A pilot program for recent Iraqi immigrants which teaches English in the context of office work is being offered at Cuyamaca College (Calif.) through a partnership between the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District and San Diego County.

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A pilot program for recent Iraqi immigrants which teaches English in the context of office work is being offered at Cuyamaca College (Calif.) through a partnership between the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District and San Diego County. The "Working English" program is designed for Iraqi immigrants with limited English who want to improve their language skills so they can find office-related work. Twenty-eight students are participating in the first class sessions. For students like Sahar Hussein, the classes are a pathway to help find a job in her new home. Hussein and her husband worked as engineers in Iraq, and came to California with their four children in August 2011 after fleeing the violence in their native country. The classes came about as the result of meetings held by county Supervisor Dianne Jacob to discuss the impact of Iraqi immigrants on East County, particularly its schools, hospitals and social service agencies. More than 8,300 Iraqi refugees have arrived in San Diego County in the past five years, more than any other place else in the United States.