AEIAG0019
Written evidence submitted by The Bell Foundation
About The Bell Foundation
The Bell Foundation is a charity which aims to overcome disadvantage through language education by working with partners on innovation, research, training and practical interventions. The Bell Foundation works with a range of partners to produce robust, evidence-based research. This submission includes evidence from a literature review by the UCL Institute of Education into young people, education, employment and ESOL (Hutchinson et al, 2021) and quantitative analysis of Next Steps data (Cara, 2021).
Introduction
Careers education, information, advice and guidance should be accessible to anyone who needs to access it, and this includes people who use English as a second or additional language (ESL).
While the evidence in this submission focuses on evidence of young people (aged 16 to 25), who use English as a second or additional language (ESL) careers education, information, advice and guidance is relevant to adults of any age and who use ESL. The evidence presented in this submission is based on the literature review and the quantitative analysis from UCL Institute of Education.
The Bell Foundation is currently funding four projects which focus on employment and education outcomes for refugees. The projects include careers education, information advice and guidance within the context of teaching English as a Second Language (ESOL). These are mainly three-year projects which started in 2021, and the Foundation is happy to share learning from evaluations with the Education Select Committee once published at a later date.
Different terminology is used in this submission, and it is important to understand these differences. The term EAL refers to pupils in compulsory education who speak English as an Additional Language. English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) is used as the name of qualifications or provision for people who study English as a second or additional language beyond compulsory education. The term people who use ESL refers to people who use English as a second or additional language.
Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance for young people who use English as a second or additional language
The Bell Foundation commissioned UCL Institute of Education to conduct research with the aim of understanding the education and employment outcomes of young people who use English as an Additional Language (EAL) at school. The Longitudinal study “Next Steps”, previously known as the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE), was used to investigate the post 16 education and training trajectories and outcomes for young people born in 1989-90. The analysis compares the outcomes and pathways of three groups of young people based on their responses to the question if English is their first or main language when they were aged 13 or 14 (in Year 9). The analysis compares young people who, in Year 9 reported English as their only language, those who self-identified as bilingual or specified English as their first/main language and speak other languages and those young people that said they have another language as their first or main language. The central group in this study is the latter or those who most likely would be identified as having English as an Additional Language (EAL) in school administrative data.
“Next Steps” follows the lives of around 16,000 people in England born in 1989-90. The study recruited a nationally representative sample of Year 9 students aged 13 or 14 and interviewed them along with their parents or carers. Young people were re-interviewed each year until 2010, with the most recent additional sweep data available when they were aged 25, in 2015/16.
Analysis of the Next Steps data by UCL Institute of Education (2021) found that young people who use ESL were more likely to stay education and go to university post-16, but this same group were also more likely to be unemployed at the age of 25, despite going to university. The young people who reported as using ESL were more likely to be education at age 19 compared to young people who only speak English, born in the UK. 70% of young people who use ESL were in education aged 19, compared to 41% of young people who speak English only born in the UK. However, aged 25, the picture is different. The group of young people who use ESL have the highest proportion of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) at the age of 25 compared to all young people in the Next Steps study. The study shows that 21% of young people who use ESL, born in the UK and 23% of young people who use ESL, born outside the UK, reported being unemployed or economically inactive at the age of 25. This is compared to 15% of all young people in the Next Steps study not in education, employment or training aged 25.
For those young people who speak languages other than English, there is evidence on the barriers they face when transitioning from compulsory to post-compulsory education, particularly for those who want to progress to further education (Hutchinson, 2021). Key to this is a lack of careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) for young people aged 16-25 years who need to identify future education and training pathways that will provide a route to employment (Hutchinson, 2021). Whilst some learning providers have incorporated CEIAG into their individual programmes, and enrolment processes, there is a lack of independent advice and guidance about progression pathways and opportunities for employment (Hutchinson, 2021).
For refugees and asylum seekers (who may arrive in the UK at the age of 14, 15 or 16), the lack of accessible CEIAG is compounded by a late arrival into the UK and a lack of time to reach a proficiency in English to fully access the curriculum and to understand the culture of the education system in England and the possible options available. As Mishan (2019) states, young refugees and asylum seekers need information about the English education system as well as advice and clear information about available choices leading to education, training and employment.
It takes on average six years to be rated as competent for those who are new to English (Strand, S and Lindorff, A, 2020). Language learning is a demanding process and it can take a long time to master. Funding of ESOL needs to reflect this. It can take years to achieve the necessary level of proficiency to access higher education or employment, meaningful to the individual. The current system does not easily allow young people to progress to higher levels of ESOL learning which would allow them to reach a proficiency in English for the workplace. In England, the current highest level of ESOL qualification is Level 2[1], but this does not equip learners to progress into highly skilled employment or higher education. As Schellekens (2019) points out, while a proportion of graduates, who speak language other than English, have sufficient English to find employment, many are unemployed or under-employed because their English proficiency is too low. Language levels at Entry Levels 1 to 3 do not allow learners to reach a level of proficiency to progress beyond unskilled work. The relevance of learning ESOL and the link to employment and further and higher education should be included in CEIAG for young ESOL learners.
In addition to this, learners may be disincentivised from learning ESOL beyond the age of 19 as they may not be eligible for fully-funded ESOL classes. Eligibility of the National Skills Fund should be extended to include ESOL, which would allow learners to reach the ESOL levels needed for level 3 qualifications and then to progress to higher education and highly-skilled employment.
Recommendations:
ESOL for specific purpose
CEIAG should also extend to employability knowledge, including understanding the labour market and how to apply for jobs in the UK. This is especially important for people who use ESL and move to the UK as an adult. A person uses ESL may face barriers in understanding the nuances of where and how to apply for jobs, CV-writing and interview skills as they have had little or no access to learning the English language specific vocabularies and registers needed, nor the cultural insights and understanding of the selection processes. Roberts describes how the formal British job interview operates as a ‘test of belonging’ (2019:223) for migrants undergoing a formal job selection process where they need to demonstrate cultural and linguistic understanding of ‘the interview game’. This is an example where ESOL for a specific purpose would be an advantage. In this case, ESOL for employment.
In a call for evidence on level 2 and below qualifications, the Department for Education (2020) proposed transition programmes. The proposed transition programmes should give a balanced and purposeful curriculum helping accelerate and increase progression from lower levels of study and should be embedded within CEIAG. ESOL transition programmes should be piloted as an integrated transition programme with work experience and preparation; introductory technical skills; pastoral support and personal development, with a focus on, and more time allowed for, the language learning. The programmes could include:
This demonstrates the need for an integrated approach to ESOL provision, with funding which allows for a tailored package for young ESOL learners which enables them to learn the language they need to go into and progress in work.
Recommendation: Department for Education to pilot ESOL transition programmes which are integrated with other transition programmes, such as employability, vocational study and CEIAG.
Summary of recommendations
References
March 2022
[1] For qualification levels, see: What qualification levels mean: England, Wales and Northern Ireland - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)