Program Showcases Innovative Use of AI for Immigrant Workforce Training Development.
San Francisco, CA, January 14, 2025 – In a time when cities across the United States are grappling with workforce shortages, particularly in healthcare, the City of Burlington has launched an innovative training program aimed at empowering immigrant communities to contribute to this critical sector. Utilizing Wordly AI real-time translation software, the six-week Personal Care Assistant (PCA) Plus Workforce Training Program concluded in November 2024, with five Arabic-speaking graduates earning their PCA Plus certificates.
The program, led by Burlington’s Community & Economic Development Office (CEDO), was funded by a National League of Cities (NLC) Advancing Economic Mobility Rapid Grant. It is the first of its kind in Vermont and taps into a national trend of investing in immigrant communities to fill labor gaps. By using Wordly’s real-time translation, Burlington provided essential training to Arabic-speaking residents, breaking down language barriers and enabling them to enter the healthcare workforce.
Addressing National Workforce Challenges: The healthcare sector faces significant labor shortages, worsened by the pandemic and an aging population. Immigrant and refugee communities, recognized as key to filling these gaps, are central to Burlington’s workforce development efforts.
This program addresses systemic inequities by removing language barriers that have limited job training access. Using AI-powered translation, Arabic-speaking residents were able to fully engage with the curriculum, making this initiative a model for other cities tackling similar challenges.
Economic Mobility and Inclusion: The PCA Plus graduates are now prepared to enter the healthcare workforce, helping to fill urgently needed roles in Burlington and beyond. Their success highlights the importance of innovative, inclusive workforce training programs in building stronger, more resilient communities.
About the City of Burlington - Burlington is Vermont’s largest city and a hub for innovation, culture, and community. Through its Community & Economic Development Office (CEDO), the city is committed to fostering economic opportunity, equity, and resilience for all its residents.
About Wordly - Wordly provides a high quality, secure, easy to use, and affordable live AI translation and caption solution for communicating across multiple languages. Wordly translates dozens of languages in real-time, making in-person and virtual meetings and events more inclusive, accessible, and engaging. Its SaaS platform meets enterprise-grade security & privacy standards and eliminates the need for human interpreters or special equipment. Millions of users across thousands of organizations - including corporate, non-profit, government, education, and religious sectors - trust Wordly for their multi-language communication needs. For more information, visit https://www.wordly.ai.
