Spanish- and Laotian-speaking staff members at the University of Colorado at Boulder are taking English as a Second Language classes at work this fall through an Employee Development program designed to improve communication in the workplace and enhance recruitment and retention.
About 100 employees from campus departments are enrolled in the ESL classes and are given work release time to attend. The classes meet at several campus locations, and class size is limited to no more than 15 to improve comprehension and one-on-one contact with instructors, according to Omaira Bankston of the office of Organizational and Employee Development.
Employees enrolled in the classes are from five campus departments that have high numbers of non-English-speaking workers, including Facilities Management, Housing, the Recreation Center, Wardenburg Health Center and the University Memorial Center.
The language classes focus on work-related English vocabulary covering topics such as safety issues, tools, policies and procedures. That part of the language training is aimed at improving communication within the work unit, Bankston said.
The classes also cover conversational English and community involvement, including information on obtaining General Education Degrees, or GEDs, citizenship and advice for staff members interested in enrolling in other classes on campus.
The classes began meeting one day a week for an hour and a half Sept. 26 and will extend through Dec. 8, Bankston said. Tutoring also is available for participating employees upon request, but must be done outside of the regular work schedule.
Instructors for the program were hired through CU-Boulder聮s International English Center.
In addition to the weekly language classes, the Office of Organizational and Employee Development, a division of the Human Resources Department, is offering new employee orientation in Spanish. Sexual harassment policy training in Spanish has been offered through a joint agreement with Facilities Management and eventually will be transferred to Organizational and Employee Development.
A defensive driving course in Spanish also is planned in cooperation with CU-Boulder聮s Transportation Services.
The ESL program was funded by Vice Chancellor for Administration Paul Tabolt.