Midcoast Literacy is working to expand partnerships with Midcoast employers to offer workforce English courses to employees.

The nonprofit is speaking with three more employers in the Bath-Brunswick area that may want to join the six that use the nonprofit’s workforce literacy program for multilingual employees, according to Midcoast Literacy Executive Director Daniel Burson.

“There is a lot to juggle in folks’ lives who are recent arrivals here and who are working hard to make money and support their families,” Burson said. “If we can make it easier for them to have this opportunity to improve their English by doing it at their job, that’s valuable to use and gives us a chance to reach [many] more people.”

Burson said Midcoast Literacy has taught 47 English learning participants in the past year across its program.

Workplace literacy group class leader Nicole MacDonald with her multilingual Bowdoin College employee class. Courtesy of Midcoast Literacy

Due to ongoing discussions, Midcoast Literacy did not comment on the three employers’ names. The nonprofit will not make any announcements until the employers approve an English language program.

“As we discover employers hiring more than a few new Mainers, we begin a conversation with them about creating a program so it’s as employers are hiring we begin to develop those partnerships,” said Diana Krauss, adult literacy services coordinator for Midcoast Literacy.

Krauss said it is easier to have an English language program during the work day rather than finding a private tutor outside of work, especially if there are young children or another job that could limit time even more.

Midcoast Literacy found that employers involved in its workforce literacy program in 2023 experienced a success rate in retaining multilingual workers of 90%.

The English language course hosted by Midcoast Literacy happens before or after workers’ shifts and lasts an hour and 30 minutes. Krauss said the volunteer tutors manage employees with different English levels, and the course, consisting of conversations with written materials involving workforce procedures, is an immersive learning experience focusing on encounters employees might have during work hours.

“There is always the issue of American workforce culture, which is quite different from the home cultures of many people,” Krauss said.

Among the employers Midcoast Literacy partners with are L.L.Bean’s Freeport and Brunswick operations, as well as El Rodeo restaurants in Brunswick and South Portland. The restaurant’s workforce speaks predominantly Spanish, so the program has proven vital when the kitchen staff speaks to customers. This leads to more business, allows El Rodeo’s workforce to handle customer orders more efficiently and enables the workers to become part of the community.

“It has been inspiring to see the dedication and hard work that the employees put into their English in and out of the classroom,” said Nicole MacDonald, Midcoast Literacy class leader at Bowdoin College’s workplace literacy group.

MacDonald said that throughout the program, she has seen a significant leap in workplace literacy employees’ confidence in communicating in English and connecting between the class materials and what they have encountered daily.

Midcoast Literacy hopes that the nonprofit’s work teaching English in the workforce will enable people to stay in jobs and continue in a single organization with stability and opportunities for growth.