Twice a week this fall, Eduviges Diaz has been attending an advanced English as a Second Language course in Lawrence, courtesy of her employer, New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc.

“I know in my work, if you understand English, you can get a better job,” said Diaz, 46, a native of the Dominican Republic and a mother of two who works as a factory utility worker at the New Balance plant in Lawrence. “I want to help my family with a better job and pay.”