More than 500 employees at 17 companies in the lower Hudson Valley will receive free English language training this year through a state-funded program launched by the Westchester-Putnam Workforce Investment Board.
The job placement and employment training agency has received a $500,000 grant from the state Department of Labor to develop an on-the-job pilot program specifically designed for the needs of businesses and their employees.
“It”™s all about economic development and helping companies here in Westchester and the Hudson Valley to thrive,”™”™ said Westchester County Executive Andrew J. Spano.
Westchester companies participating in the program are Empire City at Yonkers Raceway; Hilton Rye Town, Rye Brook; Kimber Manufacturing Inc., Yonkers; ShopRite Supermarkets Inc. and the Westchester Marriott Hotel in Tarrytown.
Donovan Beckford, director of the work force development office, said participating employers in the Hudson Valley region include Kohl”™s in Wurtsboro in Sullivan County, and in Orange County, St. Anthony Community Hospital and Mechanical Rubber in Warwick; St. Luke”™s Cornwall Hospital; Nexans Energy USA Inc. in Chester and Orange Regional Medical Center in Middletown. In Ulster County, employees will receive English training at Carole Amper Inc., Kingston Hospital and AmeriBag Inc., all in Kingston; SELUX Corp., Highland; Pinegrove Ranch and Family Resort, Kerhonkson, and Mohonk Mountain House, New Paltz.
Partners in the project include Westchester and Orange community colleges as well as the Board of Cooperative Educational Services in Ulster and Orange counties. Those institutions are developing the curriculum and will provide instructors.
Anne Rubenthal, assistant dean of continuing education at Westchester Community College in Valhalla, said the college is interviewing employers to get a better picture of the types of employees and what skills would most benefit them. “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,”™”™ she said.
Classes are expected to begin in February, Rubenthal said. The program is free of charge to companies.
Marlene Ortiz, personnel director for Marriott Hotels in Westchester, said 10 employees who work in housekeeping have been selected as the first to participate in the program two hours a week for 12 weeks. “This is for employees who already speak English, but want to improve their communication skills,”™”™ she said. “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, more than 2.3 million people in the state 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.