From Resettlement to Workforce: Adult Education Pathways

In this episode, Dr. Thoibi Rublaitus speaks with Adeem Ismaeil from the International Rescue Committee about designing effective workforce and education pathways for refugees and immigrant learners. The conversation explores VESL, career training, digital inclusion, and the role of adult education systems in advancing equitable outcomes for new Americans.

All Things Adult Ed, the podcast where we explore innovation, leadership, and impact across adult education.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Welcome to another edition of the All Things Adulthead, the podcast where we explore innovation, leadership, and impact across adult education. I'm your host, Twabi Replytis. Today's conversation is at the intersection of adult education, workforce development, and global migration. Across California and the nation, adult schools are increasingly serving immigrant and refugee populations, learners who bring resilience, multilingual skills, and ambition, but who also navigate complex systems as they rebuild their lives. Joining us today is Adim Ismail, Education and Training Program Manager at the International Rescue Committee. Adim leads a diverse portfolio that includes BESL training, career pathway programs, digital inclusion, Haitian outreach, and youth programming. We'll explore how adult education systems can better align with resettlement services, how workforce pathways can be accelerated for newcomers, and what it truly means to design programs that are both equitable and effective. Adim, welcome to the show. Thank you. Let's start by telling the audience a little bit about your journey.

SPEAKER_00 1:26

Thank you, Dr. Robledis, for the introduction and for having me here. As for my journey, let me take you way back when I lived on the other side of the globe. Growing up in Baghdad, Iraq, my journey was shaped by both the challenges around me and the unconditional support at home. My parents, both lawyers at the time, were very serious about education. And no matter what was happening around us, they created a sense of stability, expectation. And believe that, moving forward was always a possibility. Something to be completely honest, I may have not appreciated enough at the time I was a teenager. My deep curiosity about the world led me to pursue a degree in American strategy post-Cold War. That opened my eyes to how global systems, policies, human movement worked. The real transition, however, happened when I arrived to the United States. I was introduced to the refugee and immigrant services, and I immediately felt the connection. I had the privilege to work across multiple programs like refugee resettlement, workforce development, career pathways, employer engagement, and vocational ESL. Each role gave me a deeper perspective about both challenges and opportunities. Extremely dynamic and evolving field. Over time it became undeniable that education and training are at the center of everything. Many examples come to mind. I've seen individuals who practice medicine for decades have their career disrupted by war, only to begin again. Also, worked with individuals from rural communities who never had the chance to attend school until later in life. In both cases, education was transformative. Exactly 17 years later, just two days ago, marked my 17th anniversary, still committed, learning, and inspired.

SPEAKER_01 3:43

Thank you for sharing a little bit about yourself and your story is so similar to so many of the students we serve in adult education across California and across the nation. Absolutely. For listeners who may not be familiar, can you give us a brief overview of the International Rescue Committee and its role in education and workforce integration?

SPEAKER_00 4:09

Absolutely. The International Rescue Committee in San Diego is a high capacity mission-driven nonprofit. More than 55, sorry, five decades of experience serving refugees, immigrants, and other underserved populations. Global organization operating in more than 40 countries in 28 US cities, leveraging strong national infrastructure, support high-quality service delivery for over 7,000 clients each year. IRC is a refugee resettlement agency, workforce provider, small business development center, and financial opportunity center, working closely with employers, government agencies, community-based organizations to support youth and families. The IRC in San Diego leverages its experience delivering successful workforce education and economic mobility programs to ensure youth connect to opportunities that align with their skills, interests, and readiness. All these services and more are delivered by staff reflecting the communities served and bring both professional credentials and lived experience.

SPEAKER_01 5:29

Thank you. Now we know a little bit about IRC. Can I ask you how do you balance language acquisition with occupational training without one overshadowing your the other in your organization?

SPEAKER_00 5:43

Great question. It is something that we learned the hard way 13 plus years ago. At the time we used to offer ESL and work readiness workshops separately, quickly realized that we needed a stronger and more realistic approach. That answer was to design them as one integrated experience, not two separate tracks. For example, students learn English through workforce or work readiness topics, financial literacy, workplace communication, and sector-specific vocabulary rather than in isolation. At the same time, we ensure that occupational training does not move too quickly ahead of language capacity by scaffolding instruction. For lower-level learners, we provide bilingual support and foundational language building first until they are ready for more English exposure. Everything is packaged carefully in a cohort-based training. This structure keeps the balance.

SPEAKER_01 7:21

What are some barriers your learners face when transitioning from language learning into employment?

SPEAKER_00 7:28

One of the biggest challenges is confidence using English in real-world settings. It is easier in the classroom, not so much outside. For a quick example, I had a great client who was a real fast learner in the class. But the moment he went to a job fair and he was hesitant to use even the simple introduction line that he had practiced and ace in the class, it took us about three different employers for him to gain his confidence back. Another common barrier is the lack of recognized U.S. work experience. Many skills aren't always easily understood or valued by employers, making it harder to secure even an entry-level job. Reminds me of a client who was an electric engineer and spoke decent English. However, the only job he was able to secure was a house person at one of the local hotels. It was through his work ethics and his supervisor's commitment to support him that after a few months he was able to work in their maintenance team. He went from, I think, something like$7 an hour to almost$18 at that time, many years ago, that was a livable wage at the time. We also see ongoing logistical and family-related challenges. Whether it is child care responsibilities, transportation barriers, some families have one car or no car, public transportation sometimes takes more than triple the time to get from point A to point B. The financial pressures that often require individuals to accept that first available job, even if it doesn't align with their long-term goals. I had a doctor who worked as a CNA and a lawyer who started at a graveyard shift at a gas station, I believe. Everyone needed to support their families and pay bills, of course. That's why we offer post-employment services at both our early employment and career programs. So it is not only successful job placement, but also ensuring retention and upgrades to higher paying wages.

SPEAKER_01 9:48

Thank you for sharing that. I understand you know, having come from a different country, starting afresh is tough. But with supports like the ones that you provide, um, a lot of um new immigrants are being supported to get jobs, and uh like you said, confidence building is the first part of it too, right? Absolutely. And the part that you shared about following up with them, not like, oh, you got your job, that's it. But point about following up, it's so important. From your perspective, what distinguishes a strong IET program from the ones that struggle?

SPEAKER_00 10:30

It is simply when learning and real world are integrated, when where language instruction, workforce training, and support services are developed and delivered in a coordinated and contextualized way. On the other hand, what tends to struggle when all the above is siloed, it has to be cohesive experience for it to work.

SPEAKER_01 10:57

Thank you. Thank you for that very succinct but very important response that everything cannot work in silo. They have to be cohesive. Absolutely. How do you identify which career pathways to prioritize for your populations?

SPEAKER_00 11:12

We start with structured career exploration using assessment platform to identify interest, transformable skills, and potential occupational matches. During our one-on-one coaching sessions, we discuss the required credentials, wages, training pathways, and long-term goals or growth opportunities with participants. This is paired with additional assessments, employability and barrier assessments. From there, we develop individualized career pathway plan, including career goals, milestones, and potential challenges. Also worth mentioning that we're always refining pathways to ensure they remain relevant, achievable, and aligned with both participant goals and local labor market needs. For example, career tracks change even within the same pathway, like CNA, including acute care, shifted to more medical assistant interests in farm tech at one point.

SPEAKER_01 12:14

What lessons can adult schools take from your digital inclusion efforts?

SPEAKER_00 12:22

Please take time to introduce your students to the basic concepts in language, preferably. Students use Apple or Android devices, does not always translate to know how to use features other than making a phone call or sending a text message or taking a photo. However, you can leverage that basic knowledge or comfort to help them learn more and maximize their phone usage, to learn language, look for jobs or other daily activities. Of course, not to encourage them to be on their phones 24-7, even though I think this is too late for that, but to know how when need to. Same goes for compute for the computer. Basic functions, adding activities to daily routine, simply break it down to tiny concepts and repeat, repeat, repeat. Use it in language materials and hands-on activities. Also, cybersecurity is important for data safeguarding. I had a client who shared her email account password with more people than she should. And don't shy away from introducing your students to emerging tech tools. We just adapted virtual reality and co-creation methods as supplemental resources last year, whether for class setting or 101 support. Actually, San Diego has a great digital navigator network. Take advantage of it when developing new programs. We're also here and happy to collaborate.

SPEAKER_01 14:00

How do you ensure programs are culturally and linguistically responsive?

SPEAKER_00 14:06

Absolutely. First, our staff reflect, as I mentioned in the beginning, the backgrounds of participants and bring both professional expertise and lived experience, hence my story, as former refugees, immigrants, and long-standing practitioners in newcomer serving systems. We also prioritize multilingual access. Services are offered in the main language spoken across San Diego County: Spanish, Arabic, Dadi, Pashtut, Swahili, Somali, English, sorry, forest, Asian Creole, and English, bringing myself as a living example. English is actually my fourth language. Aside of that, we do have professional interpretation and bilingual partners supporting as needed. Makes all the difference in participants' experience. I'm a strong believer that we don't just speak the language, we speak the culture as well. In addition, we invest heavily in staff training and ongoing development. We have a structured onboarding and continuous learning that each staff needs to go through. As a result, our programs are more than just accessible to the diverse communities we serve.

SPEAKER_01 15:31

Many of our listeners are adult school leaders. Where do you see the biggest opportunities for stronger partnerships between organizations like IRC and K-12 Adult Schools?

SPEAKER_00 15:42

Thanks for asking this question. Our youth programs have been around serving San Diego for over 30 years. We have built strong, meaningful partnerships with local school districts and schools, allowing us to provide a wide range of support services, including SEL, academic tutoring, newcomer leadership workshops, and summer enrichment programming. However, there is an ongoing need to build more intentional bridges across education, higher education, and workforce systems. Expanding collaboration through resource fairs, welcome centers, and family resource centers can help extend services not only to students but also their families. We also hear directly from students who are navigating significant responsibilities beyond school, whether to financial challenges, language barriers, or other family needs. This collaboration is extremely important. Many of our in-school youth find themselves prioritizing support for their parents and younger siblings. Doctor appointments, taking them to school, for example, which can seriously impact their ability to fully focus on their own academic and personal development. Together, we can provide effective support for students and their families.

SPEAKER_01 17:08

And one last question: how can adult education leaders better advocate for these populations?

SPEAKER_00 17:15

Definitely, Dr. Obladis, they can play a critical role. And I'm trusting you all with this. Please share the data and lived experiences of refugees and newcomers to inform decision making. This helps ensure these populations remain visible and funding and policy conversations. Also, investing in staff training and community engagement is essential. When educators and administrators understand the unique experience of refugee and newcomer populations, they're better positions to advocate authentically and design programs that truly meet learners where they are. Another key strategy, please reach out. We'd love to connect.

SPEAKER_01 18:00

Alright, in closing, Adeem, for leaders listening today, what is one mind shift mindset shift that you would encourage when working with refugee and immigrant population?

SPEAKER_00 18:13

I invite you all to consider an asset-based perspective rather than deficit-based one. What I mean is let's shift from what refugee and immigrant learners may lack, such as English proficiency or familiarity with U.S. systems. Leaders should recognize the strength they bring. Resilience, adaptability, multilingualism, strong work ethic, and problem-solving skills shaped by real life experiences. This shift changes how programs are designed and delivered. It leads to more flexible and empowering approaches that build on existing strength instead of trying to fix gaps. Ultimately, it helps create systems that not only serve these communities more effectively, but also learn from and are strengthened by them. Thank you again, Dr. Robladis, and to your listeners. It's it's true privilege to be part of your podcast today.

SPEAKER_01 19:17

Certainly. Once again, thank you, Adim, for sharing your insights and the impactful work that you and your team are doing at the International Rescue Committee. Today's conversation is a reminder that adult education is not just about instruction, it's about opportunity, dignity, and building pathways for individuals to fully participate in their communities and local economies. To our listeners, thank you for joining us on All Things Adult Ed. If you found this episode valuable, be sure to share it with your colleagues and continue the conversation in your own programs and communities. Until next time, keep leading, keep innovating, and keep serving. Thank you.