The English Works Campaign (as highlighted in the Boston Globe) is a unique coalition of immigrant community leaders, labor unions, business and civic leaders, educators, and advocates across Massachusetts working toward a Commonwealth that provides all residents with a pathway to economic self-sufficiency; ensures a stable, skilled workforce for Massachusetts businesses today and in the future; and integrates immigrants into the fabric of our economy, communities and shared civic life.

English Works recognizes the key role and contributions of immigrants to the Commonwealth. The campaign targets English proficiency as a critical tool for achieving economic success for immigrants and an essential ingredient to the growth and flexibility of our rapidly changing economy.

The English Works Campaign calls upon business, labor, community and government leaders to dedicate the needed public and private resources to ESOL programming.

English Works Campaign Materials

 For a General Overview of the Campaign:

English Works Brochure

 For Businesses Interested in Providing ESOL for Employees:

To Become an Endorser of the English Works Campaign:

English Works Campaign Endorsement Form 

ESOL Fact Sheets:

ESOL and Parent Involvement

ESOL and Employment

ESOL and Citizenship 

English Works Profiles in Success

The English Works Profiles in Success series highlights successful workplace ESOL programs across the Commonwealth.

English Classes Boost Quality of Life for Residents and Staff Marina Bay Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center Quincy, MA English classes for Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) demonstrate the potential benefits of workplace ESOL programs in long-term care facilities and the health care industry. (Photo: Ishita Gupta)

English Works in the News

English Works Leadership Circle

The English Works Leadership Circle includes high-profile and influential business, labor, civic and community leaders who speak to members of the media, elected officials, and other opinion leaders about their experience and core belief in the efficacy of workplace and other ESOL programs. They are a strong voice advocating for ESOL with their peers.

 Thomas M. Menino

Mayor, City of Boston 

Roger Berkowitz

President & CEO, Legal Sea Foods

Carline Desire

Executive Director, Association of Haitian Women 

Mike Fadel

Executive Vice President, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East

Paul Grogan

President, The Boston Foundation 

Robert Haynes

President, Massachusetts AFL-CIO

Warren Pepicelli

International Vice President, UNITE HERE! New England Joint Board

James E. Rooney

Executive Director, Massachusetts Convention Center Authority

Rocio Saenz

President, SEIU615

Juan Vega 

Executive Director,  Centro Latino de Chelsea 

Ellen Zane

President & CEO, Tufts Medical Center

 (List of Leaders Expanding)

English Works Campaign Committee

Events

Rep. Honda Introduces Immigrant Integration Bill

Download Fact Sheet Here

Action Alerts and Updates

ESOL in the News

ESOL in the News (Continued)

August 2nd, 2007 -Long Waitlists for ESL Classes By Bianca Vazquez Toness Listen to story (Real Audio)

Publications

Reports and publications related to ESOL and ABE.

Invest in English, invest in the future

As published in Metro Boston
April 25, 2007

By Thomas Keown

Nothing stands taller in the list of factors governing an individual's succes in this country than the ability to speak the English language. That ability opens doors, climbs stairs, scales buildings and a host more metaphors that wouldn't otherwise be possible.

So highly does the federal government regard English proficiency that is is a prerequisite for obtaining U.S. citizenship. So importantly does Congress view it that it has been a requirement in every comprehensive immigration reform bill produced in the last two years. So relevant does the state of Massachusetts consider it that on April 12 our House budget reduced funding for adult English classes. Quite a short-sighted move in a state populated by immigrants from a hundred nations and where one in four Boston residents is foreign-born.

Typically, you want to maximize your return on what resources you possess. Well, since 2000 the Massachusetts labor force has grown by just 1 percent. Without immigration, it would have shrunk. As people leave high rents and low temperatures in search of the opposite, newcomers eager to work are the most precious resource we have. Our economy depends on them. We should be wooing them, nurturing them, enticing them to stay here, work here, buy houses here and start businesses here.

But there are almost 20,000 adults on waiting lists for English classes in Boston alone. Waits of six months to two years are common. The Irish Immigration Center started offering classes last year because, well, because nearly 20,000 adults that Massachusetts needs to be as productive as possible were waiting for them.

Not every immigrant is going to learn English and become governor of California. But every enhanced contribution improves our state. Immigrants who speak only English at home earn 2.5 times more than immigrants who don't - so they also pay more taxes. Mothers enrolled in ESOL classes spend more time talking with their kids about school and about doing homework and meeting with teachers than those who aren't. This is not only about this generation; it knocks on to the next.

State Reps. Daniel Bosley and Denise Provost have filed amendments to increase the budget for Adult Basic Education (ABE) - Bosley to restore it to last year's level and Provost to increase it by $7.5 million to $40 million. Helping newcomers learn English is a small investment in a high-yield product. These amendments should be supported.

Clearing language barriers

By James E. Rooney and Rocio Saenz  

EDGARD SANDOVAL, Lenita Farias, and Juan Ortiz -- all of whom work at the Massachusetts Convention Center -- are the new face of Boston. It is these workers, and 89,000 other immigrant Bostonians in our city's labor force, who carry out the essential jobs that make Boston and its businesses work.

Employers in Greater Boston can support future success for new residents and businesses alike by ensuring that everyone who lives in the area has a shot at a good job. Boston must call on its rich history -- and the experiences of generations of immigrants -- to provide the basic skills that workers need. The most crucial skill is English. For all the controversy over immigration, at both the federal and state level, there's been too little attention paid to teaching the language to the thousands of non-English speakers who are working in all sectors of Boston's economy.

Employers can play a vital role. Communication in the workplace is critical to any company's success. Add a language barrier, and fundamental workplace communication becomes more difficult. As hospitality, healthcare, financial services, and other industries become more and more dependent on new immigrants to staff positions, English for Speakers of Other Languages programs are no longer a goodwill or humanitarian gesture. They are a business necessity.

Since 2005, the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority has partnered with its workers and their union to provide English classes. Employees attend class for two hours a week -- half on work time and half on their own time. They learn basic grammar rules and build their vocabulary. Employees have gained confidence in their English, which allows them to work with colleagues more effectively and, in turn, help guests more efficiently.

English classes won't just make businesses stronger. They will also strengthen the families of our employees and union members. Far from not wanting to learn English, our immigrant employees want these opportunities and the time to take classes. Improving their English skills improves their children's prospects in school and boosts their family income. And, learning English is a key step toward US citizenship -- and toward the civic engagement that makes Boston a better place for all.

Thousands of other immigrants in Boston are also enrolled in English classes operated by community-, faith-, and labor-based organizations, many of them funded by the Massachusetts Department of Education and English for New Bostonians initiative. Across the city, in church basements, community rooms, and school buildings, adults are learning English. Dedicated teachers provide everything from ``survival English" to higher-level, media-assisted, and job-related English.

Regardless of the industry, human capital is a precious asset. People need to come to work feeling good, positive, and glad to be there. Employers have long complained that the challenge of embarking on an English-education program is dealing with the high degree of employee turnover. As with all training programs, there is a risk to employers who invest in employees' language skills, only to see them move on a short time later.

But there are solutions. A living-wage job with training and education is a job with a future and a job to stay in. An industrywide local or regional training program -- for tourism or healthcare workers, for instance -- can help create a career path for these employees at a lower cost to individual employers. Boston has an opportunity to create a model for the nation with such a program.

Now more than ever, the success of the region's businesses and civic institutions depends on immigrants. Foundations, corporations, unions, universities, and others must step up to support programs, innovation, and public policy that fosters the skills to guarantee our collectiv