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"While some employers do offer ELS (English as a second language) courses for their employees, they often fall short because the content is generic, and scheduling makes it almost impossible for workers to attend and meet the demands of the job and family," says Steven Kramer, vice president of the residential construction academy of the Home Builders Institute, an arm of the National Association of Home Builders. "The technology and portability of Sed de Saber overcomes these challenges to learning by enabling the worker to study an industry-specific curriculum off-the-clock, at his or her own pace.

"We're excited about what this will mean for the overall construction industry, especially from a safety standpoint," Kramer adds. "There are OSHA statistics that say about 25 percent of construction site accidents occur because of a language barrier, and we're really hoping to bridge that gap."

In addition to construction industry specific language information, Sed de Saber also teaches users helpful non-jobsite related skills such as introducing yourself or opening a bank account. A similar program has been in existence for the hospitality industry since 2005, and Kramer says it has shown some promising results.

"In the hospitality industry, it has been proven that employees you are willing to invest in with language skills are willing to stick with the company, and there's evidence of reduction in turnover for employees who go through this program," he says. Kramer adds that users showed a 40 percent increase in English retention in a test pilot they ran with the Sed de Saber Construction Edition before it hit the market.

"There are guides and videos that come with the product that help the business owner engage his or her employees, keep them engaged and encourage them," Kramer says. "Making that initial investment in an employee goes far, but praising them, giving them feedback and encouraging them will help them succeed."