Press Release

Bunker Hill Community College Receives Second Round of Funding from City of Somerville for ESOL Workforce Project

Tuesday, August 10, 2021

Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) has been awarded an additional $250,000 from the City of Somerville’s Job Creation and Retention Trust Board. The grant project, entitled SELL –Somerville English Language Learners – is shared with employer partner East Somerville Main Streets (ESMS), the Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS), and The Welcome Project (TWP). The funds will provide no-cost English as a Second Language classes and customer service training to low-income Somerville residents between September 2021 and June 2022.

“We are grateful to receive further funding to offer students the opportunity to learn customer service skills appropriate for emerging small businesses in Somerville while strengthening their English skills and knowledge of the American workplace,” said Kristen McKenna, BHCC Dean of Workforce and Economic Development.

Informational Sessions for free English Classes through Somerville English Language Learners (SELL) Project will be held during the weeks of Aug 23 and 31. Visit bhcc.edu/somerville-esol for meeting information and a list of ELL classes.

Partners for this Project:

East Somerville Main Streets
East Somerville Main Streets is part of a nationwide movement of nearly 1,400 Main Street Organizations nationwide that work to build thriving local economies and centers of community. Since 2009, ESMS has been focused on supporting the local small business community. Today, ESMS completes between 10-12 direct technical assistance projects per year for microenterprises; these are businesses with five or fewer employees whose owners are from low-to-moderate income households.  

The Community Action Agency of Somerville
The Community Action Agency of Somerville’s mission is to help local families and individuals achieve financial security while working to eliminate the root causes of economic injustice; it has been the federally designated anti-poverty agency serving Somerville since 1981 and has assisted low-income residents of the City for 39 years. It operates three primary programs: Head Start; the Housing Advocacy Program; and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance.  

The Welcome Project
The Welcome Project is the City’s premier immigrant-serving organization. For nearly three decades it has built the collective power of immigrants and lower-income residents by cultivating leadership skills and civic engagement. TWP offers programming to help people learn English, hone leadership skills, and increase access to employment and education.

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About Bunker Hill Community College
Bunker Hill Community College is the largest community college in Massachusetts, enrolling approximately 18,000 students annually. BHCC has two campuses in Charlestown and Chelsea, and a number of other locations throughout the Greater Boston area. BHCC is one of the most diverse institutions of higher education in Massachusetts. Sixty-five percent of the students are people of color and more than half of BHCC's students are women. The College also enrolls nearly 600 international students who come from 94 countries and speak more than 75 languages.