OSLT Supports Entrepreneurs | Programs for Newcomers to Canada | Seneca Students

OSLT (Occupation-specific Language Training) courses help students gain the language skills needed to take their entrepreneurship skills further.  Students in the OSLT Business Entrepreneurship, Sales and Marketing course build on their experience and practice in order to improve their professional communication.

Students completed several activities to hone their professional introductions, networking and presentation skills.  When commenting on the usefulness of the class activity where students practiced the vocabulary for describing and comparing data in charts for presentations, one student said, “This part was amazing and I learned so many new phrases and vocabulary.”

Recently the OSLT Business students joined other OSLT classes and took part in a virtual networking activity where they discussed the merits of hiring a potential employee.  Students practiced presenting their ideas and defending their decisions in a business setting.

Seneca is also running specialized OSLT courses for newcomers that have already started running their own business.  These three-week courses also focus on language demands such as email writing, presentation skills, chairing meetings and managing interactions with clients and employees, but the courses are shorter and allow students more flexibility in signing up just for the specific ones that they need.  One student reflected on the course material studied saying, “The significant point was how to write email business and record voicemail as a professional. Before that, I didn't have this opportunity to have quality time and learn those remarkable things.” https://www.senecacollege.ca/ce/oslt/#Pilot

Seneca College will be offering new OSLT courses in the fall, Accounting and Finance, Technology and Professional Managers.  Students that complete one of these successfully will then be able to take the 40-hour OSLT Writing Professionally course offered in the winter semester.

To be eligible for OSLT, students need to be Permanent Residents or Convention Refugees, (not Canadian citizens or Refugee Claimants), have a Canadian Language Benchmark level 6 – 8, and have prior work experience or training in the sector.

For more information, please visit: https://www.senecacollege.ca/ce/oslt/#OSLTSchedule