{"id":27138,"date":"2019-03-21T20:45:21","date_gmt":"2019-03-22T00:45:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom2\/2019\/03\/22\/program-designed-for-immigrants-is-recognized\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T14:12:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T18:12:29","slug":"program-designed-for-immigrants-is-recognized","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2019\/03\/21\/program-designed-for-immigrants-is-recognized\/","title":{"rendered":"Program Designed for Immigrants is Recognized"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>A Northern Essex Community College<\/a> program that assists local immigrants who already hold college or high school diplomas from other countries reach their professional potential, has been nominated by Congresswoman Lori Trahan<\/a> for an Examples of\u00a0Excelencia Award<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrograma Internacional de Educaci\u00f3n Superior Latinos de Northern Essex Community College\u201d<\/a> (PI\u00c9S Latinos de NECC) which started in 2016 with 98 students, currently has 270 students enrolled.<\/p>\n

The program was created to empower the diverse community of learners in the Merrimack Valley. Specifically, it addresses the well-documented issue of \u201cbrain waste\u201d. This means college-educated and highly-skilled immigrants are working in low-wage, low-skill jobs, because their degrees and certifications from educational institutions in foreign countries are not readily recognized.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are so proud of this nomination,\u201d says Dr. Noemi Custodia-Lora, NECCC vice president Lawrence campus and community relations. “To professional\/skilled immigrants PIES Latinos de NECC means the opportunity to work at the fullest professional capacity in highly skilled and better paying careers.\u00a0 To employers, it means the opportunity to hire highly skilled employees eager to demonstrate their capacity and with that help close the workforce gap.”<\/p>\n

The goals of PI\u00c9S Latinos de NECC include a straightforward, simple process to evaluate foreign credentials; access to basic and conceptualized English as a Second Language classes; and a network<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Dr. Noemi Custodia-Lora<\/p><\/div>\n

system to help immigrants develop social capital. This combination helps underemployed immigrants reach their professional potential. Not yet three years old, the program has served more than 620 immigrants to date and as a result, many have secured higher-level positions in the private and public sectors.<\/p>\n

One example of the program\u2019s success includes five immigrants, who with the assistance of PI\u00c9S Latinos de NECC, had their credits evaluated, pursued non-credit ESL courses, and were referred to Cambridge College to continue the process to become teachers. All are residents of Lawrence and PI\u00c9S Latinos de NECC will follow-up to guide them to become teachers in the Lawrence Public School system.<\/p>\n

Formal agreements were created through PI\u00c9S Latinos de NECC with Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Santo Domingo (UASD), the public university system of the Dominican Republic, and with the Instituto T\u00e9cnico Superior Comunitario (ITSC), the Dominican Republic\u2019s first public two-year college. These agreements simplify the transfer of credits without the need to validate credits through an external agency and are at no cost to students.<\/p>\n

PI\u00c9S Latinos de NECC was originally created to help with the foreign credential evaluation process and inform immigrants about their options in general terms. However, the program has evolved since it was first established and continues evolving as immigrant needs change.<\/p>\n

The program is successful because of its partnerships with several non-profit organizations and service providers in the city of Lawrence including MassHire, Cambridge College, The Mayor\u2019s ESL Task Force, The Lawrence Adult Learning Center; NECC Adult Basic Education programs; Lawrence Churches; Lawrence Head Start,\u00a0 the Lawrence Family Resource Center; Spanish Talk Radio; the City of Lawrence Mayor\u2019s Office and City Council, the Lawrence Public Library, Haverhill Community Action\u2019s Adult Learning Center; and regional employers.<\/p>\n

Excelencia in Education is the only national effort to identify and promote evidence-based programs that help accelerate Latino student success in higher education. Through a comprehensive yearlong process,\u00a0Excelencia\u00a0in Education recruits, reviews, and promotes evidence-based practices at the associate, baccalaureate, and graduate categories in institutions of higher education as well as practices at community-based organizations. Since 2005,\u00a0Excelencia\u00a0has received over 1,600 nominations from 33 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C. and recognized over 280 programs. Examples of Excelencia.<\/p>\n

For additional information, contact Dr. Custodia-Lora at ncustodialora@necc.mass.edu<\/a> or Analuz Garcia at agarcia@necc.mass.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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