ILI Executive Director Caroline Gear recently spoke with Lisa Derby Oden of MassMEP and Franklin Peralta of English for New Bostonians on the topic of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and the ways in which these 3 organizations have and continue to work together.
“There are many immigrants that have a Ph.D. in their home country and are now working on the line. These workers can up-cycle in the company and just need to be able to communicate better. I’d like to add that it’s not just the language, it’s also the work culture, and this is also part of the curriculum. It’s important for a manufacturer to be able to see the capability of their workforce. It is not unusual for a wall to come up that assumes that if someone does not speak English that they are not skilled. One positive unintended consequence ESOL training is that manufacturers learn more about their workforce too.” – Caroline Gear