Include explicit job-search skills training (resume writing, job-search strategies, cultural expectations of job searching) in occupational ESL programs¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The article recommends that combined skills-and-language programs teach employment-seeking skills explicitly, because graduates struggled to get interviews despite certification. It states that "The importance of learning employment-seeking skills such as resume-writing and job-search was apparent and is an important area for further training," and illustrates with Fatima's lesson about not bringing her child to job applications, showing cultural scripts must be taught alongside language.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Instruction must cover both the language of job searching and the cultural expectations and scripts of applying for work in the destination society

Constraints¶

• Even with job-search training, structural barriers such as certification requirements, on-call conditions, and employer preferences for college credentials limited outcomes

Target Learners¶

• immigrant adults in vocational ESL and occupational skills retraining programs

Target Learning Goals¶

• job-search and resume-writing skills
• English for the workplace and interviews

Related Strategies¶

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Ping Wong, Patricia Duff, and Margaret Early. (2001). The Impact of Language and Skills Training on Immigrants' Lives. TESL Canada Journal, Vol. 18, No. 2, Spring 2001. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ659475