Spotlight on Success: Learner Stories
Empowering learners while giving managers time back
Hi there,
I’m Erin, the Founder and CEO of Entrada ESL. I wanted to share a story from one of our recent program participants that illustrates why I started this company.
The Story
We first met Ana (name changed for privacy) when providing a ski resort with English training for its housekeeping staff. Ana, a high-performing individual in the department, came to Entrada having studied English for several years. Despite knowing “the basics”, she was nervous to speak the language in a work setting and afraid of making mistakes.
The Process
With any Entrada program, a critical component is confidence building. We do this using Entrada’s Three P’s: practice, people, and partners.
These Three P’s are facilitated through daily speaking practice with portable, audio lessons, a community of people to ensure employees meet goals, and supportive tools to incorporate learning seamlessly into the workday.
The Outcome
Through the program, Ana shifted her mindset about risk-taking and speaking English at work. She gained more confidence in her ability to speak with guests, coworkers, and vendors. Due to the encouragement from her supervisor, she now places meal orders for department meetings over the phone in English — a significant step of progress. She shared part of her experience:
“My supervisor was too busy and asked me to place the lunch order. She told me, that this was a great opportunity to practice what I had learned. Since no one else was available, I had to order through the phone in English. I was very nervous.
As soon as the order came in, I verified that everything was there, and in fact it was. I was able to do a big order in English!” Ana recounted this with glee.
Why It Matters
One of our core values is to approach daunting tasks one step at a time, paso a paso. While placing a lunch order in English may sound small to a native language speaker, we must all start somewhere.
This start helped Ana grow the confidence to use her English language skills. Now, she’s able to contribute more to the company, take on more responsibility, and grow her career.
Moreover, the time Ana now spends speaking with vendors frees time for her supervisor to focus on management responsibilities. She now enables her team to better meet customer needs. This is a‘win-win’ for everyone involved.
Want to hear more about what Entrada ESL can do for your company?
Shifting time
Through accessible tech, we’re able to give Ana and other essential workers a program that is flexible enough for busy lifestyles. Three ten-minute lessons a day, while she works, allowed her to learn while working, on her own schedule, without interrupting her routine tasks.
Request a demo,
or share this post with someone on your team who works with Spanish-speaking employees and is interested in language training and career development.