PALMERSTON – A local group is fighting for improved access to ESL classes for Ukrainians who came here to escape the war, as well as other newcomers in the community.
Partnering with the County of Wellington and Listowel-based non-profit training organization Set 7, Palmerston-based members of the WR Grassroots Response to the Ukrainian Crisis are offering two levels of 10 beginner English as a Second Language (ESL) classes over the next three months at the Palmerston branch of the Wellington County Library to address an "immediate need" they've witnessed in their community.
"There are some English as a second language supports available, especially in urban areas but that's not necessarily the same in rural areas of Wellington County," said the county's manager of economic development Christina Mann, during a committee meeting last month.
"The local Palmerston Ukrainian resettlement volunteer group (has) had several employers lined up...(but) they were unable to extend a job offer because their level of English was so low or was practically non-existent which made it too dangerous to hire those newcomers."
According to the group's lead volunteer Jo-Anne Caughill, English is essential for newcomers looking for a job, especially when looking for a pathway to stay in Canada.
As newcomers aren't moved to Palmerston until they have a job offer, Caughill said the group has to limit how many people they accept with no English based on the work available.
Each host house is multi-generational, has multiple families and needs at least three working adults to afford rent.
"They need English language to get into a job to get permanent residence or into a program that will allow them to remain in Canada but I can't get them another job until they have better English," said Caughill. "I have a mechanic right now and they're telling me to get him an apprenticeship job because he's so close to permanent residency ... (but) he can't work on someone's (vehicle) until he gets better English."
While free ESL classes are administered through the Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB), Caughill said most refugees struggle to utilize them without help from their group because they barely understand English and can't fulfill the criteria.
One woman who tried attending the UGDSB classes told Caughill she "cried every day" until she quit because the instructor only spoke English when she needed someone who could teach in Polish, Ukrainian, or Russian.
Two other women said they partnered up to split the cost of hiring a Polish translator to help them interpret the classes.
The criteria requires at least 12 adults assessed at the same ESL level, are offered from Canadian Language Benchmarks one to nine and don't involve an interpreter.
"(Their criteria) was ludicrous to me ... We have 30 people how do you think we're getting 12 people at the same English level? " said Caughill, who mainly relies on Google translate to communicate with refugees. "That might work in Guelph but that doesn't work in rural Ontario."
Both Set 7 classes require a minimum of 12 participants who don't need to test at the same level and are offering one strain teaching English levels zero to two and another teaching levels two to three with a focus on English in the workplace.
As most families come with two adults; one who understands "a bit of English" and another with none, Caughill said this format makes more sense and will allow families who test at different levels to take classes together and coordinate other factors like work hours and transportation.
Even so, Caughill said she'd like to see the class size requirements downsized as most of the refugees work six days a week and she's scrambling to fill the second class.
The group is currently responsible for 30 Ukrainian refugees, although Caughill said there are approximately 40 Ukrainian refugees currently living in Palmerston.
"It's important to have ESL here (but) it's important they can get to it," said Caughill. "If you have it in the city, I can't arrange transportation, I can't get them there and they can't get there and won't- it's hard enough for me to get them to the library in Palmerston because they walk."
Contingent on finding additional language instructors, Mann said Set 7 is considering expanding its services to other areas in Wellington County.
Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.
