in its Academic and Professional Program and Career Readiness Program with classes in o English language skills o Computer applications o Career and academic readiness Specialized, content-based language classes, for example o iBTOEFL test preparation o NCLEX Review o Healthcare Communication and Culture o Presentation and Communication in Business o Academic Skills Services for job seekers and employers at the English Center One-Stop including: o Language and computer skills assessment o Career counseling o Internship/job development and matching o Employee/employer liaison o Customized on-site employer-driven training for employees Results The English Center successfully… Trains more than 300 English language learners annually in its on-going programs Maintains a placement rate of graduates at 75% or above, in careers and in higher education English Center students… Gain 10 to 15 points on the University of Michigan placement test per proficiency level attained Gain an average of three proficiency levels in their English language skills, progressing from, for example, low-intermediate to low advanced level or from high intermediate to high advanced with program completion Enroll directly in university academic courses upon completion of the high advanced level of study (level 6) Compete successfully in English-speaking work environments in careers with advancement potential after graduation Credentials The English Center is nationally accredited by the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET). The Center is a member of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL); California Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (CATESOL) ; and the American Association of Intensive English Programs (AAIEP). The Center's staff are members of NAFSA Association of International Educators. The English Center's One-Stop Career Center is an affiliate of the Oakland One-Stop Career and Business Services Center and a member of EASTBAY Works. The English Center is included on the California Employment Development Department's Eligible Training Provider List as a provider of customer-focused employment training for adults and dislocated workers. Recent Honors The English Center's programs have been recognized by the California Department of Education as examples of 'Promising Practices in Outstanding WIA II Program Management and Student Outcomes' in 2008 and in 'Program Design' in 2009. The English Center's unique training model was recently recognized for "best integration of policy and program practices" by Grantmakers Concerned With Immigrants and Refugees. In 2008, The English Center was presented with the Making Democracy Work award by the Oakland League of Women Voters. The Jefferson Award for Public Service - a Program of the American Institute for Public Service - was presented to Executive Director Marcy Jackson by CBS5 television and the San Francisco Chronicle. In 2010, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors presented Marcy Jackson, Executive Director with a Commendation in recognition of her leadership in the Immigrant Nurse Re-Entry Program collaborative, recently renamed the Diversity in Health Training Institute. The English Center does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, handicap, sexual orientation, or national origin in the administration of its admission policies or in its education programs.