Bilingual Office AssistantWorkerSecretary

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Bilingual Office Assistant/Worker/Secretary

• Carole Bennett, Ed.D.
• Instructor, Business Office Technology
• Santa Rosa Junior College

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Sonoma County

• 92,000 Hispanics now comprise 19.4 percent of the
  Countys population
• Hispanics comprised 16.2 of the enrollment at
  SRJC in the Fall 2005 semester

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Sonoma County Economic Development Board
LaVerdad Marketing, 2005

• Median Age
• Ave household size
• Median household income
• adults 25 without HS diploma

• Non-Hisp
• 41.7
• 2.38
• 54K
• 9

• Hispanic
• 24.4
• 4.23
• 46K
• 52

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Bilingual Office Assistant

• Would be an effective bridge
• Lead to a career path to the more difficult
  higher-level certificate programs

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What do we call it?

• Spanish/English Bilingual Office Worker
  NO (cant use Spanish/English)
• Bilingual Office Assistant
  NO (cant use Assistant)
• Bilingual Office Worker ?
• Bilingual Secretary ?

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Identified the Necessary Skill Sets

• English, Email, Writing
• Technology Windows,Word, Excel, PowerPoint,
  Ten-key pad
• Customer Service
• Organize Organization
• Job Seeking Skills
• Internship

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Curriculum Challenged

• Courses needed revisions
• SRJC is a bureaucracy it could take years!

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New Thoughts

• A single cohort course
• One semester
• Four days per week
• Three hours a day
• Team taught?
• Eight units

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Course Objectives

• 1. Develop a level of English writing skills
  useful in a working office environment for
  effective letters, memos, reports, and email.

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Course Objectives

• 2. Display ability to work independently and as
  part of a team including communications with
  others, customer service skills, and
  assertiveness on the job.

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Course Objectives

• 3. Demonstrate a useful knowledge of computers,
  technology, and equipment used in a working
  office environment including Windows, Word,
  Excel, PowerPoint, and 10-keypad.

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Course Objectives

• 4. Develop organization skills as used
  individually in an active working office
  environment including file management and time
  management skills.

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Course Objectives

• 5. Put to use all skills gained to successfully
  apply and seek employment in a working office or
  in an internship program.

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ESL Confirmation

• Perfect place for ESL students to go!
• Teach the entire class in English
• Do not dwell on the grammar points
• Major marketing was necessary
• ESL students
• Puente students
• Hispanic Chambers of Commerce

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Questions We Had

• Would the students have the money to pay for an
  8-unit course?

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Questions We Had

• Would the students have the money to pay for an
  8-unit course?
• Yes, they qualify for funds, even if they are not
  US citizens. Many are on EOPS (financial
  assistance) which requires only 12 units to
  qualify.

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Questions We Had

• What time would be the best for them to attend
  such a class?

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Questions We Had

• What time would be the best for them to attend
  such a class?
• Not afternoons and not evenings! The best time
  would be Monday through Thursday from 730 to
  1030 a.m., so they could go to work and still be
  with their families in the evenings and weekends.

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Next?

• We still have lots of work to do on this one!