Language Training Key To Economic Growth
PHOTO/COURTESY
Laurie D'Amico is the director of Literacy Volunteers of Greater Worcester.
Without a plan to provide more English as a second language instruction for adults, Worcester will not be ready for recovery and revitalization.
According to the Bay State think tank Mass Inc., the state’s labor force is estimated to have grown by less than 1 percent since 2000, but without immigrants and refugees it would have shrunk.
As English speakers are leaving Massachusetts, there are fewer workers who can speak English fluently to replace them. How can businesses grow and new companies find workers if the available workforce is not English ready?
Revitalizing and energizing the Worcester economy will require the talents and skills of the growing immigrant/refugee population. The largest numbers of new pilgrims come from Ghana, Brazil, China and the Dominican Republic.
Education First
To more effectively participate and work in a society one must be able to communicate in the native language. The old model of Ellis Island immigrants remaining in ethnic clusters based on mutual language is exclusionary and stifles our labor force and consumer economy.
Providing free and affordable English as a second language classes alters that scenario. Immigrants/refugees who learn English are independently able to find suitable employment, housing, make informed health care decisions and pursue educational certifications and degrees.
For low income immigrants already working several jobs and with an ever-shrinking family budget, paying market price for language instruction is out of the question. We know that there are hundreds of adults on ESL (English as a second language) waiting lists for free or affordable classes. However, the exact numbers are not available because there has been no comprehensive study of the ESL families in our community since 2000.
Contrary to the popular misconception, immigrants want to speak English.
Fluency in English has many rewards including getting a job, finding a better job, becoming a citizen and participating fully in the community. Americans predominantly speak just one language and don’t register how difficult it is for an adult to learn the intricacies of a new language.
Adults arriving in the United States with no prior English schooling are not able to simply pick up English through listening and being here. With that approach it could take decades to fully understand and communicate in English.
It takes resilience to be an immigrant and face unknown challenges in a new country. Since 1973 Literacy Volunteers has worked with thousands of eager immigrants/refugees who are determined to learn English and are willing to make sacrifices for the next generation.
Resourcefulness and ingenuity are what drives our new neighbors and this bodes well for employers. However, we are not seeing much of a business response to prepare this powerful potential human capital ready to invigorate our economy.
Companies and businesses that do offer English language classes or commit to helping nonprofits teach ESL are making an economic leap for everyone.
As a community, believing that speaking English is vitally important to America’s future economy must also mean that it is worth encouraging, preserving and even teaching.
Laurie D’Amico is the director of Literacy Volunteers of Greater Worcester. She can be reached at Laurie.lvgw@gmail.com.
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