Meet Kathya: EnGen Learner, Ready to ‘Unpause’ Her Career

“I’m very good at going to the park and talking to people, but that’s not the same as professional English. EnGen was really good, more challenging than I thought [it would be], in helping me to practice.” 

With degrees in economics and marketing, Kathya was both an alum of and employee at a prestigious university in Mexico, where she was building a career as a financial aid coordinator. She left that life and livelihood behind to move to New York with her husband, who was accepted to a graduate program in the city. What followed was a string of both joyful and frustrating circumstances – visa limitations, the birth of her children, the COVID-19 pandemic, and a subsequent move to Texas – that have kept Kathya from continuing her career in the U.S. 

“It hasn’t been easy as an immigrant to make a connection to the workforce, especially without family here. The last time I looked for a job was 15 years ago. I’ve put my goals on hold. But now I’m ready,” she said. 

One of Kathya’s first steps was to enroll at Austin Community College, which offers a specialized program for Internationally Trained Professionals (ITPs) – people who have degrees, credentials, and experience earned in other countries. According to the Migration Policy Institute, two million college-educated immigrants and refugees living in the U.S. are unemployed or underemployed, the result of myriad systemic factors, including language barriers.

Since 2022, Austin Community College has partnered with EnGen to offer career-aligned, personalized English upskilling to learners in the ITP program and beyond, supplementing in-class instruction with a mobile-first platform that can be accessed on demand. Kathya is among the 26,000-plus adult learners who used EnGen nationwide last year, reporting a 92 percent  increase in English proficiency and a 95 percent increase in confidence in using English.

“I like that the EnGen courses are short – it’s easy to pick up my phone and say ‘oh, I’ll just do one’ – I’ll have 10 minutes while I’m waiting for my kids to get out of school, so I can do something,” said Kathya.

In addition to connecting learners at all levels with English proficiency skills, EnGen’s “English for ITPs” course supports learners in navigating the U.S. job search, positioning their international experience and transferable skills, and understanding interview processes and legal requirements for hiring.  

Kathya is now tackling additional coursework – a certificate in project management – and is ready to ‘unpause’ her career. Her plan is to first rejoin the financial aid field while she continues her studies, with an ultimate goal to pursue a career in project management. Both EnGen and Austin Community College have given her the language skills and confidence to pursue her goals. 

“I’ve met a very good community of people with the same goals and same mindset – ‘we are immigrants and we have skills [to offer],’” she said. “I tell others, I know it will be hard, because it is, but there is a way to do it – with small steps going forward, you will arrive at your goal.” 

EnGen partners with Fortune 500 companies, regional employers, educational institutions and government agencies to serve tens of thousands of adult English learners like Kathya. Learn how it can work for your organization: https://getengen.com/demo