Charting A Course:
Responding to the Industry-Related
Instructional Needs of the Limited
English Proficient

bbaird@epcc.edu

Easily modified, these lessons promote:

12. English for Hotel Employees, a Workforce Literacy Partnership Demo Project, North Harris Montgomery County Community College.

Developed with a grant from the Texas Education Agency, 1995.

Contact: Federico Salas Isnardi, Asst. Director, Texas LEARNS
(713) 696-0719
fsalas@hcde-texas.org

• housekeeping

• maintenance

• conference attendant

• server

• buser

• steward

• cook

• Main components/duties of the job

• Language and literacy tasks needed for each job component

• Kinds of interactions with coworkers

• Nature of social interactions during the work day

• Kinds of errors made by employees / how they are handled

• Safety issues related to language and literacy skills

• Cross-cultural issues to be addressed

Designed for two-hour classes, twice a week, for ten weeks (40 hours total). Customized curriculum accompanied by use of Day by Day (Molinsky and Bliss). Activities responsive to SCANS Skills and Competencies.

Includes instructor’s guide, student handouts, and assessments. May provide a good foundation for curriculum development in hospitality due to strong literacy task analysis foundation.

• Starting work

• Schedules and earnings

• Customer service

• Courtesy and social interaction

• Job safety

• Employee benefits

• Rules and responsibilities

• Health problems and absence from work

• Problem solving

• Cultural diversity

13. English for Health Care Workers, Levels 1 and 2: An ESL Course for Hospital Employees, Houston Community College’s College Without Walls, 1994, Shearer, Isnardi, Taggart

Funded by Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

Contact: Federico Salas Isnardi, Asst. Director, Texas LEARNS
(713) 696-0719
fsalas@hcde-texas.org

Includes facilitator’s guide, student materials, placement test, and transparency masters.

Based on SCANS Skills and Competencies

Level 1 – beginning ESL
Level 2 - advanced intermediate ESL

Accompanied by commercial texts as needed for grammar (Azar)

Does not make use of any technology or multimedia. Strictly communications skills and writing development

*could provide good foundation for more current curriculum development.

• Greeting and addressing people

• Giving and asking directions

• Understanding time, time clocks, work schedules, and pay checks

• Asking for help

• Understanding safety rules

• Courtesy, socializing, talking about family & friends

• Describing patients and other employees

• Understanding health benefits and coverage

• Understanding other employees benefits

• Talking about health problems and absence

• Infectious disease control

14. Workplace Plus: Living and Working in English, Longman

Workplace Plus website.

Designed to be used in a period of 60 to 90 instructional hours. Course components include:

• Student book (ten units integrating essential vocabulary, practical conversations, practical grammar, authentic practice)

• Audiocassettes

• Teacher’s edition

• Student workbook

• Achievement tests

• Teacher’s resource pack (reproducible masters for extension activities)

• Placement test

• Your life & work

• The environment

• Equipment and machines

• Your customers

• Your time

• Your supplies and resources

• Relationships

• Health & safety

• Your money

• Your career

Harcourt Achieve website.

One of a number of work-related instructional series by this publisher:
Necessary Skills for the Workplace;
English ASAP;
Math Skills for the Workforce;
Building Success;
Workforce Writing Dictionary

While no one of the products listed in the far-right column is designed to stand alone (exception: English ASAP series), together they represent an impressive packet of resources due to their application to multiple levels of English proficiency. While not a curriculum per se, these products could be easily woven into a curriculum framework for workforce ESL.

English ASAP: Connecting English to the Workplace targets literacy to low intermediate levels in a five-book series; combines student books, audio cassettes, and assessment in workplace context. SCANS Skills and Competencies addressed. Usage in a national pilot by a major national restaurant franchise resulted in reduction in employee turnover, reduction in cost for new employer training, improved customer satisfaction, improved employee attendance, and increased promotion options.

Teacher’s notes are especially helpful and indicators of careful planning in preparation of series is noteworthy.

*Audio cassettes provide minimal practice and need further development and/or updating to CD-ROM

• Making career decisions

• Locating and using labor market information

• References/job applications

• Resumes / cover letters

• Interviewing

• First days on the job

• Job keeping skills

• Transferable skills

• Consumer skills

• Consumer resources

• Taxes

• Health and safety

• Job readiness

• Culture of work

• Time management

• Customer service

Steps to Employment web site

• Automotive service trades

• Call center

• Computers

• Construction

• Education

• Electrical trades and occupations

• Entrepreneurs

• Financial clerks

• Food service trades and occupations

• Home health care

• Logistics

• Personal services trades and occupations

• Sales occupations

• Technologists & technicians in applied sciences

• Engineering technology

• Health care technology

• Telecommunications trades/occupations

• 25 hours orientation

• 25 hours occupation-specific language training

• Ten full days of instruction

• Targets newcomers with basic English proficiency who already have training and experience in an occupation in another country

• Workbook for learners (Workbooks include a self-assessment and activities to guide participants in setting short term goals

• Instructor guide (includes sources for background info on the industry sector, teaching strategies, answer keys, and a list of authentic materials to use with each unit)

• Implementation guide (provides model for planning and delivering workshops, sample placement tools, certificates, recruitment strategies, instructor qualifications)

• All manuals in PDF format (Adobe Acrobat Reader) and downloadable free

While designed for newcomers with basic English language proficiency, very adaptable and neatly packaged.

Manuals developed from authentic materials

• Occupations

• The workplace

• Labor laws

• Certification, training, and experience

• Occupation-related terminology

• Communication in the workplace

• Communication in the community

• Personal plan

• Work tasks

• Health & safety

• Equipment and supplies

• Sanitation

• Customer service

• Employment rights

17. Vocational English as a Second Language

Bridge to Advanced Technological Education and Employment Project

Funded by the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education program (2000)

• Pre-technologist bridge

• Intensive GED prep

• Technical learning skills bridge

• Pre-bridge/VESL B

• Pre-bridge/VESL A

• ESL Level 2 (intermediate beginner)

• ESL Level 1 (beginner)

• Adult basic literacy

VESL courses (2) at Instituto del Progreso Latino run for 14 weeks, 12 hours per week.

*This is similar to the curriculum developed by Nevada Partners, another bridge program to prepare individuals for jobs in the hotel and hospitality sectors in Nevada; the Candy Institute/Food Chicago coalition project for food processing; and the Milwaukee Hire Center for dislocated workers (600 hours bilingual training with supplemental VESL instruction or 212 hour program for incumbent workers in industrial maintenance mechanics).

Bridges to career path employment in manufacturing technology requires varying levels of literacy and basic skills proficiency for entry into certificate, vendor, apprenticeship, and college credit training programs. Participants must be able to score on TABE at specific levels in order to move through the continuum.

Instructors encouraged to adapt to specific needs of their learners.

• Schedules

• Adaptive skills

• Transferable skills

• Formal skills inventory

• Goal setting

• Resume prep

• Interview

• Creating and reading an organizational chart

• Defining good communication

• Interacting with co-workers, customers, supervisors

• Negotiating for a better job

• Knowing your rights

• Job goals and career ladders

• Time management

• Job titles, skills, wages

LINCS Workforce Education website.

• Workforce education learning activities bank

• Getting There: A Curriculum for People Moving into Employment

• Steps to Employment

• Vocational English as a Second Language

• Tennessee ESOL in the Workplace training manual

• Additional generic curricula addressing job readiness, office technology, academic skills, interpersonal skills

• Communication and problem solving

• Convey ideas in writing

• Cooperate with others

• Decision making

• Interpersonal skills

• Life long learning

• Listen Actively

• Personal qualities

• Planning

• Reading with understanding

• Speak so others can understand

• Using information and computer tech

• Using math to solve problems

Workplace Skills for the Adult Learner: An Integrated Curriculum

Six week program integrating academics, job readiness, and office technology

• Academic preparation

• Job readiness

• Technology

• Individual Development Plans

• Computer lab orientation and assessments