Strategies for serving Internationally Trained Professionals in Adult Education

Abstract

Adult multilingual learners often come to the adult education system to improve their English language proficiency and for support in successfully integrating into their communities and local workforce. A growing subset of multilingual learners are internationally trained professionals (ITPs) who bring international professional credentials and degrees and work experience to the United States. Despite their valuable qualifications and experience, many college-educated immigrants in the U.S. face underemployment due to difficulties transferring
their foreign credentials, accessing professional networks, navigating the aligned U.S. industry sectors, and learning targeted industry-specific language and U.S. workplace norms. Adult education, as an essential component of the U.S. workforce development system, has a core role to play in supporting ITPs to attain individual and workforce goals, as well as helping to meet their broader immigrant integration needs. However, without broad understanding of
effective practices for serving this population, support for ITPs in adult education remains inconsistent. Additionally, shifting immigration policies and an uncertain funding landscape implicates the delivery of essential English language and workforce instruction, directly impacting service delivery for all adult learners, including ITPs. This article reports on findings from a series of interviews with adult education providers and ITPs on effective practices for serving ITPs.