NOTES FOR TEACHERS
Interviews were done by students in Bergen County Technical School's JTPA English for Employment and Training class at the Bergen Workforce Center in Hackensack, New Jersey. The people interviewed were former students in the English class, graduates of vocational training programs, or both.
As the name implies, students in the English for Employment and Training class have a goal of either getting a job or entering a training program. Their first step is to learn English, but as every ESL teacher knows, acculturation is as important as learning the language. Introducing the students to the working culture and employment situation in the United States is a primary focus of the class.
In the past, some former students have come back to keep in touch and talk to me about their jobs and training programs. Now, I encourage them to share information about their experiences with the current group of students. It enables the class to receive insight from peers about feelings, problems, and the job culture in the United States. Since we use a computer lab every day, I decided to begin recording students' visits and sharing on-line.
The target group for this web page is intermediate to advanced, Adult Education, limited English proficient students. It may be used to supplement:
If you have comments about this web site or would like to share teaching ideas, you may
contact me at :kerval@bergen.org.
Kerren Vallone, Bergen County Technical School, 540 Hudson Street, Hackensack, New Jersey
07601