On the evening of May 31, Chanon Bernstein sat in the conference room at Rhino Foods manufacturing company with a pen and seven certificates. An English instructor from Vermont Adult Learning, he carefully signed each one. The first read: "Theogene Mahoro has successfully completed the Rhino Foods English at Work course." An hour later, Mahoro and his coworkers — who had completed their shifts or were midway through them — arrived with cakes, samosas and sodas to celebrate the last day of their 18-week English at Work course. When Mahoro received his certificate from Bernstein, he couldn't stop smiling. "Thank you so much!" he said, beaming. The English at Work course grew out of a partnership among the private nonprofit Vermont Adult Learning, the Community College of Vermont and the Working Bridges Employer Collaborative. Launched 10 years ago by the United Way of Northwest Vermont, Working Bridges is a strategic network of employers concerned about the retention, advancement and financial well-being of employees who have low-to-moderate wage jobs. According to director Lisa Falcone, it aims to help primarily workers who face generational poverty. In recent years, though, participating employers have identified another prominent concern: limited English proficiency among their foreign-born employees. "It's an issue about safety at workplaces, [and] it's an issue about the ability for people to culturally build a united workforce," Falcone explained. "It's an issue about: How can we move people forward [in] the workplace?" As Vermont's workforce population shrinks, local manufacturers are increasingly dependent on foreign-born employees. "The only growth is around refugee resettlement," Falcone said. Since 1980, the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program has received more than 8,000 people, according to program coordinator Matt Thompson. Most have settled and found jobs in Chittenden County. But, in the past few years, employers from farther afield — Franklin and Lamoille counties — have hired refugees, too, he noted. Although numerous English classes exist for refugees and immigrants, the reality is that many adults are unable to attend because they're working. Rhino Foods employee Vincent Kabengele is one of them. The former electrical engineer from the Democratic Republic of Congo attended classes for just two weeks at the Sara Holbrook Community Center in Burlington. "[I was] very tired. It wasn't easy for me," Kabengele said. Although he hopes to return to the engineering field, he faces a formidable challenge. "No English — it's difficult," he pointed out. "I…
On the evening of May 31, Chanon Bernstein sat in the conference room at Rhino Foods manufacturing company with a pen and seven certificates. An English instructor from Vermont Adult Learning, he carefully signed each one. The first read: "Theogene Mahoro has successfully completed the Rhino Foods English at Work course." An hour later, Mahoro and his coworkers — who had completed their shifts or were midway through them — arrived with cakes, samosas and sodas to celebrate the last day of their 18-week English at Work course. When Mahoro received his certificate from Bernstein, he couldn't stop smiling. "Thank you so much!" he said, beaming. The English at Work course grew out of a partnership among the private nonprofit Vermont Adult Learning, the Community College of Vermont and the Working Bridges Employer Collaborative. Launched 10 years ago by the United Way of Northwest Vermont, Working Bridges is a strategic network of employers concerned about the retention, advancement and financial well-being of employees who have low-to-moderate wage jobs. According to director Lisa Falcone, it aims to help primarily workers who face generational poverty. In recent years, though, participating employers have identified another prominent concern: limited English proficiency among their foreign-born employees. "It's an issue about safety at workplaces, [and] it's an issue about the ability for people to culturally build a united workforce," Falcone explained. "It's an issue about: How can we move people forward [in] the workplace?" As Vermont's workforce population shrinks, local manufacturers are increasingly dependent on foreign-born employees. "The only growth is around refugee resettlement," Falcone said. Since 1980, the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program has received more than 8,000 people, according to program coordinator Matt Thompson. Most have settled and found jobs in Chittenden County. But, in the past few years, employers from farther afield — Franklin and Lamoille counties — have hired refugees, too, he noted. Although numerous English classes exist for refugees and immigrants, the reality is that many adults are unable to attend because they're working. Rhino Foods employee Vincent Kabengele is one of them. The former electrical engineer from the Democratic Republic of Congo attended classes for just two weeks at the Sara Holbrook Community Center in Burlington. "[I was] very tired. It wasn't easy for me," Kabengele said. Although he hopes to return to the engineering field, he faces a formidable challenge. "No English — it's difficult," he pointed out. "I…