Pragmatics in the Post-TESL Certificate Course "Language Teaching for Employment"

Abstract

For those immigrants to Canada who need some language training in order to access employment in their field, occupational ESL classes have been available in Ontario for several years. Recent additions to Occupation-Specific Language Training and Bridging programs, as well as a new emphasis on work-related content in LINC classes, have created a need for trained instructors for this area of ESL. The Language Training for Employment (LTE) is a Post-TESL Certificate course that addresses this need. Within the course, Pragmatics is 1 of 12 units— one that participants have little knowledge of or practice with before the course, and 1 of 2 units that receive unanimously positive feedback from participants at the end. This article explains the conceptual framework of LTE, the content of the Pragmatics Unit, its implementation and participant feedback.