ROTA Adult English Literacy Programme kicks off

Reach Out To Asia’s Adult English Literacy (RAEL) initiative to help low-skilled workers improve their English language skills kicks off its 2012-13 programme with a two-day ‘Training The Trainer’ course for new volunteer student tutors.

This year, 30 volunteers representing Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Texas A & M University, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Qatar Petroleum and Reach Out To Asia were trained in RAEL ‘Training of Trainers’ at Reach Out To Asia on Friday 5th and Saturday 6th October.

After completing the course developed by Qatar Milestone Training Solutions (QMTS), qualified Literacy Trainers will go on to deliver a specially created curriculum to low-skilled workers employed at three Education City universities and Reach Out To Asia.

“ROTA’s Adult English Literacy initiative enables workers to achieve personal goals and improve life opportunities. By teaching laborers who work within their own campus, the student volunteer tutors also affirm each university’s commitment to social responsibility and lifelong learning,” says ROTA Community Development Manager, Abdulla Salem al Bikri.

“We have held a successful RAEL ‘Training the Trainer course. The volunteers were so excited and enthusiastic. The courses are held twice a year (October and February) for each cohort of trainers delivering ROTA’s literacy training programme. Course topics include learning to teach the ROTA Literacy curriculum, understanding the issues affecting low-income migrant workers, methods to facilitate adult learning, and the use of facilitation and community-based learning tools,” says ROTA Community Development Specialist Mrs. Rasmeya Hassan Aljamali.

“It is such a great honor for us to develop and deliver RAEL ‘Training the Trainer’ courses for ROTA. Such programs match our vision where we aim to give an opportunity for all who live in this blessed country to contribute to nation building and at the same time to be able to develop and realize their potential,” says QMTS Managing Director, Mr. Waseem Munla.

ROTA’s Adult English Literacy classes are taught during a 16-week period split into two terms. The first term begins in October and ends in December, with the second term starting in February and finishing in April 2013.

“’Training for Trainers’ is a capacity building programme to ensure trainers gain a better understanding of low skilled migrant workers’ backgrounds while gaining new skills relevant to teaching adults and community-based English literacy,” explains Abdulla Salem al Bikri, ROTA Community Development Manager.

Inaugurated in 2009, the ROTA’s Adult English Literacy programme was created to develop the English literacy and language abilities of Qatar’s low-skilled migrant workers. During the 2011-12 season, 35 university students taught basic and intermediate level English classes to 130 workers employed across the three universities, with cleaners, pantry staff and other support staff among the Education City workers learning improved English language skills.

ROTA has implemented the RAEL program in partnership with Al-Jaidah Group and four Education City universities: Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Carnegie Mellon University, Texas A & M University at Qatar and Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar.

To learn more about the ROTA Adult English Literacy programme and ‘Training the Trainer’, please contact ROTA Community Development Specialist Rasmeya H. Al Jamali by email (raljamali@qf.org.qa).

For more information about all Reach Out To Asia’s programmes in Qatar and 11 Asian countries, visit www.reachouttoasia.org or the ROTA Facebook page at www.facebook.com/reachouttoasia.

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