Recipient name: jewish vocational service (JVS) bostonproject title: english for advancement (EFA)funding request: 750,000CONGRESSIONAL sponsor: senator edward markey and senator elizabeth…

The Jewish Vocational Service (JVS) Boston has received a $1.5 million Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (CFDA 17.289 Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending) to expand its English for Advancement (EFA) program over a 36-month period from April 2023 to March 2026. The EFA program provides vocational English language instruction, job coaching, and job placement services to unemployed and underemployed adults with limited English proficiency in the Greater Boston area. The key activities under this grant include targeted outreach, vocational ESOL courses, job coaching, and job placement and retention support. The program aims to decrease unemployment and underemployment among adults with limited English proficiency, helping them secure and retain in-demand jobs with family-sustaining wages and opportunities for advancement.

Activities

Between april 1, 2023 and march 31, 2026 (a 36-month period of performance), JVS will implement the following activities: 1. Targeted outreach to recruit eligible participants.2. Vocational esol courses and job coaching: EFA participants attend esol classes facilitated by esol instructors for anywhere from two to 12 months, depending on their goals and needs, and receive up to two years of job coaching. Jvss esol curriculum contextualizes english language instruction into vocational training modules, positioning EFA students to apply english skills to secure in-demand jobs and advance their careers. Vocational esol courses are supplemented by job coaching tailored to each clients unique career goals and challenges. Jvss coaching model is supported by our linkage to masshire career centers.3. Job placement retention: with the support of coaches, EFA clients will secure and retain jobs with family-sustaining wages and opportunities for advancement. Once clients secure employment, coaches continue to follow up to support job retention and ensure that participants are working to meet long-term career goals.

Expected outcomes

1. Job retention: by march 31, 2025, 83 clients (65 of EFA participants) will secure job placements. Of the clients who place in jobs, 62 (75 ) will retain employment for 2 quarters 6 months, and 54 clients (65 ) will retain employment for 4 quarters 12 months.2. Median annual earnings: median earnings of EFA participants the 2ND quarter after exit will be 26,130.00, which is 1,300 higher than median annual earnings of adults with LEP. We expect that median annual earnings will continue to increase beyond the 2ND quarter after job placement, as participants continue to receive job coaching focused on career advancement.

Intended beneficiaries

Our target geographic area is greater boston, which includes the cities and towns within middlesex, essex, norfolk, plymouth, suffolk counties. With ETA community demonstration funding, JVS will expand our model to increase efas impact in communities we are serving and replicate efas successes in malden and other underserved communities. JVS will provide vocational esol courses and career training to unemployed and underemployed adults with LEP, focusing on adults between 18 and 65 with low- to intermediate-level english language skills. To ensure that this program serves people facing the greatest barriers to employment and career advancement and those who are underserved by other esol programs in our region, JVS will target immigrants and refugees, bipoc, and adults who do not have high school and or secondary-level education.

Subrecipient activities

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