The Harvard Bridge to Learning and Literacy Program

JOHN ANTONELLIS

Program Mission

The Harvard Bridge to Learning and Literacy Program (The Bridge Program) is a worker education program that provides training and development in basic literacy and computer skills, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and General Educational Development diploma (GED) preparation to entry-level service workers at Harvard University during their workday. The objective of the program is to develop workers’ skills to perform more efficiently and confidently in their present jobs and everyday lives, and also to give them the necessary skills to pursue other jobs. Ultimately, with these increased skills, workers will be in positions to explore more diverse academic and career choices and maximize their potential. Developing a more capable and competent workforce is also an integral goal of the Bridge Program.

The Bridge Program serves the University’s service workers1 — custodians, security guards, groundskeepers, and dining, transportation, parking and mail service employees. Some of these individuals lack basic reading, writing, and math skills; some never finished high school. Among the large number of foreign-born workers in these jobs, many have limited English language skills, and many also have low levels of literacy in their native languages. These limited capabilities often impede their ability to perform their jobs at high levels. Without further education, these workers will have few opportunities to improve their abilities and opportunities. Accessing educational opportunities, however, is particularly difficult for these workers because of time and logistical constraints: many hold down two or more jobs, support families, rely on public transportation, and lack the language skills necessary to learn about or participate in Boston-area training programs. The Bridge Program significantly enhances their access to training by providing workers with paid release time to take classes at campus locations easily accessible to them.

Program History

The Office of Human Resources (OHR) began discussing the possibility of offering ESOL and literacy courses in 1998. That year the Office of the Vice President for Administration (VPA) wrote a proposal outlining the intent and logistics of implementation and secured university funding. Forty-four students participated in the 1999–2000 Bridge Pilot program. All were employees of the Harvard Faculty Club (a restaurant and inn).

Gradually the program began to expand, serving more and more university departments and eventually the contractors.