Sidekim Foods “English for Success!”

In Massachusetts, more than a third of the state’s 3.2 million workers do not have the skills required to perform in the state’s rapidly changing economy and need adult basic education services. World Education’s recent workplace analysis at Sidekim Foods revealed a strong need for employees to strengthen their English language skills. With those results in hand, Sidekim Foods and World Education have partnered to offer contextualized workplace English language classes intended to benefit both the employees and Sidekim Foods. The project, English for Success!, is funded by a three-year grant from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

With four hours of classes per week, Sidekim Foods employees are gaining the English skills they need to become more self-reliant and effective at work, and grow their careers. Sidekim Foods is confident that as employees improve their English language skills, they will see increased productivity and collaboration in the workforce. English for Success! is supported by a planning and evaluation team comprising World Education project staff and Sidekim Foods managers and directors.

Sidekim Foods is dedicated to food justice, health, and wellness for vulnerable populations by democratizing access to quality, affordable, nutritious, tasty, and well-prepared meals for youth and senior citizens. At their primary facility in Lynn, Massachusetts, they produce and deliver meals to and manage food services at schools, daycare, after-school, and senior centers throughout the Boston metropolitan area, Southern New Hampshire and South Coast. They also supply Cambridge’s Weekend Backpack Program, which sends meals home on Fridays to public school students whose primary source of nutrition is the school cafeteria.