As You Like It
The Future of the English Language
This work examines the implications of current trends in the English Language for policy agendas. Run in association with Cambridge Assessment, and ESOL Examinations at the University of Cambridge, it will identify not only areas in which policy makers will have to change to meet the challenges posed by the emergence of variants of English - Englishes - but also how government and others can work with providers to take advantage of the many opportunites that 'Englishes' present...
Inside and Out
at 10:54am on Tuesday, 24th October 2006
It's easy to say that providing English language teaching to newcomers to the UK is important - but the how is less easy, and the why more contentious.
One of the reasons is the massive increases in demand for ESOL courses. For example, the number of Polish people looking to enrol in ESOL courses rose from 151 in 2000-01 to 21,313 in 2004-05. You don't need a screaming headline to note that that is a big increase.
But it is important, in the face of these statistics, to reassert why it is so important. Aside from the economic reality that immigrants who speak English to a reasonable proficiency are 20% more likely to find work and earn on average 18-20% more than those who don't, with increasing numbers of non-native English speakers the spaces and channels for cross-cultural and -ethnic communication are vital. And that means not just integration and assimilation, but real two-way communication of values and ideals.
So citizenship education is a controversial and important area of debate. And another blog post entirely.
One of the reasons is the massive increases in demand for ESOL courses. For example, the number of Polish people looking to enrol in ESOL courses rose from 151 in 2000-01 to 21,313 in 2004-05. You don't need a screaming headline to note that that is a big increase.
But it is important, in the face of these statistics, to reassert why it is so important. Aside from the economic reality that immigrants who speak English to a reasonable proficiency are 20% more likely to find work and earn on average 18-20% more than those who don't, with increasing numbers of non-native English speakers the spaces and channels for cross-cultural and -ethnic communication are vital. And that means not just integration and assimilation, but real two-way communication of values and ideals.
So citizenship education is a controversial and important area of debate. And another blog post entirely.
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