BC Partners, the UK-based private equity group, is poised to announce that it has tapped into the fast-expanding US education market by acquiring ATI Enterprises, a Dallas-based operator of 24 campuses, for about $500m (£301m).

The for-profit provision of training to school-leavers and adults in the US has been expanding rapidly for several years and the recession has only accelerated this trend, as rising unemployment has persuaded more people to return to college.