Career Advancement (hybrid program)

YMCA Training, Inc. seeks to provide pathways to help prepare immigrant students for next-level knowledge. The target population for the Career Advancement Program remains highly skilled but underemployed or unemployed immigrant adults interested in improving their employment potential and English fluency. Staff can help with licensing or certification processes as well as assist students in gaining classroom or workplace experience. We provide job skills training and employment assistance in close collaboration with the business community, local colleges, and other training programs.

Our program is part-time 32-week program with advanced ESL, in-demand soft skills, and employment basics. The program consists of career focused ESOL, MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook), Google Suite, American workplace culture and office skills, career exploration and job search skills, and on-going job search support leading to new employment.

The Career Advancement curriculum draws from Integrating Career Awareness into the ABE and ESOL Classroom and is aligned with the MA English Language Proficiency Standards and the College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education. The curriculum includes review of core competencies related to speaking, listening, reading, writing, and pronunciation and introduces notetaking based on discussion, critical thinking, working with academic and professional vocabulary embedded in readings, and developing the ability to incorporate new vocabulary into writing assignments. The curriculum is customized each year based on student needs and interests.

Other activities include informational interviews, mock interviews, field trips, and presentations throughout the year.

All students are also offered a complimentary membership to the YMCA.