College students from Japan will soon be studying at Valencia College while interning at Walt Disney World. Representatives from four Japanese colleges visited Valencia on February 16 to finalize an agreement that would provide for overseas academic training opportunities for their students.
The agreement, established by Valencia Continuing Education, links academic coursework at the college with an academic training experience at Disney. During the program, students are enrolled in a six-month certificate course and are placed in an internship at the Walt Disney World Resort that relates to their major area of study. The program is designed to help students apply the knowledge and skills learned in the classroom to a real-world environment. Students who successfully complete the academic training requirements receive a certificate in Business Management from Valencia College.
During the visit, two agreements were signed with Baiko Gakuin University and Shimonoseki City University, and three more are pending with the University of Kitakyushu, The University of Tokushima, and Akita University. This marked the group’s third visit to Valencia, which was coordinated by university co-operative associations located in Japan.
The college expects the students to begin their program in February 2013 with a group of 15 to 25 students.
The agreement came following U.S. State Department approval in 2011 to allow Valencia to accept exchange visitors on J-1 visas. Foreign visitors are eligible to participate in the J visa program if there is a written agreement between their educational institution and Valencia. They must also meet certain requirements for English proficiency; Valencia offers an Intensive English Program for those whose English does not meet the requirements.
For additional information about the program, please contact Lisa Eli, Director, Continuing and International Education, at 407-582-6649 or leli@valenciacollege.edu or visit valenciacollege.edu/international.