North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City will offer a free English as a Second Language (ESL) class for adults beginning Monday, February 23rd at Belmond-Klemme High School.
The class is open to adults 18 and older whose first language is not English and will meet Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. through May 14th.
NIACC Workforce ESL and IET Coordinator Katelyn Shears tells RadioOnTheGo News the class is being offered because of a growing need across Belmond and nearby communities.
“We know that there’s a large English learning population, including many individuals working at Iowa Select Farms. One of our instructors previously taught K-12 ESL at Belmond-Klemme and has seen firsthand that the families in this community needed access to adult ESL education. Our part-time instructor, Adam Shanahan, who’s going to be teaching the class for us, he’s previously taught for us in Britt and became aware of that need as well. So this class truly grew out of community connections and direct requests from local families.”
Participants will work on improving reading, writing, speaking and listening skills in a supportive setting. Shears says class activities are tailored to the learners, and a typical night can vary depending on students’ proficiency levels.
“Some instructors will start out a class at the average level of the group and then work with different proficiency levels as the aiming progresses. Some instructors choose to begin with the lower level content and then move up to higher content throughout the class. Either of these approaches ensures that every learner gets instruction that matches their skill level, while also being challenged to grow. All of our classes are customized using learners reading and listening assessments so we know what they already understand and what they still need to learn.”
She highlights the successes of the program, including how participants have gained access to jobs they couldn’t pursue before.
“Beyond employment, one of the most meaningful successes we see is learners feeling more confident participating in their communities, whether that’s engaging with their children’s schools, navigating daily tasks, or engaging in the community. We also partner with companies that employ large numbers of English language learners by offering customized worksite ESL classes. And our goal is always the same, to help individuals upskill, whether for personal growth, career advancement, or beyond that.”
Registration is still open. Those interested in enrolling can contact NIACC Adult Education at 641-422-4278 or AEL@niacc.edu.
Those interested in enrolling can complete an online interest form here
More information on the classes here
Press release in English here
Press release in Spanish below
Interview in Spanish below
