CIMC Intermodal Equipment has opened an in-house ‘educational centre’ at the company’s South Gate, California headquarters.
The company built a dedicated classroom where a 20-week English course is being offered to any interested employee.
According to CIMC Intermodal Equipment, the curriculum was developed as a collaborative effort between parent company CIMC and Lynwood Community Adult School.
Human Resources Director, Maria Munoz, Vice President of Finance, Don Hu, as well as Senior Operations Managers Henry Siu and Martin Elizondo worked closely with Lynwood’s Principal, Bambi Smith, to make the idea a reality.
“This is not an experiment, it will be an ongoing benefit for our employees,” Hu explained. “We hope to help improve employees’ communication skills for both their business and personal life, with the course completion offering a lifelong advantage to those who volunteer to participate.”
The two-day a week classes are fully funded by CIMC. Classroom time is split 50/50 between regular scheduled work hours and an employee’s own time. At the moment, some 20 per cent of CIMC, South Gate employees are enrolled.
“After investigating opportunities outside the company to offer this benefit to our employees and finding no reliable option, we just thought, let’s do it ourselves,” commented CEO, Frank Sonzala.
“Maria found the Lynwood Community Adult School and started working with them to bring this curriculum into our factory. In addition to helping those employees who wanted better English skills, it’s a win-win for everyone as communication is improved.”
He said the initial class is expected to graduate in November.