This report published by the Association of Colleges (AoC) and The Bell Foundation shows that adults who are speakers of English as a second or additional language can be a great asset when their current English language skills can meet the language demands for the jobs on offer. According to the National Office for Statistics, around 48% of new arrivals are educated at tertiary level (compared to 39% of UK-born citizens), and in 2018, the OECD found that the proportion of well-qualified migrants and refugees with degrees increased by almost 20% between 2007 and 2017.
With the right language support, people with these skills and experience offer a huge demographic and economic dividend. And yet, the ESOL policy and funding environment has been devastated by funding cuts and frequent policy changes over the last fifteen years. The number of students starting funded ESOL courses fell by 36% between 2009/10 and 2016/17, for example, while funding from the adult education budget (now adults skills fund) declined by 56% in real terms during the same period.
The report urges policy makers to learn from and work with devolved authorities on innovative approaches to ESOL provision which could realise the potential of thousands of people who speak English as a second or additional language (EAL). It also sets out a series of recommendations around a national framework, a role for employers, and funding.
