Language Training Key To Economic Growth

Refugees and immigrants should be learning English now while the economy is slow, so they are ready when things pick up. But there is a shortage of ESL classes and teachers, with long waiting lists. - - Donna Poisl

By Laurie D'Amico, Special to the Worcester Business Journal

Without a plan to provide more English as a second language instruction for adults, Worcester will not be ready for recovery and revitalization.

According to the Bay State think tank Mass Inc., the state’s labor force is estimated to have grown by less than 1 percent since 2000, but without immigrants and refugees it would have shrunk.

As English speakers are leaving Massachusetts, there are fewer workers who can speak English fluently to replace them. How can businesses grow and new companies find workers if the available workforce is not English ready?

Revitalizing and energizing the Worcester economy will require the talents and skills of the growing immigrant/refugee population. The largest numbers of new pilgrims come from Ghana, Brazil, China and the Dominican Republic.
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