NEED
In 2020, Williams International suffered a devastating fire at its plant located in Mexico. To help in the recovery effort, the company transferred employees from Mexico to the US. In order to support employees and their families in the transition, Williams International decided to provide language training. The objective was to help employees carry out their jobs in the US successfully and help family members navigate schools, healthcare systems, and other aspects of life in the U.S.
Additionally, since Williams International had Spanish-speaking employees in Michigan and Utah, the language training needed to be provided in synchronous online English classes.
SOLUTION
To address Williams International’s labor needs, MLC took the following steps:
- Evaluated the language learning needs of selected employees and their relatives through online assessments and one-on-one interviews.
- Analyzed assessment results and placed students in small, level-appropriate online classes scheduled to fit their availability.
- Developed a year-round training program with six English proficiency levels (beginning to high advanced) that is structured to allow new intakes to seamlessly join every five weeks.
CURRICULUM
MLC has implemented a live-online program for over 50 employees and family members who live in Michigan or Utah. The classes are conducted online via Zoom, and use a blend of level-appropriate ESL textbooks and interactive online tools. As students grow in their English proficiency, they have the opportunity to progress through six levels of classes to achieve more advanced learning objectives.
As Williams International continues to transfer members of their Mexico team to the U.S., MLC continues to evaluate incoming students’ English skills, and every five weeks new students have joined our classes.
The curriculum has primarily focused on pronunciation, general speaking & listening skills, and informal social communication. Digital literacy has also been woven into our curriculum to account for the varying levels of education and exposure to technology. Our classes have helped the employees and their family members adjust to life in the U.S., and equipped employees to interact with their American colleagues in the workplace.
IMPACT
MLC has been very responsive to Williams International’s needs and continues to evolve its curriculum to provide the best language learning program possible. Our classes consistently receive a Net Promoter Score of 90%+.
Williams International’s employees and family members have seen improvements in their English ability, and have grown more confident in their daily interactions with English speakers. Students have been progressing through MLC’s language levels to gain higher degrees of proficiency.
Through MLC’s English classes, Williams International is able to equip its employees and their families with language skills that will allow them to succeed.
About Williams International
Williams International is a privately-held American manufacturing company specializing in gas turbine engines. The company employs 1000+ employees with multiple facilities across the U.S.
About MLC
Founded in 1978, Michigan Language Center (MLC) is an accredited educational institution that partners with global companies to empower their international staff. For more information, please email info@englishclasses.com.
