History
In 1983, Masanori Okada responded to the need for English language education reform in Japan. After years devoted to English grammar and reading, university graduates were arriving unprepared in a workplace that privileges practical speaking skills. Already the owner of Suruga Academy and IBEX, Mr. Okada merged the latter with a third company to form Westgate Corporation. Born in Shizuoka, Westgate began to serve its new purpose by initiating English programs focused on communication skills for small businesses, residents, and the public schools of Gotemba. We have since blossomed and provided English language training to more than thirty major Japanese and international corporations.
Our business-intensive programs are evolving to satisfy new corporate personnel eager to improve their business and technical English. Intensive research inspired us to design our Extracurricular International Career English Program for Universities, which bridges the gap for college graduates between basic communicative ability and the business English competency that most companies demand. Our program is offered on more than forty campuses of technical universities, liberal arts universities, and junior colleges, located primarily in the Kanto region (also known as the Greater Tokyo Area), with some campuses in Aichi prefecture (mostly in Nagoya).
In 2003, Westgate launched the "Certificate in Teaching Young Learners English as a Foreign Language" (CTYLEFL) program, which trains university-enrolled education majors to teach English at preschool or primary school. This marked the beginning of our successful relationship with Cambridge English. The CTYLEFL program is yet another way Westgate acts to raise the standards of English education in Japan, while building successful careers for both students and teachers.
In 2004, Westgate launched an E-Learning program for university and corporate students who want to study English via the Internet. The curriculum maximizes the unique opportunities and convenience of online education, drawing on multimedia resources and allowing students to communicate by telephone and email.
Since its inception, Westgate has assumed charge of accredited English courses at nearly twenty campuses. We also offer practical English programs to students at elementary schools and junior high schools affiliated with our client universities. In every way imaginable, we are doing our best to rebuild English education in Japan from the ground up.
| June 1982 | Suruga Academy is founded in Gotemba, Shizuoka |
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| March 1983 | Westgate Academy emerges from the English Education Department of IBEX Corporation; main school expands; branch schools launch in Hakone Sengokubara and Subashiri in Oyama Town in Shizuoka |
| January 1995 | Westgate Corporation is established |
| April 1995 | Extracurricular University English Program starts at Toyo Gakuen University, Seitoku University, Edogawa University, and Shonan Institute of Technology |
| April 1996 | Assistant Language Teaching (ALT) contract is signed with Gotemba City Board of Education |
| April 1996 | Accredited Young Learners English Program starts at Primary School attached to Seitoku University |
| April 1997 | Accredited University English Program starts at Kaetsu University |
| April 2001 | Extracurricular Young Learners English Program starts at Tamagawa Academy (K-12) and Tamagawa University |
| April 2003 | Westgate becomes certified as Authorized Centre by Cambridge ESOL (presently Cambridge English) |
| May 2003 | Certificate in Teaching Young Learners English as a Foreign Language (CTYLEFL) Extracurricular Program starts at Seitoku Gakuen |
| September 2004 | Westgate acquires SV Interactive Communication Inc. (SVIC - a joint venture of Sony Human Capital Corporation and Vector Great Britain) |
| April 2006 | Westgate takes over the outsourcing contract of SVIC E-Learning course at Waseda University, School of Human Sciences |
| April 2007 | Certificate in Teaching Young Learners English as a Foreign Language (CTYLEFL) Accredited Program starts at Seitoku Gakuen |
| April 2014 | Extracurricular Global Leadership Program starts at Kanagawa University |
As of May 2023, we have brought our extracurricular program to 95 university campuses, our accredited program to 54 university campuses or departments, and our Young Learners and Secondary School English Programs to 9 different schools.