• About Us
  • History
  • Board of Directors
  • Program Managers
• LINC Program
  • LINC Program
  • Class Schedule
• ESL Program
  • ESL Drop-In Program
  • Literacy and Basic English Program
• Computer Programs
  • Basic Computer Course
  • Clerical Training Course
  • Advanced Computer Course
• Accounting Programs
  • Basic Accounting Course
  • Simply Accounting Course
  • QuickBooks Course
• Employment Skills Training
  • Employment Skills Training Course
• Career Opportunities
• Volunteering
• New Programs
• New Events

REGULAR LINC CLASSES

Skills emphasized: Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing
Levels: Literacy, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Schedules:

Full-time:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 8-45 A.M. -2.30 P.M.

Part-time morning:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 8.45 A.M.-11.55 A.M.

Part-time afternoon:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 2.35 P.M. -5.45 P.M.

Part-time evening:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 6.00 P.M. -9.10 P.M.

Note1: If you need advice about which class to choose, our staff may be able to help you in the following languages:
Arabic, Cantonese, Tagalog, English, French, Hindi, Mandarin, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Spanish.

Note 2: To attend our LINC classes, you need to go first to ILVARC.
ILVARC-Immigrant Language and Vocational Assessment-Referral Centre is authorized to administer the Canadian Language Benchmarks tests. Their address is:
Room 1401, 910-7th Avenue S. W.
Calgary, Alberta T2P 3N8
Tel.: (403) 262-2656

They will assess your level and write a referral for you. You will then have your referral sent to our organization and will be placed in one of our classes.

Note 3: There is on-going intake for our LINC classes; this means you can start your class at any time after you have been referred by I.L.V.A.R.C. unless there is no space available at that time. In the latter case you will be put on a waiting list and we will call you as soon as we have a seat for you. 

Note 4: Childminding is available, free of charge, to LINC students with children between 19 months to 6 years old.

Commonly asked questions about the L.I.N.C program at C.I.E.S

Q.  Who can study in the L.I.N.C program?
A. To study in the L.I.N.C program you must meet the following criteria:
               
1.  In general students must be permanent residents of Canada, or Conventional Refugees.

2. Be over 18 years of age.

3.  You must go to I.L.V.A.R.C (Immigrant Language and Vocational Assessment-Referral Centre – (403) 262 – 2656) and get your English assessed.  After this assessment you need to be referred to our school to qualify for L.I.N.C studies.

Q. How much does this program cost?
A. The L.I.N.C program is funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada making it free for those students who meet the eligibility criteria.

Q. Can I study in the L.I.N.C program if I am a temporary foreign worker or have a visitor’s visa?
A.  Unfortunately, individuals with temporary work permits or visitor’s visas cannot attend the L.I.N.C program.

Q. How long is the program?
A. The program is calculated not in terms of months, but rather hours.
                Students in levels 1 – 4 have 1200 hours of L.I.N.C language instruction.
                Once students reach level 5, they will be granted 300 additional hours.
The average program length varies depending if the student is studying full time or part time.

Q. How long are the semesters?
A. The program has 4 semesters per year.

Q. What do I need to bring to class?
A. On your first day of class you must bring your EIC Linguistic Level Card (L.I.N.C card) and give it to your instructor.  Also it is advised for new students to bring something in which they can make notes and keep any handouts that they receive from their instructors.

Q. When are students tested?
A. Full time students are tested every 3 months and part time students are tested every 6 months from their last test.  The reason why part time students are tested after 6 months is due to the fact that they study half the time as full time students and therefore need to study 3 months longer to cover all the material.
*In some circumstances students will be tested earlier.  This decision is made by the L.I.N.C management alongside the student’s instructor.

Q. Does C.I.E.S have an attendance policy?

A. Yes, students are expected to attend their classes on a daily basis for the full duration of the class.  If students miss 3 or more consecutive days or if their attendance is overall poor, they will be taken off the class list and placed on our wait list.  If students have work or other commitments that will only allow them to study on some days throughout the week, the student should consider waiting until they can fully commit to attending their classes on a daily basis.

Q.  What are the class schedules?
Full Time Classes

*There are no classes on Saturdays and Sundays for full time classes for full time classes*

Part Time Classes

*There are no classes on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays for part time classes*

Q. Is childcare available for L.I.N.C students?
A. At C.I.E.S we have a childminding service available for the children of actively attending students.  The children must be between 19 months and 6 years of age.  In order for the children to participate in the childminding program, the parents must provide C.I.E.S with current immunization records for their children.  The parent of the child must be in the facility while their child is in childminding in case of any emergencies.  Parents are not allowed to drop off their children at the childminding centre and leave the school for any reason.

Q. How many children does the childminding centre accept?
A. The number of children that the program accepts is as follows:

Q. Can students take a vacation or time away from class?
A. We understand that students need to take time off school for various reasons.  Students may take time away from school, but they must do the following:

1. Inform the L.I.N.C coordinator or manager. (403) 235-3666
2. Understand that if they miss more than 1 week their name will be placed on the bottom of the waitlist and that they will need to speak to a L.I.N.C Manager/Coordinator prior to resuming their classes.
3. Understand that if they take more than 6 months off without informing the L.I.N.C Manager/Coordinator of their intentions to continue studying, their file will be closed.  At this point the student will need to return to I.L.V.A.R.C to get referred to C.I.E.S when they are ready to return to class.

Q. My referral was sent to C.I.E.S and I have not received a call to start classes. Have they forgotten about me?
A. No, we have not forgotten you, but if you have not received a call from one the L.I.N.C Manager/coordinator, it means that the class that you are waiting for is currently full!  Because our school has on-going intake, as soon as a spot is available and if you are the next person on the waitlist, you will be contacted to start school.  If you are curious about your status, you may call us at (403) 235-3666 and we will assist you with any questions.

Q. Does your C.I.E.S. have parking?
A. C.I.E.S has parking available only for staff.  Students are encouraged to park on 40th Street. S.E.  If any students’ cars are parked in the parking spaces assigned to its staff members, the students’ cars will be towed or ticketed.

Q. What are the class sizes?
A. Each L.I.N.C. class has a maximum of 15 students.

Q. Where is your C.I.E.S. located?

Our address is
1723 40Th Street. S.E
Calgary, AB, T2A 7Y3
Tel: (403) 235-3666
Fax: (403) 272-7455

How to get here by bus:

Bus #1 from Downtown
Bus #26 from Marlborough LRT station
Bus #72 and #73 connection with bus #1