A national strategy for Gurkha resettlement and learning Monday, November 29, 2010 - 16:02

Specialists currently working with the Gurkha community attended an Expert Seminar, in London on Tuesday 29 November, to contribute to a national strategy for Gurkha resettlement and adult learning in England and Wales, as part of the three-year Gurkha Resettlement Education and Adult Learning project.

The Project - funded by the European Integration Fund (EIF) and managed by NIACE - will, over the next three years, develop and deliver English for Speakers of Other Languages provision for Gurkha Nepalese individuals, their spouses and families to support their successful integration and resettlement into society.

NIACE, alongside project partners Greenwich Community College, Barnet College, Coleg Powys, the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) and the Gurkha Welfare Trust,  discussed and researched the needs of the Gurkha community and develop a national strategy for Gurkha resettlement and adult learning.

Marina Koniotou, NIACE Project Officer, said:

"A key strand of this new project will be the analysis of exactly what the learning needs of the wider-Gurkha community are. This will involve the mapping of existing adult learning provision across England and Wales."

"The Experts' Seminar gave each participant the chance to share individual and collective experiences of how they currently work with the Gurkha and Nepalese community. It also provided a unique opportunity for high-level networking with specialists working in this area - Army, MoD, ESOL providers, training organisations, Local Authorities and other interested organisations. This is the first research of its kind, essential to inform a comprehensive and effective national strategy."

The seminar honoured the courageous contribution Gurkhas have made serving the British Army for almost 200 years but contrasted this with the contribution they then can not make to civil society when they leave the Army due to their language and training needs.

Local Authority partners will develop new ESOL provision and specialist Information, Advice and Guidance for local Gurkha communities. This project will build upon the substantial progress made over the last three years by Gurkha families at Greenwich Community College, where there is currently a waiting list for this provision.

Co-funded by the European Fund for the Integration of Third Country Nationals: