The Scottish Government

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6. Supporting learning and progression

Guiding principles

• Provision which supports migrant and refugee settlement, and aids inclusion and full participation in Scottish society and the economy
• Provision which supports and encourages routes into further learning and/or employment
• Provision which reflects wider national literacies targets and promotes attainment and personal and social achievement

Background

Understanding the barriers to learning that face ESOL learners, and developing the mechanisms for support and guidance and progression routes for ESOL students are as essential as teaching, learning and assessment, for helping learners achieve their potential and meet their aspirations. They are also fundamental to aiding ESOL learners participate more fully in their local communities, Scottish society and the labour market.

This is illustrated by a number of recent studies. ⁶⁴ A joint audit of skills and aspirations amongst asylum seekers and refugees carried out by the Scottish Executive and Scottish Refugee Council in 2004 revealed that 55 per cent and 21 per cent of respondents had attended and completed college and university level education respectively in their countries of origin. ⁶⁵ Many also had valuable vocational and professional skills. ⁶⁶ Despite a number of laudable local developments for refugee doctors, nurses, teachers, engineers and trades, only four FE colleges and six CLD centres - of those involved in the recent ESOL mapping and scoping research (2005) - ran English for work courses. ⁶⁷ Research carried out for the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education and the Department for Work and Pensions in 2002 amongst asylum seekers and refugees revealed that these groups often attended ESOL classes, 'in the hope of improving their employment prospects, but do not always find them designed to address these skills. ^'68 This prompted one set of authors to conclude that: ' ESOL classes should be designed to integrate the needs of portfolio preparation and specialised vocational vocabulary and literacy, which are relevant to employment, qualifications and skills requirements.' ⁶⁹ The ESOL mapping and scoping research pointed out that the lack of dialogue between ESOL departments and providers of other advanced and non-advanced courses also placed barriers in the way of ESOL learners' progression (see Annex A). The ESOL report also shows that learners may choose to remain in an ESOL class with teachers with whom they are familiar. There may also be a mismatch between perceptions of ESOL learners' language skills and the language skills required for success in the communication components on HN level courses.

The lack of support and guidance, and progression opportunities was also identified as a reason for refugees, in particular, being at 'high risk of social isolation and depression.' ⁷⁰ The Minister for Communities announced funding in April 2005 for a number of schemes to help support asylum seekers and refugees into employment and to enable greater participation into local communities. ⁷¹

6.1 Barriers to learning

Section 4 explained how we expect to improve the coordination of courses and consultation between ESOL providers, learners, employers and other learning and training deliverers.

Discrimination

The ESOL report found no evidence that racism was a factor in learners being unable to access provision. However a recent poll suggested that 24 per cent of Scots felt it was justifiable to verbally assault asylum seekers receiving housing in Scotland and Scottish Police Forces saw a rise of 6 per cent in reported racist incidents in 2003-4. ⁷²

The Scottish Executive is committed to promoting equality of opportunity and social justice for all those who live in Scotland. This means tackling discrimination and prejudice and challenging the systems, behaviour and attitudes that cause or sustain them. The Scottish Executive's One Scotland, Many Cultures campaign is designed to 'raise awareness of racist attitudes, highlight their negative impact and recognise the valuable contributions that other cultures have made to our society - and make Scotland no place for racism.' ⁷³ Recent research also highlights the importance of providing women only ESOL classes. ⁷⁴ All providers should be aware of their statutory obligations under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the Sex Discrimination Act 1975. ⁷⁵Partnership Matters provides a useful source of guidance for centres on their statutory obligations. ⁷⁶ The Scottish Further Education Unit is also launching a website which will provide FE colleges with a guide to relevant legislation and how this fits with HMIE quality frameworks. This can be found at: : http://www.sfeu.ac.uk/projects.asp?pageID=5.14These toolkits could be adapted for use by other sectors. The National ESOL Panel and the regional ESOL fora should carry links to these tools as part of their advice on guidance and support for centres.

Childcare, class times and travel

The ESOL report identified three main reasons why many of those with ESOL needs were unable to access ESOL classes. These were:

• Childcare demands and a lack of crèche/ nursery facilities;
• Distance from ESOL classes and difficulties with accessing or affording transport; and
• Difficulty because of the first point in attending daytime classes.

The Scottish Childcare Strategy aims to provide affordable, accessible, good quality childcare which can help meet the needs of working parents as well as providing development and social opportunities for children. Giving young children the benefit of high quality early education and care through improved childcare services can help families balance work and family life.

The Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 provides a coherent regulatory framework for all early education and childcare services up to age 16. In addition, the Scottish Executive is developing a quality improvement framework and an integrated approach to the inspection of services for children and young people.

The recently published English ten year strategy for childcare reflects many of the areas also being considered by Scottish Ministers as part of an ongoing process of review, although no firm decisions have been made yet.

One of the gaps identified by Scottish Executive research was information offered to parents, which is why the Executive is supporting the promotion of Childcare Information Services (based within local authorities) as a local source of information and advice to parents and others looking for childcare. This was also confirmed by another Scottish Executive Funding for Learners' review of information, advice and guidance for learners, to which the Executive responded by publishing a funding guide for learners. ⁷⁷ A link to these services should be included along with other sources of information, advice and guidance on the National ESOL Panel's website.

The ESOL report also suggested that the answer to addressing transport, childcare and class-time issues lies partly in, 'a wide range of imaginative initiatives, and the further development of existing initiatives such as volunteering.' ⁷⁸ The combined links between local CLD and other partnerships (which often already have close links with childcare partnerships), FE colleges (many of which have excellent crèche and nursery facilities, regional fora and a National ESOL Panel should facilitate just this sort of innovatory collaboration by considering more efficient and effective ways of coordinating transport, crèche facilities and arranging class times which fit these.

6.2 Guidance & support

Institutions

ESOL providers should ensure that all learners receive the full range of accessible guidance and support services at an appropriate level to their needs. Guidance tutors should be specialists in guidance with effective counselling skills who are properly informed as to the changing legal landscape and the implications for students and be able to communicate these across departments in the rest of the institution or, in the case of CLD and ALN partnerships, across provider agencies.

All ESOL providers should ensure that every individual has a learning plan. This should be agreed after an extended individual interview at the initial assessment and induction stages of learning and be regularly updated by the relevant staff. Providers should make resources available to enable regular and meaningful reviews of the plan with individual learners. The plan, held by learners as well as the providers, should contain detailed information about the learners:

• Entry level of English and achievements (whether accredited or experiential);
• Desired exit level and future plans for study and employment;
• Competences and skills to be acquired;
• Learning needs and personal circumstances pertinent to a sustained programme of study; and
• Attainment.

Providers should ensure that all ESOL learners receive appropriate and informed advice on the next stages of their learning and are adequately prepared for working in a Scottish environment. Managers with responsibility for student support should ensure that guidance and support staff have the necessary information to be able to impart clear information about options and choices, funding and childcare entitlements at each stage of learning. These managers should also ensure that guidance and support staff receive the necessary training and are effectively informed by national initiatives on barriers to learning, in order to be able to fully assess the needs and circumstances of non-English speaking learners.

Scottish Refugee Council
Stakeholder Platform

Scottish Refugee Council welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the consultation paper relating to the development of an adult ESOL Strategy for Scotland.

For refugees, access to appropriate English Language is an educational lifeline and pivotal to becoming integrated and settled in the host community. It is particularly important that the consultation process takes into consideration the views of service users among the refugee and asylum seeker population in Scotland, and reflects the different experiences of ESOL and problems with access including child care. In order that a balanced, comprehensive, flexible and broad based approach to developing an ESOL strategy for Scotland that accurately reflects the wide ranging needs of the refugee community can be developed, we believe that service users should be consulted as widely as possible.

Methodology

As the lead agency providing advice and guidance to refugees in Scotland, Scottish Refugee Council is in a position to facilitate a series of focus groups with refugees to share experience of 'gap analysis' in ESOL provision, length of time on FE College waiting lists, appropriate levels of ESOL, relevant curricular and gender related issues. These findings we feel would be valuable in informing the national ESOL panel. As a means to ensuring that consultation with service users is as cross representative as possible we propose consulting with service users in the following settings.

• Community learning centres
• Further Education Colleges
• Refugee community organisations
• Drop in centres ( e.g. refugee women's centre)
• Scottish Refugee Council
• Edinburgh Refugee Centre

Regional

The regional ESOL fora could also be used to discuss a host of general guidance issues (such as the provision of properly trained guidance staff, statutory requirements, immigration status (where applicable), access to housing, healthcare, education for dependents). The fora and ESOL providers should create and sustain a register of accessible native speakers for the full range of minority ethnic languages, where feasible, and ensure that interpretation services are accessible for particular ethnic groups in centres where the demand is heaviest.

National

The Scottish Executive, SCQF, SQA and Careers Scotland should provide clear advice to CLD and ALN Partnerships, and the FE sector), as well as the national ESOL panel and regional fora, on the use of learning plans. These should include tools to assess whether ESOL learners have literacy learning needs. The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework and central support agencies, such as Careers Scotland, should provide clear guidance on how to measure and quantify informal attainment and achievement and SQA should take measures to ensure that the Scottish Qualifications Certificate ( SQC) is adapted to capture progress in personal and social development and informal learning gains leading to formal awards building on existing and emerging good practice. The professional development needs of guidance and support (teaching and learning as well as administrative) should be considered by the short-life group on professional development (see section 5.2).

6.3 Progression

The Scottish Executive's lifelong learning strategy, Life Through Learning; Learning Through Life, and its strategy for the enterprise networks, A Smart Successful Scotland, have placed lifelong learning culture at the centre of its social and economic agenda. The benefits of releasing the potential of ESOL learners have already been referred to in this strategy. Recommendations for the highlighting of good practice are outlined more generally in section 4, as is the recommendation for the ESOL curriculum group to refer to existing successful work-related ESOL programmes (both in and outside Scotland), policy developments in citizenship and employability and routes to further study (see section 5).

English for vocational purposes ( EVP)

As section 5 noted, it is apparent that there are insufficient numbers of EVP courses being run at the moment in Scotland. EVP is not only beneficial to learners because it helps them to enter the labour market, increases their contact with local communities and allows them to participate more fully in Scottish society but also because it may well improve their English by giving more opportunities for them to use their language skills in a practical setting. There are currently some very successful models of EVP running both in Glasgow and Edinburgh. ⁷⁹ However, if EVP and work place ESOL classes are to be effective they need the support of employers, in terms of time and resources. ⁸⁰ We recommend, further to related recommendations in sections 4 and 5, that:

• The development of more EVP schemes be considered in the context of policies/schemes relating to citizenship and employability; and
• Local ESOL providers work closely with employers, local authorities, voluntary bodies, Local Enterprise Companies ( LECs) and Local Economic Fora ( LEFs) (as they have done so successfully in Glasgow) to develop EVP programmes.

Involvement of trade unions is also clearly imperative both in reaching potential learners in the workplace, referring them and also providing them with the means, through the STUC, the Scottish Union Learning Fund and Union Learning representatives to access ESOL provision. A number of union and employer sponsored work place ESOL courses have already being successful. ⁸¹

English for further study

The Scottish Executive's waiving of restrictions on asylum seekers to part-time non- advanced and advanced (Higher National study) level study in 2001 and 2003 respectively has been one step towards allowing greater access to further study amongst one group of ESOL learners. As section 4 set out, access to further study for ESOL learners in higher education institutions might also be facilitated by collaboration between the regional ESOL fora and the regional access fora. ⁸² The regional ESOL fora and ESOL providers should also acquaint themselves with developments in widening participation to higher education designed for asylum seekers and refugees. Progression opportunities for asylum seekers and refugees onto higher education courses are being investigated separately at present. As the definitions set out in the vision showed, access to courses in community learning and development is based on need as opposed to the eligibility criteria used in the further education sector. Clear guidance on eligibility for funding for further study can be found at the following website: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/03/29162117/21195.

6.4 Supporting learning and progression: summary of recommendations

We recommend that:

1. The ESOL curriculum group consider how to integrate vocational content into the ESOL curriculum, encourage the development of both EVP and work place based ESOL, and consider policy developments in this area, such as the Employability Framework
2. Policies relating to citizenship and employability take account of the work of the ESOL curriculum group where appropriate;
3. There should be an extension of closer working between ESOL departments and other departments in FE colleges to facilitate progression;
4. ESOL providers (institutions and partnerships) be fully informed of funding criteria for further learning and training opportunities;
5. The short-life ESOL working group on professional development examines the CPD needs of guidance and support staff working with ESOL learners;
6. The National ESOL Panel and regional ESOL fora identify and promote the full range of appropriate and expert guidance and support services for all types of ESOL learners, and create opportunities for guidance and counselling staff to meet and collaborate;
7. The regional fora ensure that all providers use appropriate initial assessment strategies and approaches leading to a learning plan which takes account fully of the English of learners; that they provide guidance for the conduct of individual discussions on progress based on the plan and that, through local networks, they ensure that that learners have the necessary skills and information to enable them to move into employment or further learning; and
8. The national panel together with regional fora ensures a common format for learning plans building on what is referred to on page 28, and which can be adapted to emergent thinking and developments on PLPs within SQA and the Scottish Executive.

Consultation questions

Q.9 Do you feel that closer links with employers and providers of other courses (whether in your institution or locally) need to be strengthened? How do you think this could be best achieved?

Q.10 What recommendations could you make to improve referral, guidance and support?

Q.11 What do you think are the CPD needs of guidance and support staff?

Scottish Trades Union Congress ( STUC)
Stakeholder Platform

The STUC is Scotland's Trade Union Centre, and is pleased to contribute to the consultation on an Adult ESOL Strategy for Scotland. Representing over 630,000 members and their families, the STUC speaks for trade union members in and out of work, in the community and in the workplace.

The involvement of trade unions is essential in the development of an ESOL Strategy for Scotland. Trade unions can identify ESOL learners in the workplace, offer support and guidance, and signpost them to appropriate ESOL provision, through the growing network of Union Learning Reps. In addition, trade unions can use their workplace expertise to shape meaningful and practical ESOL provision.

The STUC values Scotland's cultural diversity, welcoming asylum seekers, refugees, and migrant workers from EU accession states to Scotland. People encouraged to live and work in Scotland as a result of the Fresh Talent Initiative will create further demand for ESOL provision, particularly in relation to citizenship and employability. Language is key to supporting people to engage with local communities, access education, training and the workplace. The STUC is concerned that there is currently insufficient vocational ESOL provision in Scotland, particularly in terms of health and safety issues in the workplace, and believes local and national initiatives should raise awareness of these issues amongst employers.

There are increasing demands on ESOL providers in further education, community learning and development and voluntary sectors. There is a need for co-ordinated direction and structure of ESOL provision, and greater support for the ESOL teaching community. The STUC therefore welcomes the advent of an Adult ESOL curriculum for Scotland, to be developed in line with the Scottish Executive's Life Through Learning; Learning Through Life, and alongside the existing adult literacies curriculum framework, and we support the development of a 'Best Practice in ESOL' framework for all ESOL providers.

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