White House praises Seattle Central program offered in partnership with City of Seattle

Seattle Central instructor Youd Sinh Chao with student Hong Yen Nguyen, during an English Language Learning class through the city’s Ready to Work Program. • Photo by Starla Sampaco,  pcourtesy of International Examiner

A program offered by Seattle Central has been highlighted by a recent White House report for its effectiveness in preparing immigrants and refugees for further education and career readiness. Since September 2015, Seattle Central instructors have taught English as a Second Language and digital literacy skills to recent immigrants at the Asian Counseling Referral Service through the City of Seattle’s Ready to Work (RTW) program.

A progress report released from the White House Task Force on New Americans last December highlighted RTW as a program that effectively prepares adults to pursue further education that readies them for the workforce. RTW prepares students for programs like I-BEST, also offered at Seattle Central, which helps open doors to better careers. The RTW class was also highlighted by an article in the International Examiner last month.