Jan. 07, 2008

Communicating with the customer is vital to the success of any business. But more and more businesses are hiring workers who only have limited proficiency when it comes to speaking English. What to do? Teach them English.

And that’s just what the Westchester/Putnam Workforce Investment Board plans to do. The job placement and employment training agency has just received a $500,000 grant from the New York State Department of Labor to develop an English- as-a-Second Language program tailor made for businesses and their employees.

“This program will allow us to teach English to more than 500 employees at 18 companies in the Hudson Valley,’’ said County Executive Andy Spano. “Employees can learn right on the job with a curriculum specifically developed for businesses. It’s all about economic development and helping companies here in Westchester and the Hudson Valley to thrive.’’

Donnovan Beckford, Director of the Office of Workforce Development, said among the Westchester companies participating in the program are Yonkers Raceway, the Rye Town Hilton, Shoprite, the Marriott in Tarrytown and Kimber Manufacturing Inc.  Partners in the project include Westchester, Orange Community Colleges as well as BOCES in Ulster and Orange counties, who are developing the curriculum and will provide instructors.

Anne Rubenthal, assistant dean of continuing education at Westchester Community College, said that WCC is currently interviewing the employers to get a better picture of the types of employees and what skills would most benefit them.  She expects classes to begin in February.
                                                                            
“We have reached out to employers in a range of fields from the health care, hospitality, manufacturing and retail industries to determine what their needs are,’’ said Rubenthal. “We are very excited about this program because it allows us to offer this service to these companies, free of charge.’’
 
Marlene Ortiz, personnel director for Marriott Hotels in Westchester, said that they hoped that the program would help their employees strengthen basic language skills. She said 10 employees who work in housekeeping have been selected as the first to participate in the program 2 hours a week for 12 weeks.

“This is for employees who already speak English, but want to improve their communication skills,’’ said Ortiz. “We are excited about offering this to our employees and hope that we can add more as the program continues.’’

The influx of immigrant populations over the past two decades has significantly increased the need for language-related services. According to 2000 U.S. Census data, there are more than 2.3 million people in New York State that have limited English proficiency.

 Beckford said that the program’s goal was not only to help businesses, but to help employees improve their position in the job market. Employees who can speak English more fluently have a better chance of getting higher paying jobs.