The challenges of teaching specialist online ESOL courses to refugee, asylum seeker and migrant communities
On Monday, SLC’s Managing Director, Chris Moore, gave a presentation to the South West Regional ESOL Network yesterday on the work SLC are doing with refugee, asylum seeker and migrant communities across the UK in partnership with strategic migration partnerships (SMPs) and refugee support organisations such as RefuAid, the Lincolnshire Refugee Doctor Project, and the NHS Displaced Talent programme. Chris had been invited by the South West SMP to give an overview of the online courses SLC have been working on over the past 6 years, highlighting the challenges faced and what SLC has done to address and overcome them.
During the talk, Chris focused on the OET and IELTS test preparation courses learners have been taking to achieve the scores they need to achieve professional registration, gain employment or begin studying. OET, the global English for Healthcare test, enables refugee healthcare professionals to register with the GMC and NMC for example, while IELTS enable learners to apply to join courses at UK universities and FE colleges, as well as register for other professions such as social work or allied health.
Chris also discussed a more recent set of courses being delivered this year focusing on integration including driving theory preparation, housing rights, financial literacy, and employment in the UK, all courses designed by or in conjunction with the East of England SMP’s EON project (Employability for Overseas Nationals).
In the talk, Chris looked at the challenges SLC has faced in three particular areas – attendance, motivation, and course delivery. He described what SLC has learnt and what practical steps have been taken to overcome them. These steps include the following:
- Working with the strategic migration partnership and their employment advisors.
- Proving clarity of set up, course structure, course methodology and, crucially, course outcomes, so learners know exactly what to expect, what they will do and why.
- Providing a safe, collaborative and predictable learning environment.
- Breaking long term goals and complex learning pathways into manageable and achievable sections.
- Providing support and training for teachers which addresses the specific nature of these courses and the participants.
The talk was well-received and, we hope, interesting and useful for the members of the South West Regional ESOL Network present. We’re super passionate about what we do in such an impactful area of ESOL and are keen to continuously improve and expand our work.
Chris’s presentation is available on the SLC website. You can download it here.
And if you’d like to find out more about the work SLC are doing with refugee, asylum seeker and migrant communities, please download the brochure, get in touch, or book a call with Chris.