Goshen College, Lippert launch partnership in language classes

Goshen College and Lippert launched an educational partnership in January, offering language classes to Lippert team members.

Currently, nearly 30 Lippert team members are enrolled in basic and intermediate English courses, and seven team leaders are learning Spanish. The classes meet twice a week throughout the semester, running from January to May.

“This partnership highlights Lippert’s commitment to growth, inclusion and enhancing communication within our teams,” said Matthew Jerlecki, director of learning at Lippert. “By investing in language learning, we’re building stronger relationships, improving teamwork and supporting personal development.”

Lippert, headquartered in Elkhart, is a supplier of a broad array of highly engineered components for leading original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”) in the recreation and transportation product markets and the related aftermarkets of those industries.

Goshen College and Lippert aim to offer three semesters of instruction annually, featuring three levels of English and one level of Spanish.

The director for community engagement and adult outreach at Goshen College, Rocio Diaz, who oversees the language institute for adults, emphasized the customized nature of the courses.

“This partnership with Lippert is fantastic,” Diaz said. “It is inspiring to see the dedication of team members learning English right after their shifts. The team leaders studying Spanish are equally committed and go above and beyond.”

Separately, the college continues to offer English and Spanish classes for adults in the community.

This semester 240 students are learning English through 14 classes offered in Goshen and in Elkhart; classes meet three times a week. About 40 students meet twice a week in Goshen to study Spanish.

The college’s adult Spanish program began in the spring of 2022. Thousands of adults have gained proficiency through the English classes, which began nearly a decade ago.

All classes are highly interactive. Teachers coordinate breaks and other activities so that students from both English and Spanish classes are able to advance their language skills in real-life and natural settings as they build relationships with one another.

The English and Spanish classes are offered as continuing education, not for college credit.