NIACE ESOL event - 7th March 2007

The following is the text of a speech given by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Bill Rammell, at a NIACE event on ESOL on 7th March 2007.

Good morning and thank for this opportunity to speak today.

Throughout our history as a country, we’ve successfully addressed the challenges and embraced the opportunities globalisation has presented us with.

We’ve gladly welcomed workers, students and those who’ve needed refuge from other countries. These people have bought money, skills and their determination to succeed into this country. They have increased our awareness and understanding of other countries, cultures and customs. Both our economy and society have benefited.

But as we manage the current wave of globalisation, we face increased competition and pressure on our resources.

In recent years, the number of migrant workers coming to this country has grown.  

Our skills deficiencies, despite progress in the last 10 years, as a nation have also become increasingly clear. In his review of this country’s skills base, Sandy Leitch set out how big the job ahead of us is. A third of adults in the UK have left school with no qualifications. Almost 15 million adults are functionally innumerate and 5 million illiterate.

And I want to be very clear. English language skills are critical to the success of anyone living or working in this country. Trust between individuals and between communities is built on positive interaction. An inability to communicate leads to lost opportunities, isolation and suspicion.

But it’s a fact that the current level of growth in ESOL is not sustainable. And despite the increase in spend, we cannot be sure we are reaching learners in our priority groups. It is the poorest and most vulnerable that are often losing out. This is not just my view, but the view of NIACE and anyone who seriously addresses this issue.

We owe it to taxpayers. We owe it to the people who need ESOL support the most to ensure we use our resources in an effective and balanced way that supports the full range of adult learning priorities.

Our planned changes to ESOL funding, support and provision aim to do just that. We believe they’re the best way we can help those most disadvantaged and at risk of social exclusion.

People stuck in unemployment or low skilled, low paid jobs because they do not speak English. People open to abuse and isolation, because they’ve never had the chance to access ESOL services.

The proposed reforms have provoked a passionate debate. This is a serious issue. It’s only right we discuss it in a full and frank way. But there should be no doubt about this Government’s commitment to good quality and fair ESOL provision.

Since 2001, we have tripled funding in ESOL. We have invested over £1 billion in ESOL services, as part of our £3 billion spend in support of the Skills for Life strategy. Over 2 million ESOL learners have benefited. But despite these increases, waiting lists in parts of the country are as much as 2 years. And it’s the most vulnerable who are losing out.

Now I am not seeking to cut funding. This level of funding will be broadly maintained. But there’s no blank cheque here. If we’re to put the right funding, engagement, support and provision in place at the point of most need, some tough choices have to be made.

That’s why, working with the LSC, we took the decision to remove eligibility from asylum seekers. It’s why we’ve withdrawn automatic fee remission from those who can afford to pay. And it’s why those who claim JobSeekers Allowance or income related benefits including Working Tax Credit still won’t have to pay. And we estimate that at least 50% of these currently accessing ESOL would continue to be eligible for free provision under the new regime.

Last year’s NIACE report made a significant contribution to the ESOL debate. It brought both challenge and clarity to our thinking. At the time of its publication, I pledged our response would be bold and serious.

Taking this work forward, we’ve accepted and are working on the majority of the report’s recommendations. For example, we’re currently working with partners to establish a National Advisory Group to act as a source of expertise and advice on ESOL issues.

The report called for more action to improve understanding of ESOL; engagement with and delivery to priority learner groups; the quality of ESOL provision, teacher qualifications and the leadership and co-ordination of ESOL planning, strategy and funding.

Across the board, that’s what our changes and policies aim to do.

Throughout Government, we’re building a more consistent and coherent approach to support asylum seekers. Huge strides have been made in reducing waiting times for initial decisions. 76% are now made within 2 months. The target is for appeals to be handled within 6 months.

We expect to reduce these times even further with the full implementation of the Home Office’s New Asylum model later this year.

With this work and the fact that 70% of all applications for asylum fail, it seems inappropriate to fund learning for people who may not ultimately work or settle in this country. And I believe it would be unfair and misleading of us to offer them support when their future in this country is not guaranteed.

It is more effective and fair to focus public funds on learners with refugee or other similar status to ensure their needs are met and that they can settle and work in this country as quickly as possible.

But we have been listening to what you and others said when these changes were announced. And I will say more about our response to that in a moment.

As I said earlier foreign workers are invaluable to this country’s economy. For a long time, many employers have attracted workers from overseas with the promise of free ESOL provision. They and these workers have reaped the benefits.

Government is committed to ensuring employers and individuals can get the training they need. But as Leitch identified paying for this learning should be a shared responsibility.

It’s only right that employers who can make a contribution do so. That they view this cost as an investment in their business’ success or as Stephen Williams Liberal Democrat Spokesman for Higher and Further Education said in a recent article: “A cost of production.”

And there are already some great examples of employers paying for learning and approaching the delivery of ESOL in innovative ways. We want and will be urging more employers to take on this responsibility.

We’re also working to offer better choices for learners who want to learn English for work, but don’t need a full ESOL course. The QCA in partnership with awarding bodies are developing a qualification that is shorter and more work-related, with an employer and sector focus. This qualification will be introduced from September 2007.

My colleague Jim Murphy – Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform recently set out support plans for those in this country, who have struggled to get a job due to poor English.

Individuals eligible for JobSeekers Allowance or in receipt of income-related benefits will continue to access free ESOL through standard LSC provision.

From April, Job Centre Plus advisers will work with jobseekers to agree steps to overcome the language difficulties that prevent them getting a job. In addition, there are 15,000 places for JobCentre Plus customers on new targeted provision from the LSC.

I think it’s important to make the point here that where we are asking individuals to make contributions to ESOL provision. It is just that, a contribution. The maximum, we’re asking, anyone to contribute is 37.5%. In some cases, because of the additional allowances, the contribution is as little as 19%. The Government will continue to pay the bulk of course fees.

To help the growing numbers of children in our schools who speak English as an additional language, we are funding a New Arrivals Excellence Programme. This will help local authorities and schools support these pupils. It will also deliver projects through our national strategies for more advanced bilingual learners.

This is in addition to the support available to families through our Family Literacy, Language and Numeracy project, which works to help families help each other to learn.

None of the decisions we’ve made regarding ESOL provision have been taken in isolation. Throughout this process we’ve listened to the views, opinions and concerns of those involved in delivering and learning through ESOL.

Before implementing these changes, we’ve rightly conducted a Race Equality Impact Assessment. We’ve conducted focus groups with over 150 learners and providers, the Refugee Council and trade unions. I personally have met trade unions, Advisory Board on Naturalisation and Integration, the Refugee Council, the Children’s society and many MPs.

We’ve listened to learners’ stories and concerns, and we are genuinely trying to respond to the issues they’ve raised. During the exercise, three consistent themes emerged:

• We need to do more to assist asylum seekers whose cases take much longer than our Home Office targets or who remain in UK due to circumstances beyond their control.
• Supporting spouses who do not have access to funding or to family benefit documentation; and
• Helping workers on very low wages and not in receipt of Working Tax Credit.

And as a result, I am minded to consider the following changes to proposals. A demonstration, I hope that I have been listening.

To reinstate eligibility after 6 months for all those people who are in this country legally awaiting a decision on their asylum claim or appeal. And for those who have been refused asylum in the UK, but can’t leave because of circumstances beyond their control and who are eligible for support under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.

We see ESOL as central to community stability. And appreciate cross Government cooperation is required to look at ESOL as part of Government support for asylum seekers and also to support and fund the learner and social needs of learners in areas with a high population of asylum seekers.

To this end, I’ve written to Ministers in the Department of Communities and Local Government, the Department of Work and Pensions and the Home Office to set up discussions about these issues immediately. And have also set up a cross Government Review group to look at activities and responsibilities in delivering support for asylum seekers and ESOL.

We’re also re-prioritising funds at a local level to help spouses who are priority learners in hard to reach groups and unlikely to have access to their own money or family benefit documentation.

I will seek to ensure that those asylum seekers who go on an ESOL waiting list before their 19^th birthday, will still get free access, even if the place isn’t available until after their 19^th birthday.

For the low paid, who may not receive Working Tax Credit, but still need our help through ESOL provision, I will explore local colleges and providers looking at a raft of evidence including the receipt of income-related benefits such as Housing Benefit, free prescription certificates and pay slips (provided they are supported by some state-based evidence of identify) to determine if these learners are eligible for fee remission. This will obviously need to be subject to robust audit procedures.

And we will also be working closer with Trade Unions, the CBI and Sector Skills Councils to review how we best encourage and support employers contributing to the cost of ESOL provision for their workers.

These additional measures will, I believe, address many of the concerns voiced during our Race Equality Impact Assessment. And the complete Race Equality Impact Assessment will be published shortly, with a detailed response on how Government, in partnership with the LSC, plan to address these changes and all other report findings.

Of course, the quality of our ESOL provision is only as good as the providers and teachers that deliver it, and I was pleased to see the findings of the recent Adult Learning Inspectorate report, which recognised recent improvements in standards.

Despite increasing demand for ESOL services, the inspections found a significant number of colleges where provision has improved to good or excellent. This, I believe, reflects the commitment, the dedication and the efforts of those teaching and providing ESOL to improve quality and deliver the best courses possible.

Our work with OFSTED to raise standards will continue. We are committed to a fully qualified teaching workforce in ESOL by 2010 and are currently rolling out a range of measures to improve the quality, status and capacity of this workforce.

These include fast-track and part-time training schemes for ESOL teachers and the introduction of a Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills status, as a requirement, from September 2007.

Moving forward, all these changes are part of our wider package of measures to improve the planning, coherence and quality of ESOL provision.

The planned changes to ESOL will focus our resources and good information, advice and provision where they are needed most – to help those who face the greatest barriers to employment and social integration, because they can’t speak English.

I want to assure you, we will continue to monitor how these changes will impact our priority learners. We will continue to listen and work with all those with an interest in ESOL to ensure the best possible provision.

Current arrangements cannot be maintained. They are simply not sustainable. But we hope the decisions we’ve made and the measures we are implementing following the completion of our Race Equality Impact Assessment will improve the quality and accessibility to ESOL for those most at risk in our society from a lack of English language skills. Thank you.