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English Language: Education

Answer

The Government currently provide 50% fee remission for all learners in England participating on ESOL courses who are eligible for public funded skills provision. Those on income based-benefits are eligible for full fee remission. Further education colleges and training organisations also have local discretion to provide fully subsidised courses for people on a wider range of benefits where the training is to help them enter employment.From August 2011, where English language skills have been identified as a barrier to entering employment, full Government funding will be provided for ESOL to unemployed people in receipt of jobseekers allowance or in the employment and support allowance (Work-Related Activity) Group. We will also continue to pay 50% of ESOL course fees for people who are settled here. We will no longer fund ESOL courses delivered in the workplace.This Department does not make estimates of the demand for courses. Further education (FE) colleges and training providers are responsible for meeting the needs of their local community, and increased freedoms and flexibilities that we have introduced will help them respond and determine within their funding where this is prioritised.The potential impact on adult learners participating in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses of the changes to eligibility criteria for fee remission proposed in the Government's 'Skills for Sustainable Growth' strategy (November 2010) are described in an equality impact assessment, published by this Department on 18 July 2011. This can be found at:"http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/further-education-skills/docs/e/11-1045-english-for-speakers-of-other-languages-equality-impact"Provision for 2009/10The following table shows adult (19+) English for! Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) participation in Coventry local education authority for 2009/10, the latest year for which full year data are available.

Adult (19+) ESOL learner participation in Coventry local authority, 2009/10
	Number
2009/10	2,310
Notes:
1. These data cover participation in Learner Responsive, Apprenticeships, Train to Gain, Adult Safeguarded Learning and University for Industry provision. Further Education/Learner Responsive provision includes General Further Education Colleges including Tertiary, Sixth Form Colleges—Agricultural and Horticultural Colleges and Art and Design Colleges, Specialist Colleges and External Institutions.
2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
3. Geography is based on learner's home postcode.
4. Age is based on age at the start of the academic year.
Source:
Individualised Learner Record

We do not directly record what type of benefits people are receiving when they take up training. We do, however, collect information on why a learner has received fee remission for any learning they undertake. From these data we can provide some information on claimants but, this should be used with caution given it does not provide an accurate picture of the full range of benefit entitlements that a person has. Using the fees waived field in the individual learner record we can say for the 2009/10 academic year that 1,700 ESOL enrolments for adult (19+) learners in Coventry local education authority received fee remission as the learner was in receipt of an income-related benefit.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

70348; 533 c267-8W

Session

2010-12

Subjects

Education English language

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk