Empowering Adult Learners Through Career Development
A comprehensive job skills workshop designed to support refugees and English language learners in their career journey
Workshop Overview
The Challenge
Many adult learners in our community face significant barriers when entering the job market. Language barriers, unfamiliarity with American workplace culture, and lack of professional networking skills create obstacles to meaningful employment.
Our Approach
We developed a hands-on, culturally sensitive curriculum that combines practical job search skills with confidence-building activities. Each session focuses on real-world applications and peer learning.
Target Audience
- Adult English language learners
- Recent refugees and immigrants
- Career changers seeking new opportunities
- Adults re-entering the workforce
Learning Objectives
- Create professional resumes and cover letters
- Develop interview skills and confidence
- Understand workplace culture and expectations
- Build professional networking strategies
Workshop Process
Our structured approach to career development
Assessment & Goal Setting
Individual career assessments and personalized goal development
Resume Building
Hands-on resume creation with templates and peer feedback
Interview Preparation
Mock interviews, common questions, and cultural context
Job Search Strategy
Online applications, networking, and follow-up techniques
Workshop Resources
Tools and materials to support learning
Student Worksheet
Interactive worksheet guiding participants through resume creation and job search planning.
Career Goals Worksheet
1. Career Objective:
2. Key Skills:
3. Work Experience:
Workshop Impact
Key Outcomes
- 4 successful sessions with over 30 participants
- 85% of participants updated their resumes
- 70% reported increased job search confidence
Resume Transformation Example
Before Workshop
Basic format with limited detail
- Minimal work descriptions
- Missing key skills section
- Unclear career objective
After Workshop
Professional format with clear value proposition
- Detailed accomplishments with metrics
- Comprehensive skills section
- Clear, targeted career objective
Program Creator & Designer
Nandita Shetty
Workshop Developer & Lead Facilitator
Designed and developed this comprehensive job skills curriculum specifically for adult learners in the refugee and immigrant community. With expertise in adult education and cross-cultural communication, Nandita created a program that addresses the unique challenges faced by English language learners entering the American job market.
Academic Research Foundation: This workshop curriculum is informed by academic research conducted under Prof. Prakash Shrivastava, PhD, Clinical Professor at the Naveen Jindal School of Management, University of Texas at Dallas. The research involved developing a Python-based skills-matching application to facilitate immigrant job placement, implementing data analysis algorithms that mapped 50+ immigrant occupations to high-growth U.S. careers using BLS employment data and IPUMS census data.
Program Development Highlights:
- Culturally responsive curriculum design
- Interactive workshop materials and resources
- Peer-to-peer learning methodology
- Measurable outcomes tracking system