Bill > H2080

This bill creates an ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) for economic mobility coordinator position within the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development to develop a comprehensive strategy for helping workers with limited English proficiency (LEP) acquire language skills needed for in-demand jobs. The coordinator will be responsible for developing a statewide ESOL expansion strategy, increasing investment in ESOL programs, collaborating with community colleges and other agencies, supporting regional coordination, building the ESOL educator workforce, and improving data collection. The bill establishes a 90-day pilot program to quickly expand ESOL opportunities and requires an annual report detailing program outcomes, including the number of students served, investment increases, community college and vocational ESOL program participation, and jobs gained by program participants. The bill allocates $13 million in funding to support the coordinator's efforts and ESOL programs, with the goal of helping newly arrived, unemployed, and underemployed workers improve their English skills and employment prospects. The coordinator will work across multiple state agencies, including the Executive Office of Education and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, to achieve these objectives.

Budget and Finance, Labor and Employment

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H2080