English UK commended in House of Lords debate
English UK was commended in a debate in the House of Lords on Tuesday following a question from Lord Quirk asking the Government whether, in view of the Audit Commission report of January 2007, Crossing Borders, they will ensure good provision of English language teaching for immigrant workers.
Lord Anderson of Swansea applauded English UK’s response to the issue, as laid out in a briefing note on ESOL by Tony Millns, Chief Executive:
My Lords, does my noble friend agree that the response from English UK was very refreshing? It accepted that the current rate of increase in government expenditure [in the area of Skills for Life/ESOL] was not sustainable, but said that, to be effective, there should be more intensive courses. Is that view shared by the Government?
Lord Adonis, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills, replied:
My Lords, we very much share that view, which is why from this August we are introducing these new, more work-focused ESOL courses. They will be shorter and more focused on the English language needs of those going directly into the labour market.
To read the debate in full, please see the following document.
