Helping workers hone their language skills

G Pradeep Kumar, 20, arrived in Dubai last year from a small village in Andhra Pradesh. He finished 10 years of basic education in India and augmented his studies by taking a vocational course but he knows only a handful of English words and can hardly compose a complete phrase. Pradeep, who works as a fabricator at a steel company in Dubai, has big dreams and he believes that improving his communication skills will help him achieve his goal.

He is one of the blue-collar workers who initially signed up for the free English classes offered by Danube Welfare Center at Jafza (Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority) South Zone accommodation. The centre, the second of is kind established in the UAE by Danube Group, was formally opened on Thursday by Danube Group chairman Rizwan Sajan, founder and chairman of Danube Group.

Sajan, himself a self-made man and now one of the top Indian business leaders in the Arab world, said: 'This is an initiative to help the blue-collar workers learn English and better themselves." Around 1,000 workers have already registered and classes also started on Thursday.

The centre offers free English classes from basic (those with zero knowledge of English) up to intermediate and advanced levels to blue-collar workers residing in the area. Around 15,000 workers are living at the Jafza South Zone accommodation and they are the initial target beneficiaries of the programme. "There will also be personality development classes to help workers in advancing their careers," Sana Sajan, director of Danube Welfare Center, told Khaleej Times.

Sajan said they got the services of six teachers who can teach English to labourers from scratch and will also help improve the existing language skills of those who can already speak or write basic English.

Speaking with Khaleej Times, Shruti Akhil Jain, a retired English teacher, said: "I have been a teacher for a long time now and it gives me great honour to be part of the Danube Welfare Center. We have a clear schedule in mind which we will undertake for all students. The course is well spaced with evaluations to see how well the students are progressing."

Initially, two classrooms are open which can accommodate up to 50 students. Two classes are offered daily - morning and evening shifts. The students are required to attend at least three hours of classes per week.

Each English syllabus can be finished in three months and the student can advance to the next level after assessment by the teachers.

The first Danube Welfare Center was established in Karama in 2012. More than 5,000 have benefitted from the programme, including one former office boy at Danube who improved his English and learned basic Arabic before he was promoted as a company public relations officer.

As for Pradeep, his journey has just begun and he is thankful that there is a centre right at their accommodation which offers an opportunity for workers like him to meet up the challenges of a highly competitive world.

Source: Khaleej Times