Promising Practices: Feb. 20, How Community Colleges Are Serving Skilled Immigrant Students

Transcription

1 Promising Practices: Feb. 20, 2013 How Community Colleges Are Serving Skilled Immigrant Students Today s Agenda Dial-in: (218) Code: T E R E S I T A W I S E L L EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CCCIE ASSOCIATE DEAN OF CONTINUING EDUCATION & DIRECTOR OF GATEWAY CENTER WESTCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE D R. M I C H E L L E T H O M A S CHAIR OF ESL & FOREIGN LANGUAGES INTERAMERICAN CAMPUS MIAMI-DADE COLLEGE D R. A R N O L D M U Ñ O Z PROGRAM MANAGER, REVEST MIAMI-DADE COLLEGE Logistics Today s webinar is in listen-only mode via internet audio or dial-in. If you have audio issues during the webinar, try closing browser windows if using internet audio or dial back in using the telephone. To submit your questions/comments throughout the webinar, use the chat box in the lower-left part of your screen To get a copy of today s slides: contact@imprintproject.org now A recording of the webinar will be available in a few days time 1

2 MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS Community College Consortium for Immigrant Education IMPRINT is a national umbrella organization specialized in skilled immigrant integration. IMPRINT: Disseminates promising practices Creates and distributes resources for practitioners Upwardly Global World Education Services Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians Welcome Back Initiative Advocates for effective policies to support skilled immigrant workforce integration More at: Policy, Advocacy & Promising Practices Common barriers for white-collar immigrants Loss of professional networks Lack of information about: Career pathways Transferring credentials U.S. standards for resumes, interviews American workplace culture Licensing barriers Unprepared public workforce system Lack of English classes Employer misperceptions 2

3 Pre-Webinar Survey Results Attendee organizations and work with skilled immigrants Intended use of webinar information Questions for presenters Questions to Be Addressed in Today s Webinar Today s Agenda 1. What are the networks and resources available to support work with skilled immigrants in community colleges? 2. What programs have been successful? 3. What are their key success factors? 4. What does it take to get started? 3

4 AGENDA Today s Pt. I Agenda CCCIE and the Skilled Immigrant Pt. II Pt. III Spotlight: Miami Dade CC Title V- Project A.C.E. REVEST Recommendations & Resources Q&A Today s Agenda Part I CCCIE and the Skilled Immigrant 4

5 Role of Community Colleges in Supporting Skilled Immigrants To provide professional-level English language skills To fill a gap in education in order to: Prepare for graduate school Gain licensure Enhance job skills through programs & advising Re-enter, change or advance in careers To serve as a resource and referral hub What Is CCCIE? A national network of community colleges and other organizations committed to supporting immigrant education through innovative programs and services. Programs support immigrant students at all skill levels Current Initiatives Promising practices online database and reports Raising visibility thru presentations, web resources ( Technical assistance Advocacy & outreach, including our work through IMPRINT 5

6 Supporting Skilled Immigrant Student Success: Key Factors Executive-level commitment and follow through Community-wide needs analysis Assessment of student needs and strengths ESL redesign content-based curricula, career pathways, online learning Integrated support services, including career advising Community/employer partnerships Focus on evaluation & outcomes Challenges for Community Colleges in Serving Skilled Immigrant Students Lack of accurate data on this sub-group Need for specialized expertise Limited funding to sustain programs Providing differentiated ESL curricula and career pathways Overcoming community college silos 6

7 Today s Agenda Part II Spotlight: Miami Dade College Title V-Project ACE: Accelerated Content Based English Miami Dade College InterAmerican Campus Department of ESL/Foreign Languages 7

8 Rationale High level of literacy in L1 predicts ease of learning L2 Programmatic isolation and/or unrelated coursework Content-based instruction promotes efficient language learning Immigration trends The rationale may be found at: Purpose 1) Help students with strong academic backgrounds to learn English for Academic Purposes (EAP) in an efficient and effective way 2) Increase retention and matriculation rates of EAP students 3) Enhance collaboration 4) Disseminate research findings and curricular practices to other campuses and colleges 8

9 Demographics Gender: 77% female, 33% male Language background: 82% Spanish-speaking 10% Haitian Creole 8% other Education 70% high school diploma 9% some college 7% BA or BS 3% professional/graduate degree 11% no response Orelus An ACE Success Story 9

10 Success Rates 610 students served 98.6% completed EAP requirements with ACE 80% continued their education 97.3% success rate for those who continued Research Process Conducted from March-June 2009 Language samples from general education classes CLP 1006 (Psychology) HUM 1020 (Humanities) BSC 1005 (Biology) ENC 1101 (English) Survey of general education faculty 10

11 The Backwards Design of ACE 1. Assess needs with survey on General Education (GE) faculty expectations 2. Collect information on the tasks, technologies & resources used, and the language demands of GE 3. Gather materials and language samples from GE content (corpus) 6. Evaluate the courses and technology 5. Teach language of academic tasks with technology using corpus and content-based materials 4. Create EAP materials and tests related to the tasks, texts, and technologies of GE ACE TRIVIA that s not trivial How many words are found in the psychology text used in CLP 1006? 11

12 ACE TRIVIA that s not trivial How many words are found in the psychology text used in CLP 1006? Sample findings that inform curriculum Efficient readers have a vocabulary of at least 20,000 words. Vocabulary words have their own grammar. English language learners at the intermediate level have a working vocabulary of 2,500-4,000 words. 12

13 ACE Students at Work Resources required Collaboration, collaboration, collaboration Cross-discipline, department, and campus Face time (Curriculum Writers Workshops, classroom visits) Culture of inquiry, research Marketing Support from Administration 13

14 Strategies for Managing Change Provide professional development for faculty and staff Get innovator buy-in Support transitions in increments Plan for replication REVEST Program Miami Dade College Refugee/Entrant Vocational Education Services and Training Eduardo Chavez REVEST Program Director Presented by Dr. Arnold N. Muñoz REVEST Program Manager 14

15 REVEST Program: Refugee/Entrant Vocational Education Services & Training Purpose: To provide Adult Education Services to increase the employment potential of clients through the acquisition of training and English language skills. Eligibility: Cuban/Haitian refugees, entrants, asylum applicants; refugees and asylees of all nationalities; Amerasians; certified victims of trafficking Services contingent upon clients being employed or engaged in job seeking efforts through employment agencies Funding: Florida Department of Children and Families, Office of Refugee Services. Averages $6million per year since 1996 REVEST Programming REVEST meets language and workforce needs of new arrivals by providing comprehensive services and flexible programming that help overcome real-life barriers The VESOL program is a stepping stone to semi-skilled interim or alternative careers. It is: High volume: 3,000+ students per term High impact: intensive English Language training program (16 weeks per term) prepares clients for employment and self-sufficiency. Graduates are referred to placement agencies 15

16 Demographics/Statistics Clients More than 30,000 students served since % employed at intake; others referred to workforce pipelines January 2013 enrollment: VESOL: 2,064 Vocational: 268 Staff 32 F/T Employees 34 P/T Employees Hourly Instructors per Semester REVEST and the Skilled Refugee Some client characteristics: 45% have attended some university or obtained a university degree 18% have attended some form of technical school Cubans are a majority Medical fields are well-represented Due to their lack of English skills most clients are either underemployed or in survival jobs 16

17 VESOL and AGE Program 4 levels of intensive VESOL classes 16 weeks of instruction per level 1 week of Employability Skills training GED classes Citizenship Preparation classes Wide variety of class schedules (day, evening, weekend) ensures program accessibility REVEST & Vocational Programs Most popular vocational paths for REVEST participants: Accounting Operations Administrative Assistant Business Supervision & Management Customer Assistance Legal Secretary Network Support Services P.C. Support Services Real Estate Massage Therapy Medical Assisting Medical Coder/ Biller Pharmacy Technician Phlebotomy Practical Nursing Security Guards 17

18 Other REVEST Services: Transcript translation/evaluation reimbursement up to $300 Transportation Assistance (100%) Childcare Service referrals (100%) Legal Service referrals Employment referrals *All services, including books and training tools (such as uniforms and equipment), are FREE for eligible students. Program Impact Expansion to 4 centers with over 3,000 students per term. Future plans: establish Outreach Center in underserved Little Haiti neighborhood Effective Instruction and strong outcomes require constant review and modifications to the VESOL curriculum and texts In 2010, added the College Credit Certificate Program Strong partnerships for supplemental services (legal, childcare, tutoring for children of clients Youth Coop and Gulf Coast Jewish Family & Community Services, Inc. St. Thomas University Law School Lutheran Services, Miami-Dade Public Schools, Catholic Charities Client referrals and partner networks are our best recruitment and publicity instrument 18

19 300 NE 2nd Ave. Miami, FL Wolfson Campus Start Date: Aug Initial Enrollment: 130 Average Enrollment: 400 Program Headquarters and Vocational Training. West Dade Start Date: July 2000 Initial Enrollment: 221 Current Average Enrollment: SW 24th St Miami, FL Homestead/Kendall Start Date: Jan Initial Enrollment: 13 Current Average Enrollment: SW 107 Ct. Kendall, FL Hialeah Start Date: July 2000 Initial Enrollment: 46 Current Average Enrollment: W 16th Ave. Hialeah, FL

20 Today s Agenda Part III Recommendations & Resources Recommendations Provide integrated ESL and workforce development programs combining professional ESL with career training leading to certificates and employment; use stackable certificates Provide advanced ESL integrated with academic courses as preparation for college credit work and career re-entry Incorporate support services to encourage program retention and completion Offer vocational training for mid-level technical jobs as a steppingstone to higher-level career positions. Consider alternative career paths in non-regulated fields Partner with employers to assure that program design, curricula, and language services align with business needs for mid- and high-skill employees 20

21 Tapping into the CCCIE Network Program Focus Program College Contact Re-entering health careers Welcome Back Center Alamo College, Texas Anson Green Career Advancement Professional Development Center/ELI Westchester Community College Teresita Wisell u STEM job skills Manassas Campus (Allied Health) NOVA CC Heidi Adamson Roger Ramsammy rramsammy@nvcc.edu Adapting I-BEST Center for Immigrant Education & Training LaGuardia Community College John Hunt Comprehensive I-BEST pathways WA State Board Community & Tech. Colleges WA State Board Community & Tech. Colleges Jon Kerr Q&A CONTACT US Te r e s i t a W i s e l l, E x e c u t i v e D i r e c t o r, C C C I E Te r e s i t a. W i s e l s u n y w c c. e d u w w w. c c c i e. o r g D r. M i c h e l l e T h o m a s C h a i r o f E S L & F o r e i g n L a n g u a g e s I n t e r A m e r i c a n C a m p u s, M i a m i - D a d e C o l l e g e m t h o m a s m d c. e d u D r. A r n o l d M u ñ o z P r o g r a m M a n a g e r, R e V e s t a t M i a m i D a d e C o l l e g e a m u n o z m d c. e d u h t t p : / / w w w. m d c. e d u / w o l f s o n / a d m i n i s t r a t i o n / r e v e s t / 21