States are doubling down in upskilling with English: Three examples

Governors nationwide are all hearing the same thing from employers: We need workers. From retail to advanced manufacturing, hospitality to health care, executives are feeling the pressure of an ongoing labor shortage that has left the United States with nearly 10 million job openings and nearly 6 million job seekers. 

Against that backdrop, immigrants, refugees and native speakers of other languages—who now represent 1 in 5 U.S. workers and account for more than half of labor force growth in 2022—offer a welcome source of talent. These workers can bring a host of valuable and critical skills to bear on the most in-demand roles. Yet they often struggle to achieve their potential in the workplace due to a lack of opportunities to develop a skill that is still the coin of the realm in most of our economy: English proficiency. In fact, the U.S. currently serves the needs of just 4 percent of adult English learners. 

There is good news: We know how to solve this access issue. Technology now enables the delivery of hyper-personalized, workforce-relevant English learning at an unprecedented scale. AI-powered English instruction is allowing employers like Amazon, Chobani, and Walmart to reach and develop massive pools of new talent. And it allows workers to build the skills they need to thrive in higher-paying jobs.

“Before, I used the translator for everything; today I don’t do it so often,” said a Walmart employee who has been enrolled in a mobile-first English upskilling program that he can access both at work and at home. 

To help meet employer demand, and boost economic mobility for foreign-born workers, a growing number of states are also doubling down on tech-based, highly scalable upskilling initiatives that include English language learning. Their experience offers a blueprint for other state leaders to follow as they work to unlock vital new sources of talent.

Addressing labor market shortages

The labor market is still tight in Colorado, especially in key sectors like construction, hospitality, and health care. That’s why the Colorado Office of New Americans, housed in the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE), recently launched an ambitious statewide English upskilling effort. 

One in eight Colorado workers is an immigrant or a refugee. These workers possess in-demand skills that could contribute immensely to the state’s economic growth, but too many are shut out of career opportunities because of English barriers. Likewise, many Colorado companies lack the resources to invest in English instruction that could close this gap.

The state’s new initiative aims to connect Colorado’s 520,000 immigrant and refugee workers, 43 percent of whom are still learning English, with virtual, on-demand, career-aligned English instruction. This is the most effective approach for working adults as it connects learners with language and career skills simultaneously, in bite-sized lessons that can be completed in sync with work and family responsibilities. 

Unlocking the potential of the refugee workforce

Having welcomed nearly 23,000 refugees over the past decade, Michigan is among the Top 10 states receiving refugees per capita. Michigan’s leaders understand that welcoming refugees isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s a business imperative. Refugees offer an economic lifeline to a state with largely stagnant population growth. 

When given the tools they need to succeed in career pathways, refugees can provide multilingual skills, cultural competence, and high levels of loyalty to local employers. Many bring life experience, training, and credentials from other countries. More than one-third of immigrants over the age of 25 have a college degree. 

The Office of Global Michigan uses the innovative, customizable, language learning platform EnGen to serve a variety of newcomers, including recently arrived refugees in need of English and digital literacy skills, as well as internationally trained professionals with credentials and experience from other countries.

Filling workforce gaps in rapidly aging states

Maine’s population is the oldest in the nation, with nearly one-third of the state’s population projected to be 60 or older by 2030. Retiring Boomers leave holes in local talent pools—but newcomers are filling the gap, with 10 percent of new Mainers coming from outside the country.  

Connecting immigrants and refugees with opportunities to learn English is key to the economic inclusion and vitality of the state’s workforce. Maine’s Department of Adult Education is delivering virtual, career-focused English learning to programs across the state, bolstering the capacity to more effectively serve intermediate and higher-level learners.

Research shows that English language training has a measurable impact on immigrant and refugee workers and the companies that employ them. English proficiency is associated with career advancement, improved performance, and increased wages. But research also shows that personalized programs that tie language learning to sector-specific contexts are far more effective than traditional approaches to English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction. Colorado, Michigan, and Maine aren’t waiting for our seemingly endemic labor market woes to resolve themselves. Instead, they are proactively developing forward-looking, at-scale English upskilling programs to help employers tap into a vibrant talent pool—and ensure that immigrants, refugees and speakers of other languages can enjoy economic and career mobility. Other states can — and must — follow their lead. 

Jane Oates is president of WorkingNation. She is a former assistant secretary for the Employment and Training Administration under President Obama.