What is ELT?
Durham Continuing Education (DCE) continues to provide a program
that develops and delivers job-specific language upgrading to
internationally trained workers (ITWs) in four employment sectors;
Financial Services, Office Administration, Healthcare, and Education.
Enhanced Language Training, or ELT, is a 16-week program funded
by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. The Enhanced Language Training
(ELT) program includes an internship in the appropriate sector.
Who Qualifies for ELT?
Anyone 18 years and over, with Permanent Resident or Convention Refugee status in Canada is eligible for our ELT program.
The target group for the ELT program is skilled immigrants who wish to enter the Canadian workforce in the health care, education, financial or the office administration sectors but who lack the needed higher levels of English and job-specific language skills. Immigrants from one of these sectors who can demonstrate a minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) Level of 6 or above in reading, writing, speaking and listening are eligible for this program. The main objective of the program is to design and deliver enhanced language training for up to 180 clients over the length of the project.
Language Training and Internship/Mentorship Components
Program delivery includes an eight-week language training component which will be divided into the following sections:
1. A common section of ELT will focus on improving the candidates overall communicative competence in the workplace, including a special emphasis on pronunciation and colloquial expressions.
2. Sector-specific language training will include specialized curriculum which focuses on effective communication in the respective sectors. Topics will include learning about the “culture” of the Canadian workplace, the expectations of employers and job preparation, and the role of professional regulatory bodies in Ontario in the respective sectors.
3. Following the eight-week language upgrading course, eligible candidates will be able to apply for either a mentorship or internship. An internship/mentorship coordinator will recruit placements and/or mentors, and make appropriate recommendations for placements
Ongoing career counseling will be provided.
Why is DCE doing this?
Recent immigrants are often among the most educated and skilled members of our community, yet they often experience higher levels of underemployment and unemployment than the general population. This is a product of both a lack of English proficiency and Canadian cultural and work experience.
The most recent Durham Labour Market information based on the 2001 Census supports the need for this proposed ELT initiative. Immigrants in Durham Region report larger shares in the highest educational attainment category than all other cohorts of the population, with 42.7% of all immigrants in the Region having a university education (up from 25.3% in 1996) (Statistics Canada, 2001 Census). This data supports the identified trend in ESL and LINC classes towards immigrants having higher levels of English skills and also their desire and ability to move through the language levels more quickly.
Despite higher levels of education, in 2001, immigrants exhibited the second lowest level of labour market participation in the Durham Region (67%) after women (Statistics Canada, 2001). In 2001, immigrants exhibited the second highest unemployment rate, after youth, at 11% (compared to 6% average for all cohorts in the Durham Region (Statistics Canada, Census 2001).
The workforce in Durham Region is an aging one. Between 1996 and 2001, paraprofessional occupations including those in education services, experienced a 259% increase in the proportion of workers aged 55 years and older. Technical and skilled occupations in health services experienced a 250% increase in the same cohort. (Durham Region Local Training Board, 2004)
The need for health services in particular has been expressed in recent findings. “One of the most significant labour force development issues we face in our region is to address the shortage of health care practitioners, including nurses. This trend will continue as our population continues to age and to grow, placing further demands on our health care system” (Durham Region Local Training Board, 2005: Foreword).
The restartdurham.ca
Enhanced Language Training program seeks to bridge the gap between
the underemployment of skilled immigrants and the growing need
for their skills by providing quality language training and
an opportunity to gain Canadian work experience. .
For more information, please contact Alana Magsombol, ELT Program
Coordinator, at 905-440-4488, Durham District School Board.
Childminding
On-site childminding is available to ELT candidates during in-class sessions and assistance for daycare funding is available during the internship (bridge-to-work) component.
Transportation Assistance
Financial assistance with transportation costs to school and placements is also available to ELT candidates.
Locations
There is one location for ELT classes in the Durham Region:Oshawa
Oshawa(EA Lovell 120 Centre St.S.)
September 14, 2009 - January 20, 2010 - Education and Healthcare Sectors
 |
|
|
| Classes | Schedule | Time |
| Education, Healthcare | Monday to Friday | 8:30 am - 11:00 am |
| Combined Sector Language Training | Monday to Friday | 11:30 am - 2:00 pm |
November 16, 2009 – March 30, 2010 – Finance and Office Administration Sectors
|
|
|
| Classes | Schedule | Time |
| Finance, Office Administration | Monday to Friday | 8:30 am - 11:00 am |
| Combined Sector Language Training | Monday to Friday | 11:30 am - 2:00 pm |
