| January 18, 2010 $50,000 HELPS NEWCOMERS IMPROVE THEIR ENGLISH SKILLS SALTSPRING ISLAND– A $50,000 investment will help new immigrants and refugees on Saltspring Island improve their English language skills by giving them access to free one-on-one tutoring. “This program helps newcomers feel comfortable in our culture, allowing them to become active members in our communities,” says Saanich North & the Islands MLA Murray Coell. “It’s important to provide immigrants and refugees all the tools possible so that they can learn and adapt comfortably.” Saltspring Literacy Society will receive a total of $50,000 in partnership with Camosun College Region to deliver the English as a Second Language Settlement Assistance Program (ESLSAP) on Saltspring Island. 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 at a workplace. Learning takes place in a variety of locations depending on the community and the learner’s preference 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. “Developing strong English language skills is the best way for new British Columbians to fully participate in all the social and economic opportunities that our province has to offer,” says Minister of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development Moira Stilwell. “We will continue working with our community partners to ensure ESL training is available in communities across the province.” 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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