Employment success for refugees after SLC course
Four Syrian refugees have found work in the hospitality industry and another in a local barber’s in Belfast after taking part in an online English course designed and delivered by SLC in partnership with Maximpact, a global consulting network focused on sustainable development projects.
Maximpact approached SLC because of its experience in providing remote language learning solutions tailored to the needs of individual learners and clients. The course was designed to develop the students’ general English abilities while also preparing them for jobs in hotels and restaurants by incorporating the specialist vocabulary and functional language of the hospitality industry.
The course was delivered via Zoom, the award-winning videoconferencing software used by SLC for all of its online courses. Students were able to communicate via video, voice and text, and interactive whiteboards and screen sharing were used to maximise their involvement with the course.
The 60-hour course took place over five weeks and covered topics such as reservations, hotel amenities, food preparation and job interviews alongside the grammar and skills work necessary to bring the learners’ general English to the required level. The small size of the group lent flexibility to the course, and students were involved in the selection of topics and language, ensuring that they worked on material that was relevant to their lives and careers.
All five of the students who took part in the course have now been offered work, so proving the course to be a significant success. One of them, Mourad Al Haj, had this to say about the experience
“I have found it more useful than any course I’ve done before, because in this course the teacher focuses on me more. Also, at any time I can ask about anything I don’t understand, and my teacher explains to me until I understand the full meaning of anything I ask about.”
Caroline Kennedy, senior consultant at Maximpact commented:
“Maximpact approached Specialist Language Courses earlier this year to design and deliver a unique bespoke live online 60-hour English Language for Hospitality program at short notice as part of the fast track to employment programme we run for refugees and migrants in Northern Ireland.
We were very satisfied with the exceptional service provided by SLC, the flexibility of the tutor to deal with the unpredictable, whilst maintaining the high standards which SLC has built an outstanding reputation on delivering.
Maximpact looks forward to further ongoing collaborations with SLC.“
