According to the U.S. Census Bureau, foreign-born persons account for more than 10 percent of Georgia’s population. And 14.3 percent of persons age 5 years and older have a language other than English spoken at home.
In the Fall of 2020, the team at WorkSource Cobb decided to focus on helping English Language Learners (ELL) after hearing about their unmet needs through a study by Emory University on removing jurisdictional barriers to economic mobility in metro Atlanta.
To understand how to better serve these underserved residents, WorkSource Cobb conducted focus groups with community stakeholders. It became clear that the best way to meet the needs of the ELL population was to leverage existing relationships with community partners and other nonprofits and maximize resources in the community through advocacy, education, and networking.
Hence the English Language Learners Initiative (ELLI) Partners Council was established. Through bi-monthly meetings , the partners exchange resources, share new initiatives and employment opportunities, and have subject matter experts speak on topics of interest such as immigration issues, education, mental health, and many others.
During this session, Aida Jones, Program Services Manager with WorkSource Cobb, will join MAX to discuss how ELLI has become a state model for serving our neighbors dealing with language and cultural barriers.
Join MAX on Friday, January 27th, 9:00 AM, for a timely and virtual conversation.
Click here to register.
ABOUT MAX MINUTES
Launched in 2014, the mission of MAX is to advance economic competitiveness in the Atlanta region by strengthening connections, collaborations, and practices among workforce developers and organizations engaged in workforce development.
Through our webinar series, MAX Minutes, MAX seeks to bring timely insights to providers, intermediaries, and other partners in workforce. MAX Minutes features talks by key experts in the Atlanta region and beyond on important workforce matters.