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Academic & sport experience and new projects

 

Jose Luis Artiles, sole administrator of Harven Group (www.joseluisartiles.com), has a solid professional career of four decades in the Canary Islands market. His profound knowledge encompasses both the academic language industry and the sports sector, which gives him a unique and valuable perspective in both fields.

 

In the 1990s, Mr. Artiles demonstrated his management capacity and vision by organizing for five consecutive summers, from 1990 to 1995, stays at the prestigious Club La Santa Sport (https://www.clublasanta.com/es/) in Lanzarote. Each July, nearly 200 young people participated in programs that combined intensive sports practice with language classes. This direct experience with young people and the demand for language training was fundamental to the conception of an innovative educational project in Gran Canaria.

 

Birth and Development of Harven Group in the Educational Sector

 

The summer experience in Lanzarote planted the idea in Mr. Artiles about the need to establish a quality language school in Gran Canaria, especially aimed at children and young residents on the island with a basic level of English, and particularly at students in public schools. This vision materialized with the creation of Harven Group, a company committed to excellence in language training.

 

In a strategic move to expand its educational offering, Harven acquired the ELE USAL Gran Canaria franchise in 2018. This acquisition not only allowed the development of Spanish teaching for foreigners and the training of Spanish teachers in the archipelago, but also included the reservation of the ELE USAL DAKAR and ELE USAL ABIDYAN brands. This strategic foresight responds to the notable interest in the Spanish language in West Africa, with approximately 350,000 students in Senegal and 900,000 in Ivory Coast, which anticipates a future potential for growth and international expansion for Harven Group.

 

International Experience and Academic Background of Mr. Artiles

 

Mr. Artiles' global vision is based on a rich international experience. Between 2000 and 2008, he made frequent trips to China, where he developed crucial skills in negotiating with exporters for the acquisition of full containers of various merchandise destined for clients and companies in Spain. His commercial activity covered products such as plywood boards, construction materials, and personalized advertising material.

 

Subsequently, for 12 years, Mr. Artiles shared his knowledge and experience in international trade as a professor at the Universidad del Atlántico Medio. His innovative pedagogical approach included conducting direct and real videoconferences with Chinese exporters, allowing his students to learn firsthand about the process of buying goods, negotiating prices, and forms of payment, using authentic proforma invoices.

 

His academic training is complemented by a three-year stay in Texas, USA, where he studied Business Administration (BBA) at the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor, located near Austin. His sporting talent earned him a tennis scholarship, which demonstrates his discipline and ability to excel in different fields.

 

The Strategic Project "SPANISH IN THE CANARY ISLANDS" and the Diversification of Tourism

 

In July 2024, the president of the Government of the Canary Islands, Mr. Fernando Clavijo, recognized the transformative potential of Mr. Artiles' proposal by naming the "SPANISH IN THE CANARY ISLANDS" project as a strategic project for the region. This initiative's main objective is the development of Spanish language tourism in the Canary Islands, combining it with the leisure and sports offerings that characterize the archipelago.

 

President Clavijo's decision responds to the need to diversify the Canary Islands' economy, traditionally focused on sun and beach tourism. The promotion of language and academic tourism is presented as an opportunity to attract a new segment of visitors, following the successful model of the Iberian Peninsula, which has numerous Spanish schools with a high occupancy of international students.

 

The strategy of the "SPANISH IN THE CANARY ISLANDS" project contemplates two phases: the first will seek to attract foreign students to learn Spanish; the second will encourage these students to continue their undergraduate studies or vocational training programs in the islands.

 

To realize this vision, Mr. Artiles has established strategic collaboration agreements. One of them is with ICSE (www.icse.es), an institution with which training programs will be offered to foreign students, including those framed within the ERASMUS+ program. An initial group of Italian students from the University of Calabria has confirmed their arrival for a 15-day stay in August 2025, marking the beginning of a fruitful collaboration between ICSE and Harven Group.

 

Development of Infrastructure for International Students

 

A crucial component for the success of the "SPANISH IN THE CANARY ISLANDS" project is the availability of adequate accommodation for international students. Aware of the growing demand and high rental prices for apartments in Gran Canaria, Mr. Artiles has taken steps to ensure a quality student residence offer.

 

In this regard, he has signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with YUGO (www.yugo.com), one of the largest student residence chains worldwide, with a significant presence in the United States and other countries, operating more than 100,000 beds. The initial objective is the creation of a residence in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria with a capacity for 250 students. To this end, conversations are being held with real estate developers and investors interested in the project.

 

Expansion of the Training Offer in the Tourism, Hotel, and Gastronomic Sector

 

With the aim of offering a complete range of training opportunities, Harven Group has established a non-disclosure agreement with Sommet Education (https://www.sommet-education.com/), a group with five specialized brands in tourism, hotel, and gastronomic training, including the prestigious Les Roches school. This collaboration will make it possible to offer internationally recognized training programs in these key sectors for the region's economy in the Canary Islands.

 

Expansion to West Africa and Creation of AFRICA MID ATLANTIC

 

In June 2025, Mr. Artiles took a significant step towards the internationalization of his educational activities with the creation of the company AFRICA MID ATLANTIC in collaboration with a Senegalese doctor in economics, who is also a former rector of the University of Dakar, an institution with 90,000 students. Initially, the company will focus on live online training for students in Senegal and other interested parties, with a special focus on schools, universities (both public and private), and business associations.

 

Once this first phase is consolidated and the market potential is evaluated, a second stage will be developed that will include the delivery of face-to-face classes in Senegal and Ivory Coast under the Harven, ELE USAL DAKAR, and ELE USAL ABIDYAN brands. Additionally, the installation of an educational and sports complex in collaboration with a Spanish company is being considered, which could include football and basketball facilities, a private school, and a language school, around 50,000 square meter complex in Dakar.

 

Strategic Vision: Canary Islands as the Educational Hub of the Mid-Atlantic

 

In short, Mr. Artiles' vision is ambitious and transformative: to turn the Canary Islands into the quintessential educational hub of the Mid-Atlantic. His strategy includes attracting students from America, Europe, and Asia to the Canary Islands, as well as expanding the training offer in various African countries. A key element of this vision is the possibility for African students, once they have reached an advanced level of Spanish, to move to the Canary Islands to participate in advanced programs.

 

The combination of solid business and academic experience, a clear strategic vision, and the ability to establish key alliances positions Mr. Jose Luis Artiles Ramirez and Harven Group as fundamental players in the future of language tourism and international education in the Canary Islands and beyond. The "SPANISH IN THE CANARY ISLANDS" project represents a unique opportunity to diversify the regional economy, attract international talent, and consolidate the role of the Canary Islands as a center of knowledge and learning in the Mid-Atlantic.