TEN SLEEP — Eleutian Technology has become the first content provider for a Chinese learning social network, Italki’s Language Marketplace, and also is planning a large center in Casper, its president says.

Eleutian, which built an empire by providing one-on-one English language instruction for clients in Korea, and has expanded to providing services to other countries from teaching centers scattered across Wyoming, is partnering with the Italki, a Chinese social network that so far has 500,000 users.

The partnership marks the opening of Italki’s Language Marketplace to language schools. The Marketplace was launched this March, and began by contacting independent teachers with students for paid online language teaching. By June, nearly 3,000 teachers had joined the Marketplace, which is now open to schools and companies that want to reach Italki users with their language learning precuts and services.

Kent Holiday, president and CEO of Eleutian, told this week’s meeting of the Casper Rotary Club that his company’s operating revenue is estimated at $7 million for 2009. The company is teaching in 10 schools in Moscow, Russia, along with some instruction in Mexico and other countries. They also bring Korean teachers to the U.S. for intensive training up to 11 months in duration. This includes two months of practical classroom experience in local schools.

“Conversational English training is a $100 billion a year business in Asia," he said, noting that in the next five years more than $50 billion will be spent to improve public school English training in Asia.

Holiday said a center will be established in Casper that could house 200-300 teachers and administrative staff. Certified teachers will be used to provide the training to Korean students and those in other countries. The company uses SKYPE, an internet protocol two-way voice and video system, to communicate with students singly or in classroom settings. In June of 2008 the company provided nearly 3,000 teaching hours; in June 2009 that number jumped to 14,000 teaching hours, Holiday said.

On the Web: eleutian.com