DANBURY, CT — With approximately 1.45 billion people worldwide speaking it, either natively or as a second language, English remains the most popular language in the world. Its mandated use as the lingua franca in international commerce is on the rise, according to the Harvard Business Review.
It stands to reason, then, that teaching English to non-native speakers is a big business.
Nowhere is that more clear than at UCEDA Institute in Danbury, which offers instruction for adults in English as a second language.
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The 183 Main Street site is one of ten UCEDA operates in the U.S., including three more in Connecticut, has been in business since 2018. Additional schools in Philadelphia and Texas, as well as another in Connecticut, are on the horizon, according to founder Carlos Uceda.
Uceda’s family operated a technical school in Peru, but when his sister married an American, the clan pulled up stakes and moved stateside. He learned the landscape for tech education in the U.S. was vastly different from back home, so he would have to pivot.
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“We realized that ESL was not really covered, so we developed a methodology, and books,” he told Patch.
For the Peruvian immigrant, teaching ESL has become a matter of civic pride and responsibility. With each new school opening, UCEDA administrators make a point of meeting with the mayor and other municipal leaders to learn their needs.
UCEDA classes cover basic and intermediate ESL skills, with a smattering of advanced courses. The curriculum for all levels is updated regularly. Even the books themselves are getting an overhaul, as the company is transitioning from paper to e-book. And as the use of Spanish continues to grow, UCEDA has begun offering instruction in that language as well, to non-native speakers.
The makeup of Uceda’s local client base is also undergoing a transition. Early on, his students came predominantly from Danbury’s large Brazilian population. Now, a growing number of customers from China, India, Western and Eastern Europe are joining the Latin American majority. All told, UCEDA Institute educates students in 40 languages.
The school also teaches to the tests. UCEDA Institute offers dedicated prep courses for students taking the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the General Educational Development Test (GED), or preparing to obtain American citizenship.
Like all classroom-based businesses, the Institute had some tough sledding during the COIVD-19 pandemic, but Uceda estimates it has recovered 75-80 percent of its pre-virus business.
America’s ethnic sub-populations may be learning English at a rate faster than ever in the country’s history, but that doesn’t mean they’ve gotten any better at communicating with each other. Immigrants need to bust out of their silos, and start “integrating,” Uceda said.
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