January 18, 2010
$80,000 Helps Newcomers Improve Their English Skills

OSOYOOS – An $80,000 investment will help new immigrants and refugees in Keremeos and Osoyoos improve their English language skills by giving them access to free one-on-one tutoring.

“It is through partnerships like these that students have more options to achieve the education they need for success,” says Boundary-Similkameen MLA John Slater. “Without basic literacy in English, it is very hard to find a job, get further education, or understand how to ask for required services.”

Okanagan College will receive $40,000 to deliver the ESLSAP in Osoyoos. Additionally, in partnership with the Okanagan Similkameen Learning Centre, Okanagan College will receive $40,000 to deliver the English as a Second Language Settlement Assistance Program (ESLSAP) in Keremeos. The funding allows for a coordinator to recruit and train volunteer tutors and match those tutors with community members who want to improve their English language skills.

Tutoring is focused on the language goals of the learner and can vary from learning how to read a menu and order a meal at a local restaurant to learning sufficient language skills to function at a workplace. Learning takes place in a variety of community locations depending on the community and the learner’s preference and needs. In some communities, the local public library is the meeting place, while others may meet at a coffee shop, the recreation centre or the curling rink.

The ESLSAP is delivered through WelcomeBC with federal settlement funding. This year, an investment of $2 million will enable 39 service providers to deliver tutoring services in 58 regional and remote communities and their surrounding areas. Last year, 35 service providers arranged for 541 volunteer tutors across B.C. to provide English language tutoring to 894 immigrant and refugee learners.

Since 2007, a total of $127.6M in federal and provincial funding has been invested in ESL services for immigrants under WelcomeBC.

Information on becoming an ESLSAP volunteer tutor can be found at: http://www.mytrainingbc.ca/eslsap/recruitment/

Information on WelcomeBC can be found at www.welcomebc.ca

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