By the time these earlier refugees arrived in the United States, most, if not all, had received purposeful exposure to English and to the U.S. workplace and culture. This is no longer the case, however. Training has been significantly reduced to focus on processing the refugees for resettlement as quickly as possible. In addition, refugees aged 12 and above are encouraged to attend a condensed CO training that might last one-half day, one to three days, or between five and ten days. These overseas CO classes are offered in the refugees' native languages, and in some countries there are full-time trainers who use a variety of approaches in an attempt to not only impart knowledge, but also to develop critical thinking and continued learning skills.
Trainers travel to places on a regular basis to offer classes.
The training groups vary also. However, even given these efforts to reach all groups in all locations, many refugees do not receive any training prior to departure. With such diversity both in the refugee population and in the training they receive prior to coming to the United States, domestic service providers and ESL practitioners have to assess the needs of each individual at program entry and throughout the resettlement process. There are a number of personal factors that have an impact on refugees' progress in learning English. Service providers and funding sources need to consider the following in planning instructional programs for adults.