By Charlie Deitz
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-870593.mp3
Berkshire County – In an effort to provide employers with on the job training for their non-English speaking employees, the State of Massachusetts has set aside a $1.4 million grant to help with English education.
The Berkshire County Regional Employment Board hosted the panel discussing how the new state grant money will help to bring non-English speaking employees and those lacking basic skills up to par with a more and more competitive workforce.
"So basically, it's developing workplace educational programs for current workers to upgrade their skills so they can continue to grow and thrive here in the Berkshires," said Heather Boulger, Executive Director at the employment board. "We don't want them to leave because immigrants are a critical part of the Berkshire economy."
Boulger says that she hears from employers that being fluent in English is one of their major concerns when hiring a prospective worker. This $1.4 million is specifically aimed at on the job education so workers don't have to struggle with transportation or conflicts with other jobs.
"At $1.4 million, it's not huge but it is significant," said Claudia Green, workforce development director for the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. "It's a boost of about 5 percent of what the state puts in to adult basic education."
The money comes from a $400,000 commitment from the state's Department of Workforce Development partnered with the state's department of education. The other $1 million is from stimulus funding.
"This fund is really a recognition of the importance that immigrants do play in the work force," said Green.
Also in attendance was Hillary Greene, the executive director for the Berkshire Immigrant Center. The center is one of the lead agencies in the county that works with ESL training, as well as job placement and referral services for immigrants.
"The MassINC study which came out a few years ago said that individuals who have a high English language proficiency earn 2 1/2 times that of their counterparts that have limited English," said Greene.
This funding will allow employers to go directly to the state for funding and doesn't require them to work through a community agency for the grant. So if an employer has a worker population that could benefit from some on the job English learning, and they select an agency to do the teaching, they are eligible to apply for funding. The Berkshire Chamber's CEO, Mike Supranowicz, fears that the money won't be there for companies when it comes time to get the program going.
"We've already had some issues with the employers on the workforce funding now," said Supranowicz. "Employers had been awarded grants that had lost the grants because of budget deficits."
The grant stipulates that companies contribute 50 percent matching funds and that they enroll at least seven employees, another point of concern for Supranowicz.
"Most of our employers have less than ten people," he said. "You're not going to have seven people in a company that need to learn how to speak English. That company wouldn't be in business now."
The grant process also has a strict deadline of December 23rd for the first round, so interested companies have to move quickly in order to be eligible. If and when money rolls out, David Pottle, adult education program director for the South Berkshire Educational Collaborative, says the existing programs in the county have already seen major successes.
"Participants went on, many of them to other programs," he said. "Some went on to college, Berkshire Community College in particular, and some left and got more advanced jobs in a similar industry in other locations."
More information on the grant program can be found at wamc.org.
Additional Links:
Berkshire County Regional Employment Board for more info on the workforce training grant.