By Amber Alarid, JVA Consulting
Each day, local nonprofits give back to the community through direct services and advocacy, fulfilling a social mission that drives community change. Thanks to Denver’s Office of Economic Development (OED), nonprofits have another opportunity to give back to the larger community by building a strong and experienced workforce here in Colorado.

The English for Employment (EFE) program, sponsored by OED, is designed to provide immigrant and refugee populations the vocational training and education they need to succeed in a lasting career. OED staff support individuals in navigating workforce barriers such as language and experience by designing individualized programs consisting of English language classes—focusing on not only basic English skills but also more specific vocational language and terms—and onsite career training. By identifying each person’s unique goals and skill sets, this program is designed to ensure that participants are ready to learn or reengage in a career field, interact with the public and converse with coworkers.

By partnering with both for-profit and nonprofit entities, OED aims to give each individual the chance to develop marketable skills in the career field that he or she is interested in, creating well-rounded and experienced applicants. Sites are asked to supply tasks that relate to the participant’s career goals and experience, which can range from minimal work experience to a robust professional career prior to moving to the United States; as with all new employees, employers must also have the time to supervise participants. In discussions with past work site supervisors, Economic Development Supervisor Mamay Worku says employers expressed gratitude to OED for the ongoing support it provides for supervising program participants, such as translation services when a communication barrier arises.

Nonprofits are accepted as host sites on an ongoing basis and guided through a careful process to match the right employee with the right employer. While sites are never obligated to hire participants—especially at the cost of an existing staff job—many employers have hired program participants, citing their loyalty and dedication as key reasons, according to Worku

“These people are not without barriers,” says Worku, “but commitment is not an issue.”

If you would like to participate in the program as a workplace site and host a dedicated employee on the path to sustainable employment, contact Dani Flores at the Office of Economic Development by phone: 720.944.2993 or by email: dani.flores@denvergov.org.