The Future of Work Demands Increased Access to English Learning Opportunities

The importance of providing New Americans opportunities to learn or improve their English cannot be overstated. 

It comes as no surprise that newcomers who are proficient in English are better able to connect with native-born Americans, navigate complex systems (like government and healthcare), and advance in the workplace than their peers who don’t speak English. Employers also benefit; those that have invested in English language workforce training report higher employee morale and engagement, as well as improved retention, productivity and efficiency.

Unfortunately, the U.S. lacks robust supports for New Americans looking to learn or improve their English. Other wealthy countries, like Sweden, France, and Canada, provide newcomers with free language classes, and some provide free childcare and transportation, in recognition that both can serve as barriers to learning. In contrast, New Americans who don’t have high English proficiency struggle to find accessible and affordable English learning opportunities. 

This lack of access hurts both the welfare of New Americans (who make up a sixth of the national workforce) as well as the economy. For years, employers have had difficulty finding the skilled talent they need to succeed, greatly hindering their ability to remain competitive. To address these skills gaps, an increasing number of employers are looking to deepen their talent pools by actively recruiting candidates from previously overlooked and undervalued populations, including New Americans. 

Educators are helping both New Americans and employers by adopting novel approaches to English language learning. The Community College of Denver (CCD) is one such institution. 

Through its English as a Second Language (ESL) Pathway, New Americans can enroll in ESL courses that serve as an on-ramp into CCD’s academic programs and apprenticeships. Students can take advantage of one of two programs: a Community ESL year-round, pre-college, and non-credit program, which offers affordable and no-cost classes geared toward industry needs, with in-person and remote study options. The Academic ESL credit program, designed to help students with intermediate English proficiency succeed in CCD’s academic environment, is another option. 

As a Metro Denver Hispanic-Serving Institution that serves New American as well as native-born students, CCD is one of the most diverse colleges in the state, and uniquely positioned to serve their New American students, as they have a deep understanding of the unique and varied needs of students from other countries.

To learn more about the program, how it benefits students and employers, and what other educators can learn from CCD’s experience, I spoke with Marsea Wynne, Community ESL Program Coordinator at CCD.

How does increasing access to English classes benefit employers?

Today’s economy is evolving rapidly as a result of technological advances, globalization, and digitalization, and will continue to do so. In order to succeed in this changing environment, research indicates that employers will need a workforce equipped with industry-specific knowledge as well as problem-solving, communication, and digital skills. English proficiency helps workers develop these skills and better communicate with their coworkers and supervisors, translating to better business outcomes and increased promotional opportunities for New Americans. 

In an increasingly globalized economy, employers with English-proficient workers are also better positioned to succeed than those without, as English serves as the de facto international language, with 20 percent of the world’s population speaking it as a native or foreign language. Globally, non-native speakers outnumber native speakers by more than two to one, indicating its prevalence and therefore its usefulness.

As they face increasingly severe skills shortages, employers stand to greatly benefit from an increase in English-speaking workers, who can also provide unique international perspectives.

That’s one of the reasons we created the ESL Pathway: to respond to the challenges employers face today, as well as those they’ll face in the future. One of the advantages of the program is that students can start with short, stackable certificates that allow them to launch a career in one or two semesters. 

What are common barriers facing New Americans who want to improve their English?

New Americans, like many native-born Americans, struggle to find affordable childcare and reliable transportation; they also experience difficulty navigating complex processes to obtain critical benefits. These and other factors greatly impede their ability to enroll in an English class. 

New Americans also face barriers in communicating and using the transferable skills they’ve learned in other countries. And those with degrees and licenses obtained elsewhere face long American certification and licensing processes that can take years to complete. Without English skills, the road to financial self-sufficiency becomes even harder.

Another significant barrier is low confidence: one of the most demoralizing experiences anyone can go through is failing a class, a feeling that can be more acute in adults. That’s why CCD provides customized support tailored to the needs and interests of each student. Students are able to work while enrolled, and the program’s flexibility ensures that students can continue to participate, even if their schedule changes. 

Remote learning also increases a student’s chances of success, which is why we’ve partnered with Voxy EnGen, an industry-focused English-language learning platform that offers scalable and accessible adult ESL instruction to help them advance their careers. 

We have been using Voxy in two of our pathway courses, healthcare and manufacturing and have leveraged their courses to build ESL curricula that help learners build industry-relevant vocabulary and concepts. 

What advice do you have for other educators looking to increase their English language learning offerings?

Make sure that your curricula are geared toward industry needs. CCD decided to include ESL into our apprenticeship programs because we know that New Americans are an untapped talent pool in a time when employers across industries are struggling to find the talent they need. To make sure our curricula are as helpful as possible to both students and employers, we work with businesses and industry groups to create contextualized classes to complement our on-campus or virtual Intensive English for Career Transitions options. 

I’d also recommend that educators leverage remote learning options. Prior to connecting with Voxy EnGen, the idea of building a contextualized career-specific curriculum from scratch was daunting and not realistic even for our highly skilled, but extremely busy, instructional team. With the introduction of Voxy EnGen, we now have the tools to bring our goals to fruition.

Lastly, it’s critical that educators meet students where they are. Most educators already understand that students’ needs vary greatly, but it’s important that they make an extra effort to deepen their knowledge of the needs of their New American students in order to use their resources most effectively. 

At CCD, we worked with many partners to gain a better understanding of our students’ needs, which helped us create a program that truly enriches their lives. By providing non-credit classes from basics to pre-certificate ESL alongside for-credit classes that meet college credit requirements, CCD offers the best of both worlds in our English language instruction. 

For the 10 percent of working adults who do not have high English proficiency, programs like those provided by Community College of Denver have the potential to not only improve the lives of New Americans but also help businesses succeed in a world characterized by technological advances, globalization, and digitalization. 

About the Office of New Americans

The Office of New Americans serves as the point of contact for immigrant-serving state agencies, private sector organizations, and the public to advance the integration and inclusion of immigrants and refugees in Colorado communities. In recognition of New Americans’ significant economic, cultural, and civic contributions to Colorado, on June 25, 2021, Governor Jared Polis signed HB 21-1150, creating an Office of New Americans in Colorado’s Department of Labor and Employment. The bill expands the work of the New American Integration Initiative, which launched in November of 2019. The bill also requires that the office implement a statewide strategy to facilitate economic stability and promote successful economic, social, linguistic, and cultural integration by investing in the success of immigrants in Colorado.