ELI corporate training program grows

ELI broadened its language training services to the corporate community this year with the addition of on-site classes at three local companies.

Employees at Bank One and West Side Health Clinic in Wilmington and Advo Corporation in Newark attended English classes at their worksites during the summer or fall months. The twice-weekly classes in business English, accent reduction and workplace English were taught by ELI faculty Leslie Criston, Deb Detzel, Sarah Peterson and Mary Beth Worrilow.

The initiative comes in response to profound demographic changes in the region which have made the workforce of many area companies much more diverse, and it expands on a 20-year history of providing private tutoring for corporate employees of local firms such as the DuPont Company and Gore Associates.

“Companies have benefited from the expertise of their multi-ethnic and multi-national employees but have only recently recognized the value of investing in their professional development by offering on-site business English classes,” said ELI Director Scott Stevens.

“That investment is expected to bear fruit quickly. Companies have responded very favorably to the outstanding credentials and skills of the ELI faculty who developed a curriculum designed to have a real impact on job-related language proficiency.”