订阅
报纸
纸质报纸 电子报纸
手机订阅 微商城
英语
学习
双语学习 热点翻译 英语视频
实用英语 报纸听力 TEENS对话
教育
资讯
最新动态 活动预告
备课资源 语言文化
演讲
比赛
精彩演讲
活动动态
用报
专区
高中   初中
小学   画刊
   电子版首页   |   高一   |   高二   |   高三   |   初一   |   初二   |   初三   |   小学   |   画刊   |   教育报   |   二十一世纪英文报

English for work courses launched for migrants

本文作者: 21ST
  英国政府近日宣布将为移民提供新型的和工作相关的英语培训,旨在强化移民在工作环境中所需的英语技能,提高他们的读写与交流能力。

  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

  

  
Loading ...
订阅更精彩
相关文章


 主办
联系我们   |    诚聘英才   |   演讲比赛   |   关于我们   |   手机访问
中报二十一世纪(北京)传媒科技有限公司版权所有,未经书面授权,禁止转载或建立镜像。
主办单位:中国日报社 Copyright by 21st Century English Education Media All Rights Reserved 版权所有 复制必究
网站信息网络传播视听节目许可证0108263   京ICP备2024066071号-1   京公网安备 11010502033664号
关闭
内容