Meet the Needs of a Diverse Workforce
A growing number of Spanish speakers are entering the US workforce. Through the Spanish for Safety Sciences Certificate program, you can be better prepared to work alongside them in the safety, health, and environmental applied sciences field. This 18- to 21-credit certificate program builds spoken and written Spanish skills to help safety professionals communicate with a diverse workforce. A student-centered program, it also offers significant value for your tuition dollars.
You’ll build bilingual skills in a real, hands-on work environment with customized training, helping you compete in a multicultural workplace. The professional knowledge and capabilities you’ll develop will be good preparation for either employment or postgraduate studies. Both face-to-face and online courses are included, with course offerings open to students at other State System schools as well.
This cross-disciplinary, multi-thematic certificate in Spanish and English also helps meet the needs of organizations with a diverse workforce. By building language learning and cultural perspectives in the workplace, this program provides a different approach to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion and to developing global citizenship.
Imagine Your Future
The Spanish for Safety Sciences Certificate is an innovative, cross-disciplinary program in the areas of health, construction, restaurant, and agriculture. This certificate helps you attain the bilingual skills needed to work effectively with people from other cultures and to protect our country’s diverse workforce while promoting diversity and inclusion. Make your elective credits worth the money you invest in them.
The number of Hispanic workers contributing to the US economy is growing steadily. The latest employment projections through 2030 show substantial growth as well as higher labor force participation rates. In 1990, Hispanic workers made up 8.5 percent of the workforce, which rose to 18 percent in 2020. The that Hispanics will account for one out of every five workers (21.2 percent) in the labor force in 2030. Sectors with the highest percentage of Hispanic workers include agriculture, construction, manufacturing, food preparation, and transportation.
Through this certificate program, safety professionals can build the skills they need to respond effectively to a diverse population in need of bilingual occupational safety, health, and management.
The diversity of the US workforce is evolving, as shown in the following :
- Hispanics currently make up 16 percent of the US labor market and will account for one of every two new people entering the workforce by 2025. Every month, 66,000 are turning 18. The Spanish for Safety Sciences Certificate builds the oral and written skills that safety professionals need to communicate with a diverse workforce.
- “The Changing US Workforce: The Growing Hispanic Demographic and the Workplace,” a research report by the Society for Human Resource Management and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, shows that the number of Hispanic workers contributing to the US economy is growing steadily. The latest employment projections through 2030 show substantial growth as well as higher labor force participation rates.
- The Hispanic proportion of the workforce increased from 8.5 percent in 1990 to 18 percent in 2020. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that Hispanics will account for one out of every five workers (21.2 percent) in the labor force in 2030.
- The sectors with the highest percentage of Hispanic workers include agriculture, construction, manufacturing, food preparation, and transportation.
- Through this certificate program, safety professionals can build the skills they need to respond effectively to a diverse population in need of bilingual occupational safety, health, and management.
Language skills are in high demand among US employers, and that demand is only expected to increase.
According to a , 9 of 10 US employers rely on employees with skills in languages other than English. Of those employers, 56 percent say their foreign language demand will increase in the next five years.
In addition, 47 percent of US employers have stated a need for language skills exclusively for the domestic market; one in three language-dependent US employers reports a gap in language skills; and one in four US employers reports a loss of business because of a lack of language skills.
Diverse Workforce Needs
US employers rely on employees with skills in languages other than English
US employers say their demand for Hispanic workers will increase in the next five years.
of US employers have stated a need for language skills exclusively for the domestic market.
language-dependent US employers reports a gap in language skills.
US employers reports a loss of business because of a lack of language skills.
Classes and Requirements
The Spanish for Safety Sciences Certificate offers a variety of options for fulfilling requirements. Students with previous foreign language experience who do not earn credits through Advanced Placement or ACE (American Council on Education) are required to take a departmentally approved language-placement exam. Your performance on the exam may exempt you from some courses. Students in this certificate program can be exempt from up to 12 credits in the initial language sequence. They must take at least six credits of coursework. Students must also take the Oral Proficiency Interview by computer (OPIc) once they’ve completed their required courses.
This cross-disciplinary, multi-thematic certificate in Spanish and English helps meet the needs of organizations with a diverse workforce. By building language learning and cultural perspectives in the workplace, this program provides a different approach to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion and to developing global citizenship. Both face-to-face and online courses are included, with course offerings open to students at other State System schools as well.
Full Academic Catalog Listing
The course catalog is the official reference for all our degree and course offerings. Check it out for a full listing of the classes available and requirements for this degree.
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