UK: Study Group buys platform developed by Imperial College London

Vocational and training skills

Canada: EC English Language Centres opens Vancouver language school

EC English Language Centres has opened Vancouver 30+.

EC launched its first 30+ English school in 2013, trialling the concept in London and later that same year in Malta. In 2016, two more EC 30+ schools opened in New York and Toronto and then expanded to Dublin in 2018. Vancouver brings the total to six 30+ schools in five countries.

EC’s chief executive Andrew Mangion, said: “The opening of EC Vancouver 30+ is a great achievement for all of us at EC, allowing us to bring our wonderful 30+ experience to this

remarkable city. We are so proud of this accomplishment and it is thanks to the dedication of our teachers, staff and partners and, of course, our students, that makes this possible. At EC, we believe that our people are our strength and our growth in recent years is testament to that. The people at the helm in EC Vancouver 30+ are full of enthusiasm and drive for this school so we know that the students here are in strong, capable hands. We look forward to many prosperous and rewarding years with our 30+ students in Vancouver.”

Ed tech and educational services

UK: Study Group buys platform developed by Imperial College London

Sydney-based international education provider Study Group is acquiring London-headquartered learning experience platform developer Insendi.

Study Group chief executive Emma Lancaster said: “We are delighted to welcome Insendi to the Study Group family. I have been deeply impressed by the team’s technical credentials as a company which grew out of their work at Imperial College and their focus on engaging higher education learning using their platform.

“Insendi is a great company with high-quality international higher education partners and an exciting potential in its own right. Together with Study Group’s 25 years of experience of working with university partners and helping international students succeed, we see significant opportunities.

“We are particularly attracted to working with Insendi because of their strong educational focus and background, and we are confident that the ability of our students to progress to excellent universities, to thrive and achieve success in their studies and careers will be enhanced by this development.”

Director and co-founder of Insendi Dr David LeFevre, who is also the director of the EdTech Lab at Imperial College, London said: “Insendi is extremely pleased to become part of the Study Group family, while maintaining our own unique identity and reputation. Together we see genuine complementary strengths and a real potential for business growth in the future.

“Key to this opportunity is our mutual commitment to excellent education. Increasingly, the teaching and support of students draws on the breakthrough technologies that are impacting our society. Study Group and Insendi are aligned in a commitment to the potential of new technologies informed by educational research to support learning and enhance student attainment.

“Our shared view is that these technologies are increasingly important to students and teachers and they will play a pivotal role in the future as international education addresses questions of access, resilience and environmental sustainability. We are excited about exploring these possibilities.”

Study Group confirmed that Insendi will retain its own distinctive brand, board and specialism within the group. Study Group said it will also work closely with Insendi to develop its online student support and bespoke provision in the years to come.

Australia: Algeco acquires school space firm

London-based modular space rental firm Algeco Group has acquired Australia-based Net Modular, which specialises in manufacturing and servicing modular buildings for schools.

Rutherforn, New South Walesbased Net Modular specialises in the manufacturing and servicing of premium modular buildings for schools. It has held contracts with the New South Department of Education and Public Works for more than 30 years, has approximately 70 employees and its 2019 revenue was approximately A$75 million.

Algeco chairman Mike Smith said: “The acquisition of Net Modular further strengthens our presence in the Australian education segment and I’m delighted that the Net Modular team will remain and continue to lead and develop the business. Driving profitability through acquisitions is a clear priority for our business and we are making good progress in this regard with this being our fifth announced acquisition. The pipeline remains active and we look forward to announcing further acquisitions in the coming months.”

Ian Doherty, general manager of Net Modular, said: “We’re delighted to be joining the Algeco team. Our client will continue to benefit from our best-in-class service delivery and quality, in addition to Algeco’s broader product and innovation capabilities.”