Maltese-owned company EC English Language Centres signed an agreement to acquire the Kenilworth Institute in Dublin. The contract officially marked the acquisition of EC’s 26th school, and its first foray into Ireland.

Established in 1991 with its first school in Malta, EC is a multiple award-winning company operating in top English-speaking cities around the world, including iconic destinations like London, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver and Cape Town. A love for learning and desire to broaden horizons is in EC’s roots; from its early days as a small, family-run school right up to this most recent venture, EC continually strives to help students succeed in a global community.

EC will initially continue to operate under the name ‘Kenilworth Institute’ but will rebrand to EC Dublin later this year, with the new centre to be completely remodelled and styled to match the ‘EC’ look and feel enjoyed by so many students the world over.

EC’s executive chairman Andrew Mangion said: “Our move into Ireland has certainly been a long time coming; the Irish government has demonstrated a clear commitment to welcoming international students, offering working rights on top of beautiful landscape, friendly locals and a rich cultural history. Ireland is an attractive prospect for any forward-thinking organisation – and that’s precisely what EC is about.”

The Kenilworth Institute is a Dublin-based language school which has been in operation for just over 20 years, with two year-round adult centres located in the city centre, and an independent junior programme in the summer, which EC has also acquired.

Colm Maguire, Kenilworth’s founder, felt a strong affinity with the values and focus on quality embodied by EC, and will also be consulting with the organisation for three months following the signing.