Channel 4’s recent series about immigrants learning English – Why Don’t You Speak English? – made me think about the barriers my own mother faced when my family moved to this country, almost 30 years ago, and the impact her English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses had on us. My parents and I moved [...]
Some good news this week came from the announcement – from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills – of funding of £20,000 grants for Maths graduates to train to teach in Further Education. There will also be grants of £9,000 for graduates training to teach English or teach students with Special Educational Needs. As [...]
Whilst youth unemployment has fallen by 59,000 since the launch of the Youth Contract in April 2012, figures published last week by DWP show that the scheme has fallen substantially short of original targets. This flagship scheme has funding to pay 160,000 wage subsidies of £2275 to employers who recruit and retain an eligible young [...]
NIACE recently held an event in London which showcased some of the projects funded through the Community Learning Innovation Fund (CLIF). The focus was the difference projects have made to learners, families, communities and the organisations involved. It was attended by project staff and learners, representatives from key government departments, and NIACE’s Patron Her Royal [...]
Before I got involved with Offender Learning, or should I say when I was an unsuspecting member of the general public, my views on learning in prisons and opportunities for offenders in the community were at the very least skewed and at the very most totally off the beam. I heard somewhere once that you [...]
