Language classes

The UCU university and college lecturers’ union says that official statistics showing that people who do not speak English well are less likely to have qualifications or be in work make the economic case for better funding for English classes for migrants.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) released the figures for England and Wales at the end of January 2014.

They show that people aged 16-64 who spoke English “not well” or “not at all” had an employment rate of just 48.3%, compared to a rate of 65.4% for people who spoke English “well” or “very well”. People with English as their main language had an employment rate of 71.9%.

The union says that rules governing eligibility for language courses, coupled with funding cuts, risk leaving some people unable to improve their English.

UCU general secretary Sally Hunt called for “more of a carrot than a stick approach”, and a proper understanding of what works best for people who most need to learn English.

www.ucu.org.uk/6899