The diversification of Rhode Island’s workforce has resulted in a frequent challenge for many employers. Workers may know enough English to perform their jobs, but they don’t have enough fluency to communicate clearly with supervisors.
To that end, the Community College of Rhode Island is introducing a series of language classes aimed at the employers.
“Spanish for Supervisors” will roll out this semester as a pilot, with the possibility of expansion into additional languages. The course is offered in five- and 10-week programs, and is focused on workplace vocabulary, grammar and phrases. The curriculum will be fluid, set by each employer working with the college.
Offered in conjunction with Polaris MEP and the Rhode Island Manufacturers Association, attendance will be free for the supervisors and companies. The college will provide the courses through a $63,500 state Real Jobs Rhode Island grant administered by the R.I. Department of Labor and Training.
Although still being fleshed out, the program also is expected to include an English component for the workers who need to strengthen their English. For both sets of students, the focus is on oral language development, rather than writing or reading.
Some sample topics for instruction: “Workplace vocabulary, equipment and questions,” “Scheduling,” “Measurements and time,” “Directions and locations,” and “Rules and expectations.”
“We’re working on two fronts,” said Julian L. Alssid, CCRI’s vice president for workforce partnerships, a division that fully launched in 2018.
“One, for employees who need to strengthen their English in order to do their jobs better, we’re offering contextualized English, [such as] English for health care,” he said. “Two, let’s help the managers [support] a workforce that may be predominantly non-English speakers, or for whom English is a second language.”
The initial goal is to offer the Spanish for Supervisors courses on a variety of dates at three CCRI campuses – in Lincoln, Providence and Warwick. There may be courses offered on-site, at employers, as well.
The idea started not with language, but mathematics.
CCRI introduced workforce training in mathematics several years ago for advanced manufacturing, through which employees operated machines, computers and robots, but many still lacked understanding of high school math.
The instruction they received wasn’t academic but aimed at the skills needed in these specific workplaces. The supervisors worked closely with the Division of Workforce Partnerships to identify what workers needed to know on the job, he said.
The idea now is to do the same for language.
The need is tremendous, Alssid said, from manufacturing shop floors to kitchens and warehouses.
David Chenevert, executive director of the Rhode Island Manufacturers Association, said the needs of manufacturers are so precise, that any gaps in English can be a challenge. The documentation for quality control requires someone to be able to read and write and understand the nuances. Sometimes, it is literally lost in translation.
The classes for supervisors will help to bridge those gaps.
“It’s a beginning. It’s a step in the right direction,” he said.
Why not just hire people who are fluent in English? Chenevert points to the state’s low unemployment rate and the changing workforce for entry-level jobs.
“Let’s help the employees learn English in the context of a career,” Alssid said.
In manufacturing, many employers are concerned that their Spanish-speaking employees are not as aware as they should be of safety requirements and regulations, as well as the requirements for testing and validation.
Explaining safety requirements in Spanish is expected to be part of the instruction for supervisors. “The managers need to be able to communicate some of [these things],” Alssid said. “These are people who have enough language that they are able to do their jobs, but there are gaps.”
Mary MacDonald is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Macdonald@PBN.com.
