This morning I was reading an article about McDonald’s and how they help their workers to acquire language skills while on the job.  The article mentioned a program called English Under The Arches and explained that the company was being recognized by the Migration Policy Institute for its efforts.

Companies that provide this type of training really help make their workers more productive.  One Resident Care Giver that we trained found that her accent was often a trigger that caused frustrations and even outbursts from elderly patients.  Getting Accent Reduction Training made her job easier and more enjoyable.  Another client struggled with email communication.  She felt she often had to preface her email requests by explaining that English was not her first language since she knew that sometimes her requests seemed too direct and caused tension.  For her, the Writing Course has given her some set patterns to soften her tone.  She doesn’t need to explain her weakness anymore.

We would just like to thank our most recent corporate client, Royal Bank of Canada, for aknowledging the value of incorporating language support at work. RBC is joining our ever growing list of companies who value the skills immigrants bring to their workplace.