Educational Upgrading of Bilingual Refugee Workers in Minnesota. Final Report / Steven R. Erickson and Gary N. McLean.

A project conducted a needs assessment and developed a proposal to address the needs of Minnesota's bilingual, bicultural workers in refugee-focused programs for additional education and training. A review of the literature found few published works directly related to the needs of bilingual refugee workers. Data were gathered from refugee program experts, Minnesota Department of Human Service records, bilingual workers, agency personnel, representatives of educational institutions, and published funding information. A small number of active programs engaged in training bilingual workers were identified. Most were affiliated with an institution of higher education and some granted college credit. Focus groups indicated a need for training and credentials, identified money as the foremost barrier to pursuing further education, and saw language as a serious obstacle for some. According to bilingual workers, English as a Second Language (ESL) was not the primary hurdle to returning to school. The two major hindrances were money and time issues. Representatives of the public school system and social service and health care agencies were interviewed concerning the demand for services of bilingual staff members. Their greatest concern was written language skills of these employees. Postsecondary institutions had developed a solid core of ESL classes and English support services. (Appendixes include a list of 47 references and project publicity and questionnaires.) (YLB)

Microfiche. [Washington D.C.]: ERIC Clearinghouse microfiches : positive.