Describes special pre-academic course for ESL Students at Alberta Vocational Center designed to develop English skills to enable students to compete on equal basis with Canadians in academic or vocational programs. (BK)

Uses example of Soviet job interview system to show that attention should be given to comparing job interview systems because of their implications towards establishing a more effective ESL curriculum. Believes study shows a need to investigate backgrounds of ethnic groups before embarking on teaching specialized English. (Author/BK)

Problems and successes in an ESL course developed for a gold mine's employees are outlined, focusing on the employees' attitudes, industry's cooperation, and the circumstances of the course and its students. The need for both standardized and specialized content and program elements is emphasized. (MSE)

Some factors in planning and administering ESL classes for workers are discussed, based on experiences in a London program. Among these are program goals, employers' goals, making the program known to employers, making the need for employer support known, setting up the program, keeping goals clear, and understanding the workers' needs and…

Describes an English for Special Purposes program for foreign students at the Goulburn Street Centre in Sydney, Australia. (CFM)

In the English Language Training Unit of the Bank of Canada, the duties performed by an individual worker are examined closely and a language-use profile developed. Authentic recordings of specific problematic occupational situations are used and found to be highly motivating in training. Examples of exercise discourse are given. (MSE)

Focuses on the input of a communicative writing syllabus that can be organized in terms of "rhetorical coherence" (concerned with the function and the act a piece of writing fulfills) and "text-forming resources" (the resources in English for making a piece of writing a text). (CFM)

A program to help ESL teachers of vocationally oriented students develop the relationship between language learning and employment in courses they are involved in is described, its organization outlined, and its evaluation presented. Content about employment and development of teachers' information access skills were important elements. (MSE)

This paper describes a course in English as a second language developed primarily for medical students. The format and methods could be adapted, however, to any program concerned with teaching students to function in a profession involving a great deal of oral communication. (Author/CFM)

A program initiated by a garment company and carried out in cooperation with a board of education focused on conversational skills and industry jargon as well as problem-solving language. The program's development is described, including an evaluation and suggestions by a company manager. (MSE)

A course developed by a college in conjunction with a major union focused entirely on English as a means of becoming more active in the union, understanding the collective bargaining agreement, and defending union member rights. Program development, material development, and teaching methods are discussed. (MSE)

A study to evaluate six nationally funded programs to improve on-the-job communication and thus production efficiency in four Canadian urban industries is reported. Commitment, time, and teacher selection were felt to be crucial elements in the programs. Five significant issues emerged: program philosophy, marketing, needs assessment, evaluation,…

Two different projects in ESL training for immigrant workers, one for a garment company and one for metal workers in a turbine plant, are described and compared. The programs were for Indochinese and Eastern Europeans, respectively, and involved no unions. Extensive preparation made both programs expensive. (MSE)

English classes conducted for two groups of women, garment factory workers and building cleaners, are compared. The garment workers interviewed each other and produced a slide-tape program. The cleaners produced a song about their work and in the process, developed awareness of the work situation, and a sense of cooperation. (MSE)

Recent, current, and projected programs in British Columbia to improve vocational English skills in the labor force are described. The programs include preemployment, training, and on-the-job components. Some are for specific industries or union groups. Common elements, successes, and problems are summarized. (MSE)