The Elevate Vocational English Program from Catholic Charities of Louisville prepares English language learners for employment through immersive, hands-on workforce training centered around realistic mock worksites. Participants develop English skills while practicing actual job tasks in simulated manufacturing, warehouse, and hospitality environments designed to replicate the expectations of the workplace. These training spaces allow participants to assemble products, scan and sort inventory, organize a housekeeping cart, and build the confidence needed to succeed before entering a job. Instructors integrate workplace English, safety procedures, teamwork, problem-solving, and communication directly into each activity, creating an authentic learning experience.

The program also includes employer engagement, interview preparation, and supportive services that reduce barriers to participation. By combining experiential learning with contextualized English instruction, Elevate gives participants practical skills, confidence, and workplace readiness while providing employers with job candidates who are better prepared to succeed from their first day on the job.

Challenge of Need

Many refugees and other newcomers enter the workforce with the motivation to succeed but have little familiarity with U.S. workplace culture and employer expectations. Our team saw our clients struggle to find and retain employment in an increasingly competitive job market due to these barriers. Traditional job readiness classes can explain concepts, but they cannot replicate the pace, pressure, and communication demands of a real work environment. As a result, many employees arrive on their first day feeling overwhelmed and uncertain as they try to understand workflows, follow verbal instructions, keep pace with production, and navigate interactions with supervisors and coworkers. Employers often expect new hires to learn quickly and perform at full productivity within days, leaving little time to adjust.

This mismatch between employer expectations and newcomer experience can lead to poor performance, frustration for both employers and employees, and preventable job loss. Elevate addresses this gap by providing immersive, hands-on training in realistic mock worksites where participants practice authentic job tasks under conditions that closely mirror the workplace, but are supportive and forgiving of errors with a slower pace of work to encourage learning. Before ever stepping onto a job site, participants build confidence; develop workplace English; understand expectations around speed, quality, safety, and teamwork; and gain the practical experience needed to begin employment prepared to contribute successfully from day one.

Why It’s Innovative

Elevate is innovative because it moves beyond traditional classroom-based job readiness by immersing participants in realistic mock worksites that replicate the environments where refugees are most commonly employed. While many workforce programs teach workplace expectations, we have found very few nationally that provide hands-on practice in simulated entry-level workplaces before participants begin employment.

Each mock worksite was designed with input from local employers and industry experts to reflect the equipment, tasks, workflows, and performance expectations participants will encounter on the job. Rather than offer generic workforce training, Elevate focuses on high-demand industries where refugees are frequently hired, including manufacturing, warehousing, hospitality, health care, and food service. Participants build workplace English while practicing real job tasks, learning safety procedures, communication, teamwork, and the pace expected by employers.

The program also mirrors workplace expectations through its structure. Participants clock in and out each day, follow attendance and call-off procedures, and communicate professionally with instructors, who serve as workplace supervisors. Weekly interview practice helps participants build confidence with employer interactions, while representatives from one of the region’s largest manufacturers visit each week to discuss workplace culture, employer expectations, and career opportunities.

This employer-informed, experiential model allows participants to build confidence, develop practical skills, and make mistakes in a supportive environment before starting work. By bridging the gap between classroom instruction and real-world employment, Elevate better prepares newcomers to succeed from day one while providing employers with better-prepared, more confident new hires.

Program Impact

Elevate has demonstrated measurable success in preparing newcomers for employment while earning strong support from both participants and employers. Since the program’s launch, 77% of graduates have secured employment, demonstrating that participants are successfully transitioning from training into the workforce.

The program has also had a significant qualitative impact. Graduates frequently return to share that their jobs felt familiar because the work closely mirrored what they practiced in Elevate’s mock worksites. This familiarity reduces anxiety, builds confidence, and allows participants to contribute more effectively from their first day on the job. Participants also report increased confidence during interviews as a result of the program’s weekly interview practice and workplace communication activities.

Employers consistently provide positive feedback after touring the program, recognizing that participants arrive better prepared for the realities of entry-level work than they do through traditional workforce training alone. The authenticity of the mock worksites and the emphasis on workplace expectations have strengthened employer confidence in Elevate graduates.

The program’s success has also generated significant external investment, demonstrating confidence in both its outcomes and sustainability. One of our major employer partners awarded a substantial grant through its corporate foundation to expand the program. In addition, our local public benefits office has approved Elevate as an eligible training provider for TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) scholarship funding, allowing participants to attend through an additional public funding source. These investments have diversified the program’s funding beyond the initial federal grant that launched Elevate and have positioned it for continued growth and long-term sustainability while expanding access to more participants.

Lessons Learned

One of the biggest lessons we have learned is that Catholic Charities agencies already have many of the resources needed to create innovative workforce programs at a relatively low cost. As a resettlement agency, we had built-in knowledge from years of employment services work. Our employment team had toured workplaces, visited job sites, and worked directly with employers, giving us a clear understanding of the skills, behaviors, and expectations needed for success. We also had firsthand knowledge of the common challenges clients faced in job placement and retention, allowing us to design training that directly addressed those barriers.

Another key lesson is that employers are eager to be involved when programs create meaningful opportunities for newcomers. Many employers have been excited to share their expertise, provide workplace insight, donate equipment and supplies, and help us make the training environment more realistic. Strong employer partnerships have been essential to making the program authentic and valuable.

We also learned that existing agency resources can be leveraged creatively. Because we already had English language training infrastructure in place, we were able to adapt and contextualize language instruction for specific industries without building a program from scratch.

Perhaps most importantly, we learned that innovation grows through collaboration and creativity. What started as a practical solution to a workforce challenge quickly became an energetic, engaging program that staff, employers, and participants were excited to build together. Agencies looking to replicate this model can start small, use the expertise they already have, and allow the program to grow through the ideas and partnerships that develop along the way.