Mohawk Valley Community College’s Center for Corporate and Community Education and
Indium Corporation celebrated the success of 12 Indium employees who completed the
College’s non-credit English Language Learner (ELL) program, which aims to help participants
improve their English skills professionally and socially.
Students were able to take classes right at Indium before or after their shifts for two hours per week for 15 weeks and were paid for their time in class. They learned workplace vocabulary to help them understand the overall business and mission of the company, their own job description and their coworkers’ job descriptions, how to ask for help, and the role of management in their day-to-day work life. Students also participated in conversations that might take place in a work environment and shared work scenarios in which students would need to know the correct cultural response.
“These individuals and families come wanting a place of safety, a place to call home, and a place to work and thrive,” said Lorraine Eady, the class instructor. “The language gap can be a barrier for many to find employment. When employers invest in ELL classes, the benefits include improved safety, efficiency for the workers, and unity within the company, and giving ELL employees a sense of belonging helps them feel more loyal to a company that invests in their future.”
Students included:
- Medisa Capra
- Nermina Duratovic
- Pam Fiacco
- Bi Gao
- Alpha Lah
- Leandro Leye Orta
- Long Long
- Maka Mohamed
- Kaseya Moo
- Sadina Munjakovic
- Ngwa Nyint
- A Poung
MVCC’s CCED pre- and post-tested the students and found that all made gains in their English proficiency.
For more information on CCED’s non-credit ELL program, contact Workforce Development Coordinator Terésa Fava-Schram at 315-334-7778 or tfavaschram@mvcc.edu.