Russian Workers Learn
English at Workplace
By M. D. Drysdale

During a discussion about the English words for fruits and vegetables, Tursun Ismailov, left, now of Barre, describes the produce grown in his province of Krasnodar, Russia. Teaching the class at ClearSource in Randolph is Jennie Martin of Chelsea. (Herald / Tim Calabro)

ClearSource in Randolph has joined forces with Central Vermont Adult Basic Education (CVABE) and the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program (VRRP) to provide worksite English language training classes for a new group of immigrant employees.

Lessons started Monday at the conference room of the water bottling plant, for new workers of Russian-Turkish extraction who settled in Vermont through the Refugee Resettlement Program. Six workers attended the first class, and more are expected.

The Clowes Foundation has awarded a funding grant to support this pilot project.

CVABE already provides instruction in English language learning in Vermont’s Washington, Orange and Lamoille Counties.

Recently, over 100 Russian men, women and children, originally of Turkish origin, have been resettled in the tri-county region, joining many other ethnic groups, including Bosnians who also found employment at ClearSource some years ago.

"These Russian-speakers are eager to make new lives for their families and want jobs that will help them meet their goals—further education, economic stability and independence," a CVABE spokesman said.

A large number of the new refugees settled in the Barre area have retained employment at ClearSource, a she said. When they first arrived in Vermont, they attended English classes at the Barre Learning Center almost daily, studying to get a grasp on conversational English while looking to enter the workforce. However, once they landed jobs, attending classes became more difficult, even though the need for language instruction continued.

Through a grant from The Clowes Foundation and working in conjunction with VRRP, CVABE began offering workday and industry-specific English language classes. Classes meet twice a week for two hours through the end of March.

All involved are hopeful the classes will continue beyond March and become not only a permanent fixture at ClearSource but also a model for similar programs at other places of employment throughout the region.

Firm Opens Doors

ClearSource is facilitating these workplace classes by offering the hospitality of their conference room at the Randolph bottling plant and encouraging their employees to enroll, according to CVABE.

"It's working out very well," said Sandee Flood at ClearSource. "They are very good workers."

She stressed that all the immigrants are fully legal and are working for their green card, and said they include women as well as men.

They are members of "tight families," she noted, so that when one gets a job, others tend to follow.

The immigrants start on production lines at $8.75 per hour or $9.50 for the second shift. One of the earlier group of Bosnians, she said, has been promoted to supervisor and one to foreman.

The curriculum is relevant to the specific workplace requirements at ClearSource. Classes are tailored to the employee’s specific language needs including vocabulary, reading, writing, safety procedures and basic communication tasks.

ClearSource has taken other steps to smooth the transition for the immigrant workers. Flood said she has found a translation program on the Internet that has allowed her to put up notices and send letters to the new workers in Russian.

"Companies that offer employees educational opportunities have been shown to have increased employee retention," explained Carol Dawes of CVABE. "Employees who stay in jobs reduce the employer’s cost for retraining.

"Helping an employee gain a good grasp of spoken and written English will enhance the work situation for both employee and employer."

The company is still hiring. "We're looking for 10 more workers," Flood said this week.