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Pitsel Power Minute Newsletter (07|20|09)

Corporate Citizenship

At Pitsel & Associates, Ltd. we’re very excited to showcase a new initiative in our Corporate Citizenship portfolio.

Many professionally and technically trained adults, newly arrived in Canada, may be extremely able and well-qualified in their professions, and yet find themselves side-lined in the business world by their limited English language skills. This is a terrible waste of their skills and our resources! On the road to learning English as a Second Language (ESL) many lack the contacts for a safe and informed opportunity to practice their conversation skills.

A speech pathologist had told me a few years ago, that many new non-English speaking Canadian workers spend less than 20 minutes a day speaking or listening to English. Their reading comprehension may be sufficiently advanced to be employed as a white collar worker in a position not requiring much verbal interaction with others, and when they are not at work, they speak the language that they, their family and friends understand.

Associates at Pitsel & Associates, Ltd. who have experience with the immigrant situation and language needs in the workplace, on a volunteer basis, have undertaken to offer tutorship in English conversation to students of ESL. Students meet weekly at our office to discuss a variety of topics and practice their English skills in everyday situations in order to fit more easily into Canadian business and culture.

During the summer months many regular adult learning classes are on hiatus, and a small group of learners is using this conversation group as an opportunity to ask questions, to explore formal and informal language usage, and to gain a clearer understanding of Canadian ways.

This is a low cost, high reward endeavour for companies. We all have so much to gain from people being able to use their experience and training to the greatest degree.

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