| Need Addressed |
Alberta employers are increasingly relying on workers born outside of Canada to fill their labor needs. Along with the demographics of an aging population and a low national fertility rate, newcomers will be an increasing part of the Alberta workforce. Employers are encountering challenges related to language, culture, and employee integration. These challenges directly impact workplace safety, productivity, and employee retention rates. Offering English in the Workplace is one way to address language, cultural, and integration challenges in the workplace. |
| Project Funder(s) (optional) |
Alberta Employment & Immigration |
| Deliverables |
- Common Ground: Facilitator Manual
- Common Ground: How-To Guide for Employers
- Common Ground: English in the Workplace Training Manual
|
| Key Project Activities |
Project Activities included:
- Piloting of Common Ground resources in 5 communities with 5 companies.
- Revision and dissemination of final resources.
|
| Project Time Frame |
March 2007 – February 2010 |
| Target Audience |
Common Ground: English in the Workplace will benefit Alberta companies who need their employees to develop their English language skills and want to invest in English in the Workplace programming. |
| Number of People Involved in Project |
203 people including:
| 4 |
project team members |
| 10 |
Advisory Board Members |
| 124 |
Canadian born employees |
| 48 |
employees participating in English in the Workplace programs |
| 5 |
Facilitators |
| 12 |
managers/HR managers |
|
| Communities Participating in Project (optional) |
5 communities
- Wetaskiwin
- Barrhead
- Edmonton
- Fort Saskatchewan
- Drayton Valley
|
| Lessons Learned |
- Important to create a team to champion an English in the Workplace program at the work site. Staff turnover and other changes posed challenges to successful completion of an English in the Workplace program within a company context.
- Facilitators with no formal teaching/ESL instruction experience or training were able to successfully use the Common Ground resources to deliver an English in the Workplace program in a company context.
- Significant enhancements were made through data collected during the pilot and feedback gathered from the project advisory committee and other stakeholders. The quality of the Common Ground resource increased substantially through the evidence-based resource development process used in Phase 2 of this project.
|
| Project Team |
Douglas Parsons, Jaimy Miller, Cheryl Whitelaw, Paul Holmes |
| |
|
| For more information, contact Darcy McDonald at 780-644-6770 or
.
|
