Publications
Building Basics
ESOL Toolkit for General Construction, Landscaping, Painting, and Plumbing
Every day more and more non-native speakers of English enter the construction trades in the United States.
They are employed by contracting companies to work as general laborers, landscapers, painters and
plumbers. Many of them are hired at the entry level but, unfortunately, most of them remain there due to
their lack of communication skills in English, especially in the area of construction and landscaping. Although
general English can be acquired in the adult ESOL classes offered at local programs, most classes do not
offer lessons that directly incorporate the vocabulary and knowledge base specific to jobs related to the
contracting business. The curriculum Building Basics: ESOL Toolkit for General Construction, Landscaping,
Painting and Plumbing was created by the Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center to address this urgent
need. The project was funded by the English Literacy/Civics Education Program administered locally by the
Office of Adult Education and Literacy of the Virginia Department of Education.
Read the full introduction »
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Table of Contents
Building Basics was paid for under an EL Civics grant from the U. S. Department of Education administered
by the Virginia Department of Education. It was paid for under the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act
of 1998; however, the opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position or policy of the
U.S. Department of Education, and no official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education should be
inferred. This document was designed and created by:
Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center at Virginia Commonwealth University
817 West Franklin Street, Suite 221
P.O. Box 842037
Richmond, VA 23284-2020
It may be reproduced for nonprofit, educational purposes only.
