U.S. Workplace Education Initiative Continues With Sidekim Foods Partnership

World Education has partnered with Sidekim Foods, a catering company based in Lynn, MA, to teach English to Sidekim employees who come from other countries and have limited English. The program recently received recognition in an article titled “Lynn caterer serves up language lessons,” in the Daily Item, a North Shore newspaper.

Sidekim Foods is owned by Peter Mikedis, the son of a Greek immigrant who benefited from English classes after his arrival in the U.S. Mikedis allows participating employees to take a two-hour English class twice a week and pays for the time they spend learning.

The classes benefit both the employees and the business. “Maybe in six months, their English will be better and they will qualify for a supervisor position,” Mikedis told the Daily Item. “They already know Sidekim Foods. You can teach someone how to operate a machine but you can’t teach them values like dedication and loyalty.”

The 28-week program will be offered once a year for the next three years to groups of up to ten employees. Students learn English words and phrases that help them overcome challenges that arise on the job and are trained on workplace safety.

Mildred Escobar, an employee from Guatemala, said the class gave her “a little more confidence speaking and writing.”

World Education is excited to continue our partnership with Sidekim Foods in the fall and help more employees gain the skills necessary to advance their careers.