Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

PCC gets $193,000 to train ESL instructors

Photos and story by James Hill

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Grants Office at Portland Community College has announced a $192,475 award from the Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development (CCWD). The grant will go toward developing a pool of ESL instructors and industry trainers. The instructors and trainers in turn will support the implementation of "lean" manufacturing principles for workers who have limited English skills."Lean" manufacturing is designed to help eliminate inefficiencies in business. "The overall goal of the grant is to support Oregon’s economic growth by assisting non-native English speaking employees to participate more fully in their company’s manufacturing initiatives," said Bonnie Starkey, workforce training and development manager in PCCs Customized and Workplace Training Department.For more information, contact Starkey at 503-533-2889.Also, the CCWD department awarded the college’s Adult Basic Education Department a $30,000 grant. This will create a pilot program designed to move 20 low-skilled students through basic skills instruction in less time and with increased retention than the traditional models. The students will receive intensive math, reading, writing and speaking instruction as well as college success, life and lifelong learning skills.Once they complete their basic skills, the students will create an educational plan to enroll in training or other college-level coursework. For more information on this grant, contact Terri Greenfield, division dean of Adult Basic Education, at 503-788-6220.Portland Community College is a multi-campus system covering a 1,500-square-mile college district in northwest Oregon. The college is the largest post-secondary institution in Oregon, serving approximately 85,000 full- and part-time students each year.