Announcement New £6 million competition fund for English language learning Communities Secretary announces a new competition to enable those individuals with low levels of spoken English to fulfil their potential. In a speech hosted by British Future and the Policy Exchange, setting out the government’s continued commitment to promoting integration, the Secretary of State expressed how learning English should be a priority because too many people are closed off from, and unable to participate in, their communities because of a lack of literacy. In the past there has been the tendency to pay for interpreters, or translate documents into foreign languages, for those with no or extremely poor language skills. This undermines community integration and encourages segregation. Today, in 5% of households no one speaks English as their main language. The government is therefore launching a new competition to back innovative and creative ways of delivering community-based English language programmes that will help to integrate participants into their local communities and also offer financial benefits. Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said: Learning English is a passport to prosperity, Britain misses out and our country is poorer if people can’t speak our language. Improved English language skills can allow people to interact with their local communities, make friends, gain employment and increase their self-confidence. This competition will allow local communities to tailor language services to suit the needs of their area and give people the power to improve their circumstances and climb the social ladder. We don’t want people to cease being proud of their roots or lose touch with their culture, but learning English should take priority. Further information Details of the competition are available in the Community-based English language prospectus. The competition will take the form of a 2 stage process. In the first stage entrants will be asked to submit an expression of interest setting out in brief terms their ideas as to how they would implement their solutions of how to provide English language support to: reach those groups with the lowest levels of English language skills and in particular women within these communities work in those areas of England with high demand for this type of English language support design a project which can be sustained past the point when government funding is available and which has the potential to be scaled up for implementation across a wider geographical area
Posted on: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 19:33:37 +0000
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