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CHAPTER NINE: CONCLUSIONS

Current provision

9.1 Publicly funded ESOL provision has grown over the last few years. We estimate there were at least 19,000 learners in 2005-6. Most of this growth has come from funding through Community Learning and Development and Adult Literacies Partnerships of local authorities, colleges and voluntary and community providers.

9.2 While provision has grown in all areas except Central West, it has not increased at the same rate in all areas. Considerable growth has occurred in areas which had little ESOL provision several years ago, such as Highland/ WI, South West and South East. SFC funded FE college provision has only grown marginally though the pattern has changed a little with more places funded in North East/ NI and fewer in Central West, for example.

9.3 The range of provision has also probably increased in terms of levels of learning offered and accredited learning. However, the full range of courses and qualifications is only available in some areas. These are generally the most urban, such as Glasgow and Aberdeen, where ESOL provision has been delivered for some time and where FE colleges are the main providers. In the more rural areas, there is often only entry level and literacies provision. The more urban areas also offer more intensive as well as less intensive learning. In other parts almost all courses are under 5 hours a week.

9.4 Providers and stakeholders have told us that:

• there is some local planning (in partnerships) but not necessarily coordination of all provision between colleges and other providers;
• increased provision has come about where funding or fee income has allowed this;
• this has also provided for courses in new centres as well as additional courses;
• ESOL literacies has often been provided because this has been the source of funding and not because this is what ESOL learners require; many people who already have work skills and/or qualifications from the country they are from might not require adult literacies training;
• where there is less provision, more courses are for mixed levels of ability or only for those with the lowest levels of ability in English. The following section will outline the findings from these three areas as well as provide recommendations, where appropriate.

Current demand

9.5 ESOL learners are predominantly female and of working age aged under 40. While the age profile largely reflects economic migrants from A8 countries and asylum seekers the gender profile does not. Ethnicity and origins data suggest that over the last few years many more learners fall into the category White. The changes in this and the pattern reflects to a large degree the distribution of A8 migrants to Scotland, with considerable numbers in the main urban centres and parts of Fife and Tayside, North East/ NI, and Highlands/ WI.

9.6 From what providers and stakeholders told us and the characteristics of learners and A8 nationals it is evident that:

• there continues to be demand for ESOL from settled migrant groups and asylum seekers;
• the demand from A8 nationals has been significant in nearly all areas of the country and has stimulated new provision and additional provision in areas that have not traditionally had BME migrants and asylum seekers;
• the considerable demand from A8 nationals has outstripped supply; few if any providers have any problems filling courses through word of mouth;
• A8 nationals aim to learn and improve their English to assist with settlement, doing their job and obtaining alternative work either in the UK or in their home country;
• the citizenship test itself has not had a significant impact on immediate demand though it is likely to fuel future demand from those who want to settle.

9.7 There is no evidence of any significant spare capacity. No providers report courses without sufficient learners or any with spare places, only waiting lists and turning away applicants.

9.8 There may well be differences though between providers in what they consider to be a full course or maximum size and how they fill places vacated by drop outs which might create scope for some spare capacity. Waiting lists exist in some cases where there is sufficient provision which can meet demand in the foreseeable future; they are not maintained where there is not such provision so they can only be a guide to potential demand.

9.9 Some providers have told us that they have responded to the scale and nature of demand by:

• cross referring applicants to other providers offering a more appropriate course for the learner;
• revising provision including the mix and timing of courses and mode of learning;
• keeping short term waiting lists to fill the places of drop outs;
• controlling access through specifying priority learners;
• seeking other funding though this is often inevitably short term and for specific groups;
• adapting content to include elements of the citizenship test.

9.10 Many though have continued without significant change even though A8 nationals are much less likely to have basic literacies needs and are more likely to be working than some of the other potential learners.

9.11 Private providers have during this period expanded their provision and are charging learners for courses to recover all costs unless employers are making contributions.

Potential demand

9.12 While potential demand is not possible to measure, we can consider the number and whereabouts of the main groups of people who might require ESOL learning and compare them to provision in 2005-6. We found that:

• all areas have potential demand that exceeds current provision by a considerable margin;
• some areas have increased provision more than others in relation to potential demand; the highest shortfalls are in Central West and South West;
• the pattern of provision does not closely match the distribution of A8 nationals; considerable shortfalls appear in the more rural areas though these have all seen increases in provision since 2004.

Issues affecting the supply and demand of ESOL

9.13 The following are clearly factors which could limit the ability of provision to meet additional demand in the next few years:

• Qualified teachers of ESOL: although there are fewer qualified teachers in the local authority, voluntary and community learning sectors, the availability of experienced teachers is also a difficulty for some FE colleges. Recruitment and retention in the non- FE sector is not helped by short term funding and funding at levels which does not allow for CPD, learner support etc. All sectors are also being affected by the growth of private providers as these take staff from the publicly funded sector;
• Funding: while there are some complaints about the unit of funding in FE there is no evidence that it is insufficient. Greater problems probably exist in ensuring that other providers have similar units of funding.

9.14 Higher fees could stretch budgets for ESOL learning though they would cut across national and local policies on charging and concessions. Private providers' and HEIs' experiences suggest that:

• Where there is a clear work related benefit or the learning is adapted to the learners' needs (place, time, content), learners are prepared to pay fees in excess of those levied by publicly funded providers;
• Higher level advance courses can be charged for because they are more likely to bring an economic benefit such as access to a higher skilled job;
• A few providers' experience reinforces this. It tells us that fees can be raised without reducing demand and that some employers are prepared to support their employees' ESOL learning. This though needs outreach to employers, a flexible application of local policies on fees, and provision that is tailored to learners who are most likely to be working. Even so it is clear that for those with the lowest abilities in English and working at minimum wages fees can be a barrier.

Policy implications

9.15 As a consequence we would conclude that A8 nationals - the high number, origins, needs, and the areas where they work - have significantly increased demand and have already had a significant impact on provision. In the short term the additional funding provided by the Scottish Government for 2007/08 should go some way to meeting this and demand from existing BME groups.

9.16 The following are issues arising from this research which could inform future development of the Scottish Government's strategy and the allocation of funding:

Ensuring a range of provision in all regions:

• while this will not be practical in all areas, this will require funding across sectors including FE colleges in areas where ESOL provision is largely met from local authority and voluntary and community providers;
• for the entry level and intermediate courses a range of providers are needed who can run courses close to where people live and work and tailor them to different communities;
• distance learning courses, where learners have access to the internet, could also assist those who need more flexible provision or those in the more remote and rural areas.

Progression routes:

• many providers will need to map out their course provision in relation to qualifications both to show that learners can progress to higher levels and assess achievement;
• they may need some guidance on qualification levels as well as curriculum development, especially for some voluntary providers who have not had experience with SQA levels.

Planning and coordination in all local authority areas:

• while this is happening in a limited scale around ESOL in some areas, the Scottish Government's ESOL Strategy outlines a plan for more active coordination that would include referrals between providers as well as an online resource with searchable facilities. The research conducted in this study supports these proposals to enhance the planning and coordination of ESOL provision ³⁷.

Fee levels:

• while it could be argued that providing basic English skills is necessary to sustain employment and should be provided free, this is less so for higher level course with a clearer economic benefit to the learner.
• FE colleges might be encouraged to provide some courses with lower subsidies and to approach employers for contributions to tailored work place provision.

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