| January 18, 2010 HOUSTON– An $80,000 investment will help new immigrants and refugees in Houston and Fort St. James improve their English language skills by giving them access to free one-on-one tutoring. “This program aims to make it as easy and enjoyable as possible for newcomers to transition into Canadian culture,” says Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad. “Immigrants and refugees contribute a lot to our society, so it’s important that we help them get the skills they need to become full, active members of the community.” Recipients are as follows:
Funding will help recipients deliver the English as a Second Language Settlement Assistance Program (ESLSAP) in both Houston and Fort St. James. 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 focussed on the language goals of the learner and can vary from learning how to read a menu and ordering a meal at a local restaurant to learning sufficient language skills to function in a workplace. Learning takes place in a variety of locations depending on the community and the learner’s preferences and needs. The English as a Second Language Settlement Assistance Program 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 -30- | |
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