Katie Nielson - Voxy EnGen
Tadd Wamester - Voxy EnGen
Fatma Ghalian - Queens Public Library

Persistent shifts in hiring demand and the future of work have accelerated in recent times. Immigrant and refugee communities have been disproportionately affected by job losses, and make up a larger percentage of essential workers in healthcare and retail. Adult education programs are critical to building an inclusive and equitable recovery through English language, digital literacy, career pathway and academic transition programs. Within this session we will workshop a blended program design to optimize employment outcomes for ELLs.

Career Pathway (IET) and localized, adaptable workplace English programs can make a critical difference in how successful and impactful these programs can be at opening up internal career pathways and talent pipelines. But "selling" programs to employers and upskilling partners can be challenging. How do you gauge employer readiness and how do you convince them of the value in partnering with adult education programs? And once you have their buy-in and launch a new program, how do you measure impact and Return on Investment (ROI)?

Insight into how blended and virtual IET programs support English language learners as they pursue career pathways and advancement in healthcare, technology, retail, hospitality, manufacturing and many other growth sectors will be discussed. The "jobs of the future" are already here, so let's explore how you can rapidly prepare your learners for success and workplace satisfaction over the long-term.

Conference Strand: Instructional Design

Target Audience: Post-Secondary