The Scottish Government's Adult ESOL (English For Speakers of Other Languages) Strategy for Scotland was published in 2007. The vision of the strategy is:
That all Scottish residents1for whom English is not a first language have the opportunity to access high quality English language provision so that they can acquire the language skills to enable them to participate in Scottish life: in the workplace, through further study, within the family, the local community, Scottish society and the economy. These language skills are central to giving people a democratic voice and supporting them to contribute to the society in which they live.
The strategy offers a number of national and regional solutions to complement existing wider planning structures for both Further Education (FE) and CLD providers. It also recognises the contribution of the voluntary and private sectors.
To support the work of the strategy, a National ESOL Panel has been set up to monitor the quantity and quality of ESOL provision in Scotland and to lead the coordination of all aspects of the strategy across all sectors, regions and interests. Further information about the national panel can be found at http://www.esolscotland.com/nationalpanel.html.
The strategy also proposed the development of a national ESOL website as a medium for promoting available ESOL provision, professional development and student network events. This website has now been developed and can be accessed at http://www.esolscotland.com/.