A local opportunity for newcomers to Canada to take English language training online has arrived in Saskatchewan. (File photo/battlefordsNOW staff)

By Keaton Brown

Learn From The Best

Online English language training coming to Saskatchewan’s Great Plains College

Jun 29, 2020 | 2:00 PM

A local opportunity for newcomers to Canada to take English language training online has arrived in Saskatchewan.

Great Plains College has announced they will be assuming the coordination of the Saskatchewan referrals for home-based English language training program that provides essential learning experience for newcomers to Canada.

Great Plains College has entered into an agreement with the federal government and The Centre for Education & Training (TCET) to manage this essential service for Saskatchewan.

The Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program is a language training program funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Keleah Ostrander, director of learning services and adult basic education for Great Plains College said previously Saskatchewan learner’s online language experience was managed and instructed entirely out of Ontario.

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She said with the new arrangement those same students will be matched with qualified Saskatchewan based instructors who will support the students’ online learning.

“In the past, those that wanted language training at a distance were supported by Ontario instructors. So with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada providing the contract to us we will be able to employ instructors from around the province, including from our own regional colleges such as Northwest College to serve Saskatchewan learners,” she said.

Ostrander explained this will be a benefit for the instructors as well as the students.

“For the students, their language support will be managed by an instructor within Saskatchewan who can understand their rural context, relate to their experience and provide first-hand feedback to their questions. For the instructors, this will provide additional opportunities for enhanced employment beyond their commitments to classroom programming,” she said.

Ostrander said they are expecting around 100 students to enroll in the program in the first year and they will scale up from there.

“We expect it to get around that 175 mark after about 18 months, which is March of 2020,” she said.

Ostrander said they have been advocating for a number of years to have immigrants to Saskatchewan supported by people who understand their context and that Great Plains College is excited about the opportunity to be coordinating that.

“We are really grateful for the opportunity to coordinate at the provincial level. It certainly is an investment into our organization, so we appreciate that, but also to work with our colleagues around the province to provide more opportunities to those who are employed as language instructors is very exciting,” she said.

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Keaton.brown@jpbg.ca

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