Computer courses, citizenship training offered for immigrants

Melnyk, Lida
Ukrainian Weekly, The
03-12-2006
PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia-based United Ukrainian American Relief
Committee, in partnership with Manor College, is now offering computer
training courses for new immigrants from Ukraine, which are being held at
the Manor College Computer Lab in Jenkintown, Pa., just outside of
Philadelphia.

The first 16-week course took place in the fall of 2005. An English
competency exam was a prerequisite of the course, but the course was taught
by a bilingual instructor, Danylo Nysch, to assure full understanding. The
course, "Bilingual Introduction to MS Office 2003," covered Microsoft Word,
Excel, Power Point and Access, as well as facility in Internet access,
resume writing and resume posting.

The UUARC had intended to offer only one 15-student course for that
semester, but the overwhelming response filled two sections, and 30
students were registered. The students earned a certificate of course
completion as well as 4.8 Continuing Education Units, and were all very
satisfied with the experience.

The students expressed gratitude to the UUARC with comments such as,
"finally," "this was a very useful thing" and "they understood our needs."

The current computer course being offered through this program is
"Bi-lingual MS Office 2003 - Advanced." It is geared for those students who
desired to achieve a deeper knowledge of the programs. This course also is
offered in cooperation with Manor College. The instructor is Borys Krotiak.
Another introductory level course is planned for the fall.

The UUARC also continues to offer Citizenship Preparation Classes at the
UUARC Headquarters, which are taught by Metodij Boretsky, head of the
UUARC's Information Bureau. This is the eighth time the courses have been
held at the UUARC, with excellent results. Immigrants are completely
prepared to take the citizenship exam.

The requirements for applying for citizenship are a "green card" and four
years' residence (two years if married to a U.S. citizen), but the courses
can be taken slightly in advance. This course consists of 10 classes, from
February 3 through April 7.

The UUARC is exploring the possibility of expanding both of these programs
to areas throughout the United States where new immigrants have settled.

Article copyright The Ukrainian Weekly.
V.LXX