THE UK Government has launched more work-focused English language qualifications for migrant workers, the Guardian has reported.
The new English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) work qualifications, which consist of 150 hours of teaching while standard Esol courses in Labor’s Skills for Life program involve 300 hours of tuition, should make it easier for employers and migrant workers to get functional English language skills they need at work.
Recent work by the UK National Research and Development Center for Adult Literacy and Numeracy reveals that teachers in the general Skills for Life courses have a tendency to concentrate on reading and writing English, while neglecting speaking and listening, according to Helen Casey, the center’s executive director. She says it would be desirable for the new courses to strike a better balance.
The launch of the qualifications comes in the wake of a government decision to end the right to free classes for migrants, which came into force last month. Ministers want to focus language provision on people who can contribute to the economy. According to Bill Rammell, the Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education, everyone who works in the UK should be able to communicate effectively in English and communication skills are essential to an individual’s ability to progress and integrate into life and work.
The new qualifications will be available at Entry Level 3 and Level 1. Entry Level 3 is equivalent to the standard expected of an 11-year-old. Level 1 is broadly equivalent in difficulty to an English GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) at grades D to G. Each of the eight new qualifications is developed by a different awarding body, having a slightly different focus. Flexible assessment and tailored learning materials will ensure that learning is suitable for the changing demands of the workplace. As well as better accuracy, efficiency and effectiveness, the new qualifications will help employers benefit from improved communication and productivity.
ESOL for work forms part of a wider drive to address the challenges faced by people for whom English is a second or other language. It ensures that employers and workers who need English skills quickly are able to access tailored provision and bypass the waiting lists that may exist on free ESOL courses.
Employers favor the shorter courses over the full Skills for Life courses, said a spokesman for the British Chambers of Commerce, which represented some 100,000 predominantly small businesses in the UK. “It’s not that we don’t want people to get a full education; it’s a recognition that these guys want to work. Let’s not forget that.”
However, the University and College Union was cautious in welcoming the new courses. It said that the new courses must be of adequate length and of the best quality because migrants didn’t just need English language skills to read health and safety notices, but needed them to progress in work and to play a full role in their local community. The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) also voiced concerns that the new courses would restrict migrants’ opportunities. According to Martin Freedman, head of Pay, Pensions and Conditions Department at the ATL, by restricting the course to immediate language needs in the workplace, the government is not really helping migrants communicate effectively in English. Instead these courses could trap them in low-paid jobs because they will only understand vocabulary connected with their immediate work. 21ST
