Tyson Foods Plant Offers Educational Services to Migrant, Immigrant Workers

Immigrant and migrant workers in Springdale employed by Tyson Foods Inc. now have access to classes and resources directly within the workplace.

The Cisneros Center for New Americans in Springdale has partnered with Tyson Foods, the Ozarks Literacy Council, Legal Aid of Arkansas, Arvest Bank, Credit Counseling of Arkansas and the Marshallese Educational Initiative to offer legal aid and other services, in addition to classes on topics that include English as a second language, financial literacy and other subjects that team members identified as potentially helpful.

The classes will be offered between shifts at Tyson Foods’ Cornish hen processing plant on Randall Road.

This is a pilot program which might serve as a model for how corporations can help their Marshallese and Latino employees integrate and thrive, according to a press release from Cisneros.

About half of the employees at the processing plant have signed up for the classes so far, according to the release.

“It’s a win-win for our team members and several area organizations who provide services to help especially those who speak English as a second language improve their language skills, financial literacy and cultural awareness,” said Kevin Scherer, chaplain at Tyson Foods. “We surveyed a number of team members last year, and there was a lot of interest and excitement around these kinds of opportunities. ESL speakers are signing up for classes because they see the value in learning new skill sets. It’s a great opportunity to reinforce our culture of safety and caring about one another, to make sure people understand their benefits and how to create opportunities for themselves.

“This is another way we can live out our core values by supporting our team members. For many, this is an opportunity to make a big personal impact in their own life and a big impact for their family’s life,” Scherer said.