On Thursday, March 24, 2011, our Hilton Garden Inn class completed our entire four course sequence. Our students have been working incredibly hard these past six months to increase their English proficiency and we’ve seen the fruits of their labor pay off. For instance –
- When a friend of Antonia’s announced she would be on maternity leave in the next few months, Antonia felt confident enough in her English skills to express to her supervisors her desire of wanting to fill that position while her friend was on leave. Now Antonia, originally working as a dishwasher, will be cross-trained as a banquet cook!
- Jaime, Manager of Housekeeping, said he noticed before English at Work the housekeepers would “run and hide” whenever they saw a guest fearing they would be spoken to in English and would be unable to respond. Now he sees them actively greeting guests with big smiles and no longer afraid of interaction!
- Many of our students have been working at Hilton Garden Inn for years and thus operate much like a family would. Jaime, Manager of Housekeeping, said that because of this some tension has naturally crept in throughout the years. Jaime and the new management at the Hilton Garden Inn have both noticed that since the English at Work classes began, tension has decreased and the family-like environment is now stronger and more positive than ever.
Below are some photos and video from the ceremony. The video includes some role playing dialogues from the students. Worth a watch!
Congratulations to our students! And, thank you to the wonderful staff at the Hilton Garden Inn!