History



The English Center
7700 Edgewater Drive
Suite 540
Oakland, CA 94621
Phone (510) 836-6700
info@englishcenter.edu

  History of the English Center


The English Center is an independent, non-profit educational institution last held classes in Alameda after eight years in Jack London and a long tenure on the campus of Mills College, where the Center was founded. Beginning in 1977, the Center provided comprehensive and short-term English programs, as well academic and cultural orientation, for women from over 50 countries.



1977: Founding at Mills College
The English Center is an independent educational institution located in Oakland’s Jack London Square. Founded in 1977 on the campus of Mills College, the English Center originally provided comprehensive and short-term English programs, as well as academic and cultural orientation, for women from over seventy countries.



1984: Serves Internationals and Immigrants
The English Center prepared international students to enter U.S. universities. It expanded in 1984 to also serve immigrants who need English language, job readiness, and computer skills training to be competitive in the local job market.



2000: Offers Evening Programs
Responding to a demand for more programs, in 2000 the English Center added co-educational afternoon and evening classes to serve immigrants and international students, both men and women.



2001: Opens the One-Stop Center
An expanded student profile demanded expanded services. In 2001, the English Center One-Stop Career Center, an affiliate of the Oakland One-Stop Career and Business Services Center, was opened on-site to serve the English Center students and other English-learning job seekers. The English Center One-Stop has operated continuously since 2001, providing career counseling, internships and help in job placements as well as business services to local and global employers.



2008: Relocates to Jack London Square
In July 2008 the Center moved to historic and scenic Jack London Square, becoming a greater part of the cultural, academic, and economic life of the East Bay and the San Francisco Bay Area.



2010: Offers Healthcare Careers and Corporate Training Programs
With a vision of service inspired by its new location, the Center has begun two new initiatives today: the Healthcare Careers Program, combining classes and counseling to enable internationally-trained healthcare professionals to begin new careers in the U.S. and Corporate Training for Industry, supporting employers and the training needs of their international employees.



2015: Launched satellite site in Pittsburg, California, and the new Career IT program
In July 2015 we proudly established a satellite site at Pittsburg which offers the same quality instructional programs. It also houses Delta Employment Solutions which goal is to provide training and employment for Contra Costa County residents.



2015: Launched the Career Readiness Program - Information Technology.
The English Center offers a rare combination of intensive English training and IT skills into one compact program.


The English Center
7700 Edgewater Drive
Suite 540
Oakland, CA 94621
Phone (510) 836-6700
info@englishcenter.edu

Copyright © 2017 The English Center