The Scottish Executive has expanded considerably the provision of ESOL classes funding to the FE college sector, CLD and ALN partnerships. They provide a high quality of support for those whom English is not the first language. The government encourages New Scots to have the opportunity to access ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), lessons so that they can acquire full potential to participate in Scottish life.
FE colleges deliver ESOL classes at all levels from beginners to advanced accredited by SQA’s ESOL National Qualifications, while CLD development programmes are more informal, with no formal accreditation. The lessons are provided to target the learner’s needs for a better Scotland, encouraging people from other countries to come and stay.
CLD, Community Learning and Development, centres in Angus are currently providing ESOL in Brechin on Monday evenings from 7.30 to 9.30pm; Arbroath and Montrose on Wednesdays from 7 to 9 pm; and Forfar on Thursdays at the same time. The sessions are once a week for two hours in the evenings and they are free. The ESOL classes are open to all adults who want to acquire proficiency in English language. Basically, the learners are migrant workers, spouses and partners from A8/A10 countries. The lessons are around the topic “Working and Living in Angus”. The purpose of the meetings is to provide general knowledge to all participants in order to support their needs, such as, going to the doctors, going shopping, applying for a job, housing, going to the bank, going on a trip, culture, leisure, citizenship, etc.
The learners are usually unfamiliar with aspects of UK culture and their background educations are based on different systems. Some have got a degree, and some have been involved in businesses in their country of origin. In fact it is a mix of people with different background experiences and skills. I personally have met musicians, artists, farmers and business people of different sectors.
The migrant workers come to the centres available in the area, CLD and FE College, for different reasons for learning. They are aware of the need to learn the language to assist integration into local community, to improve employment prospects and to improve working practices. The ESOL lessons are based on social approach through the learning styles, such as listening, speaking, reading and writing. So, the learners can have a chance to work at them all and get most from the ones that suit them better. After building confidence and a certain level of the English language, they are usually prepared to access further and higher education. It all depends on their own motivation and ambitions to develop their career and achievement.
Migrant workers can get information about their legal rights in Scotland easily for housing, health problems and how to access to funding and classes. It is available in CLD Centres, FE Colleges, Internet, and also through leaflets translated in different languages such as Russian, Polish, Czech, etc. Notwithstanding this, some learners might face personal problems, which can stop them accessing the benefit of education. Many work long hours and also have important family commitments. They believe it is relevant to be fully integrated into the Scottish Society since they are living and working in the country. Most of them have used some other resources to help acquire the language, such as dictionary, cd’s and aural cassette courses or someone has helped in the family. They all enjoy coming to the sessions, because it is also a time to socialize and have fun.
