We proposed a new ESOL partnership programme for adult refugees in Glasgow. This project aimed to support refugees to develop English language skills and to build social connections both through their learning and through facilitated access to a range of culture and sport opportunities in the city.
The project partners were 4 key ESOL learning providers in the city – Glasgow Life (lead partner); Glasgow ESOL Forum; WEA; Glasgow Clyde College.
The project aims were to:
Glasgow Life, Glasgow ESOL Forum, WEA, Glasgow Clyde College.
Glasgow
01/11/2021 – 30/11/2022
Individuals and family members who arrive in Glasgow under refugee resettlement schemes; people who are claiming asylum and resident in Glasgow; individuals who receive refugee status or another form of leave such as Humanitarian Protection or Discretionary leave and their family members; people who arrive in Glasgow to be reunited with a family member who is a refugee.
Supporting innovation
Glasgow has the most ethnically diverse population in Scotland, with 10% of the UK’s dispersed asylum population housed in the city. The trauma and isolation experienced by asylum seekers removed to temporary accommodation in hotels over the past few months, means that reconnecting to services, including ESOL learning, is more vital than ever for wellbeing, integration and equality. There are currently in the region of 5,500 asylum seekers living in Glasgow.
Glasgow CLD Strategic Partnership (GCLDSP) is the lead body responsible for the co-ordination of strategic planning and monitoring of Community Learning and Development in the city. In 2019, both the GCLDSP and Glasgow Community Planning Partnership identified a need to develop a case detailing the need for increased investment in ESOL. CLD partners have continued to develop this work to reflect the impact of the pandemic and ongoing gaps in learning provision to meet demand.
Refugees were involved at all stages of project delivery.
ESOL delivery was tailored based on individual levels of English and interests.
Access to culture and sport activities also responded to refugees’ needs and interests, with a wide range of activities being offered to accommodate different interests.
We also welcomed regular feedback throughout the project, and adapted provision as far as possible in response.
With support from this fund, we created a new ESOL partnership programme for adult refugees in Glasgow. The project supported refugees to develop English language skills and to build social connections both through their learning and through facilitated access to a range of culture and sport opportunities in the city.
The following SQA-accredited ESOL courses were delivered:
SQA National 3 Unit 1 ESOL for Everyday Life
SQA ESOL: An Introduction to Beginner English Literacies 1
SQA ESOL: An Introduction to Beginner English Literacies 2
SQA National 3 ESOL in Context (Work and Study)
39 learners completed these courses in total.
Over the course of the project many learners gained SQA qualifications.
9 learners in SQA ESOL: An Introduction to Beginner English Literacies 1,
8 learners in SQA ESOL: An Introduction to Beginner English Literacies 2,
14 learners in National 3 ESOL for Everyday Life,
8 learners in National 3 ESOL in Context (Work and Study).
There were eight non-accredited ESOL groups in the AMIF Project which 72 learners participated in.
Two online ESOL groups at Beginner and Elementary level,
Six Face: Face ESOL groups at ESOL Literacies (2 groups), Beginner, Elementary, Pre-Intermediate and Intermediate levels. All these groups completed their AMIF delivery, with some groups now continuing via another funding source.
Staffing turnover among ESOL tutors was a challenge for this project, with the balance of the project budget weighted more heavily towards culture and sport activities for participants, due to underspend on project staffing.
Learners leaving the provision before completing exit evaluations has also been challenging. Most learners have left due to gaining employment or college places, which are very successful outcomes, but it has proven difficult to get learners to complete evaluations after they have left the provision. Some Ukrainian refugees also left the provision early in order to return to Ukraine, and contacting learners in this context was particularly difficult.
As above, the joined-up approach which we were able to achieve by delivering this project in partnership was an extremely positive innovation for us, and all partners have agreed that there is value in continuing this collaborative approach beyond the end of the funded project.
This approach did involve some difficulties, and there were logistical hurdles to collaboration regarding file sharing, data sharing, and consistency of project monitoring.
The process of overcoming these barriers and taking advice on things like data sharing from colleagues in our legal department, has given us a solid foundation for future partnership working.
We have learned the importance of effective partnership working in this area, and some of the logistical difficulties involved in making this happen.
We would advise other organisations to consider the processes and procedures around data sharing before the start of any project, involving colleagues from the legal and/or compliance teams of all partners involved.
