Guide - nateclascotland.files.wordpress.comTableofContents Foreword 3 IntroductiontoWorkplaceESOL 6 StepOne: MakingContact 9 StepTwo: GatheringInformation 23 StepThree: PromotingtheCourse

ESOL in the workplace

Guide

section oneA Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning

A Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL LearningProject team: Archie Campbell, Shirley Howitt and Jackie Gentles

Published by the Workers’ Educational Association (WEA Scotland), Riddles Court, 322Lawnmarket, Edinburgh EH1 2PG. The Workers’ Educational Association is a charity registeredin England and Wales (number 1112775) and in Scotland (number SC039239) and a companylimited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (number 2806910). Registered addressis WEA, 3rd Floor, 70 Clifton Street, London, EC2A 4HB

Email:[email protected]

Funded by the Lifelong Learning Directorate, Scottish GovernmentISBN:987 0 90230366 9Copyright © Queen's Printer for Scotland 2008Designed by The Round Room www.theroundroom.co.uk

You may re-use this publication (not including the Scottish Government’s logo) free of chargein any format for research, private study or internal circulation within an organisation. You mustre-use it accurately and not use it in a misleading context. The material must be acknowledgedas Crown copyright and you must give the title of the source document/publication.

Where we have identified any third party copyright material you will need to obtain permissionfrom the copyright holders concerned.

This publication is also available at: www.adultliteraciesonline.com

Table of Contents

Foreword 3

Introduction to Workplace ESOL 6

Step One: Making Contact 9

Step Two: Gathering Information 23

Step Three: Promoting the Course 29

Step Four: Needs Assessment 33

Step Five: Goal Setting 41

Step Six: Feedback to Learners 47

Step Seven: Reporting to the Employer 53

Step Eight: Course Completion 55

and Evaluation

Workplace ESOL Checklist 69

Dealing with Problems 70

The WEA Approach to Learning 74

Acknowledgements 75

Appendices - see ring binder

WelcomeA Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning

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WelcomeA Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning

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Founded in 1903 to open upeducation for working people, theWorkers’ Educational Association(WEA) has grown to become thelargest voluntary sector providerof learning in the workplace andin the community in the UK.

The WEA has a long anddistinguished history of workplacelearning in Scotland. From thosepioneering days of WETUC(Workers’ Education Trade UnionCommittee) in the early decadesof the 20th century through tomore recent employer and tradesunion learning partnerships,programmes and projects includingReturn to Learn (with UNISON) andJobRotation, the WEA has beenat the forefront of making lifelonglearning a practical reality forthousands of frontline workerswith few or no formal educationalqualifications employed in low paid,low status jobs.

When, in 2001, the then ScottishExecutive announced a majornational Adult Literacy andNumeracy Initiative, the WEA

immediately asked to contributeto the development of workplaceliteracies – an exciting, but at thetime new, experimental andchallenging area of work forliteracies providers andpractitioners across Scotland.Since 2002 the WEA has had thelead, or a main, responsibility forworkplace literacies on behalf of anumber of Literacies Partnershipsnotably Aberdeen City,Aberdeenshire, City of Edinburgh,East Renfrewshire, Falkirk, City ofGlasgow, Highland, Moray, SouthLanarkshire and West Lothian, aswell as contributing nationally toworkplace literacies developments.

Through our workplace learningprogrammes, WEA organising andteaching staff are in close contactwith workers, trades unionorganisers and employers in amultitude of public, voluntary andindependent sector workplaces.These span a range of employmentsectors across Scotland. We areacutely aware that workplaces,workforces and work practices areundergoing significant adjustment

“The ESOL strategy aims to provide a blueprint for the direction andstructure of publicly-funded ESOL provision in Scotland, and support theESOL teaching community in its delivery of, and further professionalisationfor, ESOL in the 21st century… The vision for the strategy is that allScottish residents for whom English is not a first language should have theopportunity to access high quality English language provision so that theycan acquire the language skills they need to enable them to participatein Scottish life: in the workplace, family, further study, and in the widercommunity, society and economy of Scotland.”(1)

Stewart Maxwell MSP,MINISTER FOR COMMUNITIESSpeech to Welcoming New Scots Conference, 19th June 2007

ForewordA Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning

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ForewordA Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning

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because of demographic, economicand social change and legislativedevelopments. In-migration toScotland as a result of the ScottishExecutive’s Fresh Talent Initiativeand influx of peoples from theEuropean Union A8 Accessionstates is one of the ways in whichworkplaces in Scotland arechanging.

Over the past three years alleducation providers, includingworkplace learning providers likethe WEA, report that demand forESOL (English for Speakers ofOther Languages) has grownsignificantly and all adult educationservices have struggled to respond.Recent Scottish Governmentresearch confirms that in-migrationto Scotland is increasing andprojected to grow, compensatingfor indigenous population decline.(2)

It also reports that while migrantshave tended to concentrate in mainpopulation centres, more recentlythere are increasing numbers ofpeople settling into new areas,including more rural parts ofScotland. This research alsoconfirms the economic and socialimportance and value of ESOLprovision as a key factor in thesuccessful integration of migrantworkers.

The WEA Scotland has beenfunded by the Lifelong LearningDirectorate of the ScottishGovernment to create a helpfultool for all ESOL practitionerssupporting ESOL learning deliveryin the workplace across Scotland.The timing of this project fits wellwith the Scottish Government’s

new Adult ESOL Strategy whichrequires partners to ‘Work withemployers, … and others tosupport and develop ‘Englishfor vocational purposes’.(3)

This guide to organising workplaceESOL learning and theaccompanying resources pack arethe result of a 15 month projectinvolving a great many ESOLlearners, practitioners andorganising staff and employerpartners. It also builds on twohighly innovative WEA ESOLLearning in the Workplace projectsin Glasgow and Highland,supported by the respectiveAdult Literacy and NumeracyPartnerships. The fieldworkexperience and expertise of staffin the WEA Glasgow and Highlandprojects and many contributors tothe project around Scotland hasbeen critical to the developmentof this resource.

Some users of this Guide may besurprised not to find a descriptivecurriculum and definitive set ofworkplace ESOL teaching andlearning materials. The WEA hasdeveloped a strong workplacelearning strategy which is informedand guided by the Scottish SocialPractice approach to learning. Thestarting point in the delivery of allthe WEA workplace learningactivity is the learner. Curriculumis negotiated and developed aroundthe individual learner’s purposesand goals and embedded in thewider social context of theworkplace. Workplace ESOLlearning will usually also requireinput from other workplace

5

Notes1. Welcoming New Scots. Report of the Conference held at Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow 19th June 2007. Advisory Board for

Naturalisation and Integration (Scotland) in collaboration with Learning Link Scotland.2. Examining the Impact of EU Enlargement and the Introduction of the UK Citizenship Test on Provision of English for Speakers

of Other Languages (ESOL) in Scotland. Scottish Government Social Research, 2007.3. The Adult ESOL Strategy for Scotland. Scottish Executive: Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department, March 2007.

stakeholders including employers,supervisors and co-workers. In theworkplace context, ESOL learningcurriculum will therefore make useof, or contribute to:

the culture, purpose andobjectives of the particularworkplace;

the introduction or developmentof new workplace practices orpolicies;

workplace language anddocumentation includingunderstanding of local dialectand colloquial language; and

other staff development andtraining, including the attainmentof vocational qualifications.

We hope practitioners using thisGuide will see it as a helpfulresource filled with practical advice,tips and ideas, sound counsel andsupport (for those challengingmoments which, in our experience,will inevitably occur). It will enablethem to develop and deliver arange of good quality bespokeESOL learning provision, includingScottish Qualifications Authority(SQA) accredited learning options,which best suits their ESOLlearners and the workplacecontext. Also included here are

a number of workplace ESOLresources developed byexperienced tutors to show whatcan be done in these kinds ofcourses, and to help practitionersthink about how to produce theirown resources to suit their ownprogrammes.

Though the WEA has more than100 years’ experience ofdeveloping and deliveringworkplace learning, ESOL learningin the workplace is very much in itsinfancy in Scotland. It is an area ofwork of huge importance to all ofus, not least for the “New Scots”making vital contributions to ourcountry. With the continuedsupport of the ScottishGovernment, it is also an area ofadult education set to expand anddevelop over the next three years.The Project Team and all thosewho co-operated in the productionof this Guide to organisingworkplace ESOL learning andaccompanying Resource packvery much hope that it will makea positive contribution to the workof ESOL practitioners acrossScotland.

WEA Scotland

Provider: The college, local authority, voluntary organisationor community group responsible for providing ESOL.

Co-ordinator: The representative of the ESOL provider. This personhas the responsibility for appointing the tutor andliaising with the employer.

Tutor: The person employed by the provider to teach theWorkplace ESOL course. This person is responsiblefor setting goals, creating resources and helping thelearners achieve their goals.

Learner: The employee from the workplace who is attendingthe ESOL course.

Employer: The representative of the workplace. This personinitiates contact with the provider and has responsibilityfor co-ordinating the programme on behalf of theworkplace.

Supervisor: Also known as a line-manager or team leader, thisperson has direct responsibility for the learners inthe workplace. They may be known by other namesdepending on the workplace/sector.

Negotiator: A representative of a union or training departmentwho helps develop the programme by negotiatingwith learners and the employer.

Project Team: A support network for the tutor which can consist ofvarious stakeholders for example employer contact,line manager, co-ordinator, tutor.

Throughout this guide we will bereferring to a number of differentpeople who play essential roles in

Workplace ESOL courses: thestakeholders. Below is a briefdescription of each of these roles.

Workplace courses begin withcontact between the provider andthe employer and develop alongthe lines summarised in thisdocument. Each step is expandedand discussed in subsequent

sections. Not every course willprogress exactly as outlined, butthe flowchart on the following pageprovides a useful template forplanning, for reviewing and forforming next steps.

IntroductionA Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning

6

An Introduction to Workplace ESOL

In general, the process can bedivided into three main stages, asillustrated in the flowchart below:

course developmentcourse deliverycourse completionand evaluation

Provider and Employer make contact

Tutor chosen and Project Team established

Information Gathered andworkplace needs assessed

Course promoted and Learners signed up

Learner needs Workplace tour Supervisor needsassessment assessment

Course delivery begins

Goal setting

Ongoing communication and feedback betweenSupervisors / Learners / Tutor / Co-ordinator

Review and course evaluationTutor Employer Learner

Final report written and distributed

Next steps


7

Dev

elop

men

tDelivery

Com

pletionan

dEvaluation


8

Step One: Making ContactA Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning

9

The employer may contact the ESOLprovider to request aWorkplaceESOL course, or respond to contactfrom the provider (for example aninformation mail out).

A representative of the providermeets with the employer to

determine the nature of therequest and begin the processof developing a course.

“It is best to have a namedcontact when approaching anemployer by telephone or inwriting.” – WEA

See Examples 1, 2, 3

See Appendix: A

First Meeting

The co-ordinator can use this firstcontact to make certain that theemployer is willing to commit tothe terms of a workplace course.While terms are flexible,employers should be willingto consider:

10 weeks of classes;2 x 2 hour classes per week;Release time for employeesto attend classes;Space to hold the class;Photocopying and other supportfor the tutor;A tour of the workplace andat least one meeting withmanagers or supervisors directlyresponsible for the learners;Ongoing feedback and supportfrom the employer to helpcreate and refine the course;Shared funding for courses.

This meeting is a good time forcoordinators to let employersknow what workplace ESOLcourses do not do:

Take learners from having verylittle English to being fluentin 40 hours;Health and safety training,Food handling training or otherworkplace-related training;Compel employees to attendor teach learners who do notwant to be there;Provide to the employera source of confidentialinformation about employees.

“The organisation has a lot offorms and reporting procedures,some of them quite complex andrequiring a high level of writing andreading skills. I’m not quite sureof how realistic the employersexpectations are, especially of thebeginner level group.” – Tutor

“Workplace ESOL programmesneed consistent funding to besustainable over the long term.When employers see thedifference that ESOL provisionhas made, they have been verysupportive of further provisionand are willing to contribute toresources, through covering coursecosts, providing a teachingassistant, or providing employeeswith paid release time.” – WEA


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Example 1 An example of current WEA promotional material


11

English at Work programmes,coordinated by the Workers’Educational Association (WEA),are a resource for employers witha diverse workforce. Mostemployers recognise that migrantworkers come with tremendousskills, knowledge and work ethic.However, they also know thatlanguage barriers in the workplacecan be problematic and costly.

English at Work programmesprovide employers with:needs analysis to determinethe training needs;on-site job-specific Englishlanguage training for employees;communication advice andsupports for supervisors;SQA accreditation if requested.

Much of the work done wasbased on internal documents andjobs. Enhancing the language skillscan only benefit our organisationand help integrate the foreign staffwith the locality and organisation

Louise Matheson of Aquascot

The benefits have been tremendouswith much better communication and acloser working relationship between theforeign workers and the company. They-

better understand that they can have a longterm partnership with the company and thatwe do not just want them for the ‘short

term’ to ease staffing problems.

Bill MacDonald of Strathaird Salmon

English at Work training is focusedon the specific communicationneeds of your workplace. Benefitsto employers and their employeesinclude:

reduced wastage and errors;increased worker adaptability;improved understanding ofquality standards, training andhealth and safety issues; andenhanced confidence andmorale in the workplace.

Example 2


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Example 3

November 22, 2005

Human Resource ManagerDxx HotelScotland

Dear Sir / Madam:

One of your staff members has recently contacted the Workers’Educational Association for an English language assessmentand referral to classes. You may be interested to know that theWEA, in collaboration with Adult Basic Education, is offeringsupport to businesses and organisations in Inverness withemployees who are learning to speak English. The Englishat Work programme provides job-specific English languagetraining for groups right at their place of work, and aims toassist supervisors and managers in communicating moreclearly with non-English speaking staff. Programmes can rangefrom short to long term and beginner to advanced leveldepending on need.

If you are interested in learning more about this programme,please contact me. I would be pleased to talk with you on thephone or come to your workplace to discuss possible Englishat Work training initiatives with you for your staff.

Sincerely,

Workplace ESOL co-ordinator


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“The timing of the class often hasan effect on learners that tutorsneed to be sensitive to. If a classcomes immediately at shift endlearners are possibly more likelyto attend than if the class startsthirty minutes or an hour later.On the other hand, learnerscoming straight into class after aday at work are more likely to betired and less able to concentrate.Sometimes a short break beforeclass where learners can get adrink or some fresh air makes abig difference in their enjoymentof the class.” – WEA

In the first meeting the co-ordinator will want to determine:

Why is the employer consideringan ESOL course? for example isthere a specific language-relatedproblem in the workplace?What are the employers’(general) goals in requestinglanguage training?Is the employer interestedin accredited training suchas SQA qualifications?Approximately how manyemployees require languagetraining?What language groups arerepresented?When would the employerlike classes to begin?What time of day would suitthe employer/employees best?Does the employer have asuitable training space available?This might not be a dedicatedtraining room, but should bea quiet space where the classwill not be interrupted.How will learners find out aboutand access the course?for example will there beadvertising, sign-up, interviews,etc.Is the employer interested inbeing informed of training needsapart from ESOL should theyarise in the needs assessment?


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Appendix A contains a form thatco-ordinators might want to use ina first meeting with employers toensure that they cover everything.

“From my point of view, taking onSQA accreditation was challenging,but it was also more rewarding forthe learners.” – Tutor

In the final step before deliverybegins, the co-ordinator confirmswith the employer, tutor andlearners:

start and end datesdays and times of classsuitable venuemethod and type of regulartutor reporting (to employerand co-ordinator)administrative issues (use ofphotocopier, provision of paper,pen, folder)method of accreditation, if anydetails of who will receive a finalcertificate (for example what %of attendance is required)how to deal with poor attendanceor other problems if they arisemethod of feedback and reviewwith the learnerswhat learners need to bring toclasswhether there will be homework

See Appendix A

Appendix A First Meeting Checklist

About the WorkplaceCompany name:Contact person:

# of staff: # of offices:Reason/motivation:

Accreditation:

General goals:Project team:

About the learners# of learners:Nationalities:

Language level:Shift patterns:Occupations:

Course logisticsRelease for assessment: Start date:

Funding:Course promotion:Length of course: Days:

Times: Venue:Learner:

Reporting:Recognition:

Post assessment:During course:

ResourcesClassroom equipment:

Learner resources:In kind support:


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“This time, we were in the diningroom. We never know where thelesson will be held. Some (rooms)are better than others. The largeconference room is too big; thefoyer and small sitting room havestaff walking to and fro, the barand dining room are good in thatthey are behind closed doors andthere is a socket handy for the CDplayer.” – Tutor

“Some workplaces have busytimes – production might increasearound Christmas, hotel staffmight become exceptionally busyin the summer – or very slowtimes – factory shut downs overholidays, off seasons in hospitality.During these times, ESOL learningwill not be a priority for thelearners or the employer. Providersneed to investigate thesepossibilities before a class beginsand be creative and patient inworking out solutions.” – WEA

“Workplace ESOL courses arean investment, and employerscan see that. Employees who areoffered ESOL classes are morelikely to stay with an employer;the courses promote positivefeelings on both sides.” – WEA

It is a good idea to formalise theagreement with the employer.A letter outlining what has beenagreed can suffice, or the providermay wish to draw up a formalagreement and have it signedby the employer and tutor.

See Examples 4, 5


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Example 4

Workplace Agreement – Roles and ResponsibilitiesCompany or organisation:

Course:Location:Duration:

The WEA Workplace ESOL co-ordinator willarrange for and support an experienced tutor to deliver xx, weekly,one:XXX tutorials, usually on XXX afternoons from X.XX – X.XX pm;provide resources such as reading material, worksheets, laptopcomputer;be the liaison between the learner, the organisation, and the tutorfor queries about the course.

The Employer will support the learning programme byallowing the learners time off work to attend the sessionsproviding a learning space that is safe, suitable and undisturbedrespecting the confidentiality of tutoring details between learnerand tutorproviding a member of staff as contact to support the learningprogrammeevaluating the effect of the tutoring at the end of the course

If XXX, in an emergency, are unable to fulfil their commitment toprovide learning space or time off work for learner, they will tell theWEA Workplace ESOL co-ordinator as soon as possible.

The WEA Tutor Organiser will liaise with all parties for all otheraspects of the programme.

Agreed on behalf of XXXX Date:

Agreed on behalf of the WEA Date:

WEA Workplace ESOL Co-ordinator Tutor:

Tel:

XXX Contact:

Tel:

Workers’ Educational Association (WEA)National ESOL project

SCOTTISH ASSOCIATION SECRETARY: Joyce ConnonRiddle’s Court, 322 Lawnmarket, Edinburgh EH1 2PG T: 0131 226 3456 F: 0131 220 0306 email: [email protected] website:www.weascotland.org.uk The WORKERS’ EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION is a company limited by guarantee registered in Englandnumber 2806910 and a registered charity number 1112775. Registered address is WEA, 3rd Floor, 70 Clifton Street, London, EC2A 4HB.


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Example 5


SCOTTISH ASSOCIATION SECRETARY: Joyce ConnonRiddle’s Court, 322 Lawnmarket, Edinburgh EH1 2PG T: 0131 226 3456 F: 0131 220 0306 email: [email protected] website:www.weascotland.org.uk The WORKERS’ EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION is a company limited by guarantee registered in Englandnumber 2806910 and a registered charity number 1112775. Registered address is WEA, 3rd Floor, 70 Clifton Street, London, EC2A 4HB.

English at Work Programme Aims

1. To develop English language ability2. To improve capacity to communicate effectively at work3. To build confidence

Length: 10 weeks [20 sessions at 2hrs = 40hrs]Days: Monday and Thursday

Starting date: 5 February 2007End date: 12 April 2007*

Group meets: 4:15 pm to 6:15 pm with 15 minute breakLocation: Canteen at Axx after shift end

Resources: Learning materialsWhite board/markers/flip chartsPhotocopying

Venue: Xxxxxx xxxxxxxxStudents: 12 Learners

Tutor: MxxSupport staff: Jxx, WEA

Lxx, EmployerMxx, Employer

Comments:Appropriate course materials will be prepared by WEA tutor;All tutor and teaching materials costs will be covered by WEA;A joint evaluation of the course will be conducted by the WEAand employer;Employer will provide an appropriate venue within the workplaceand time for staff to attend the course.

*to be confirmed


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Bringing in the TutorOnce the employer has agreedto a Workplace ESOL course, theco-ordinator can contact a tutorregarding the nature of theworkplace, course expectations,content, number of learners,location, times, dates of training,rate of pay, etc. From this pointon, the co-ordinator and tutor worktogether closely on all aspects ofcourse development.

“ Ideally Workplace ESOLcourses will have tutors whoare experienced in ESOL andin workplace tutoring. Very fewproviders, however, are ableto employ tutors full time forWorkplace ESOL courses. Inaddition, inconsistent funding forprogrammes means trained andexperienced tutors are oftenforced to move on and take otherwork. In some rural areas, thereare chronic shortages of tutorswho are able to take on WorkplaceESOL. In order to ensure a bankof tutors, providers need to offertraining to new tutors on a regularbasis.” – WEA

Providers will have to give carefulconsideration to when is the besttime to appoint a tutor. Workplaceprogrammes can have a long lead-in time: sometimes over a year.While having tutors involved at anearly stage is helpful in establishingthe course, bringing a tutor in tooearly can be costly for the providerand frustrating for the tutor.

If, on the other hand, providerspostpone appointing a tutor theymay find the course is delayedas they search to find a tutor whois both suitable and available.Delaying the course can causeproblems for the employer andmay create further setbacks ingetting the course running.

“An acceptable distance to travelto teach a class will differdepending on where the coursetakes place. In some rural areas,tutors may need to travel longdistances to and from a workplace.Providers may have to factor insubstantial travel expenses whencosting out Workplace ESOLprovision.”– WEA

See Case Study 2

See Case Study 1


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Case Study 1: Ten Days

Sometimes, a course can start very quickly. In the case of this smallhotel, the ESOL Workplace co-ordinator made phone contact with thehotel owner to discuss the need for ESOL courses. Two days latershe met with the employer to discuss times, days, length of course,and learners who might take part. The owner had already identifiedfour potential ESOL learners and they briefly discussed their needs.The same learners had previously undertaken lessons with anindependent tutor and were keen to continue their learning.

The co-ordinator contacted a potential tutor, who was available andagreed to take on the contract. At the beginning of the followingweek they both met with the hotel owner.

The employer had very specific goals and was keen to begin lessonsas soon as possible, so the tutor found it easy to get information fromthe owner. Gathering authentic material came later.

The first session with four learners began two days later. The tutor,with co-ordinator support, undertook the learner needs assessmentin the first session, and the course continued from there for 10 weeks.

The speed with which this course was implemented was madepossible through several factors:a positive employer who was prepared to give the ESOL learnerstime during the week to attend lessons and also provide a suitableroom;the co-ordinator having built up a pool of tutors that she was incontact with;a flexible tutor with two compatible time slots available during eachweek; anda small class of four learners, making the initial assessment easierto facilitate.


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Case Study 2:Long Lead-in

When the WEA Workplace ESOL co-ordinator made initial contactwith this building company, they were keen to undertake an ESOLcourse. The main focus for the employer was to develop the migrantworkers’ relationship with the company and to help them integrateinto the community.

Following the initial positive discussions with the company, the co-ordinator decided to move quickly and, at this early stage, contactedan experienced ESOL tutor. The tutor was enthusiastic about beinginvolved. She, in turn, began assessments with potential learnersand undertook a workplace tour.

Unfortunately, the Christmas break had a major impact on theprogression of the course. The company closed for two weeksand many of the migrant workers travelled to Poland.

In January, more obstacles interfered with the start of the course.Initially the employer had been prepared to release staff for fourhours per week, making the start times compatible with shiftpatterns. However, he later decided that it was not workable forthe company and there were further postponements while morediscussion about class time took place.

These unavoidable delays had a negative impact on the tutor.Initially she had been very enthusiastic, but as time passed she lostmotivation and confidence. Eventually she decided to resign fromthe project and another tutor had to be brought in, meaning furtherdelays before the class finally began.

The stage at which to contact and bring in the tutor is importantin the negotiations leading up to a course starting. The co-ordinatorneeds to be confident early on that she can supply staff but thisneed has to be balanced with the awareness that negotiationscan sometimes be very protracted.


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“There was a slight issue earlyon concerning the use of the areanormally used as a quiet spacefor staff, with other employeesnot being able to access the roomduring class times. This wasquickly dealt with by the employerand the Union representatives andhas not been a problem since.”– Tutor

“Some tutors found that the realityof Workplace ESOL was verydifferent from their expectations –more challenging than they hadanticipated. Those that were ableto take part in more extensivetraining, and take advantage ofmore ongoing support were ableto adapt to challenges more easilyand face problems with moreconfidence.” – WEA

“Workplace ESOL tutors may nothave a colleague on hand to talkthings over with. They found thesupport of other tutors in regularmeetings to be very helpful. Beingable to talk about their practices,challenges and successes helpedthem see solutions to problemsand gave them fresh ideas.” – WEA

Project TeamOnce the tutor has been identifiedthe coordinator can set up ameeting of the Project Team asa way of introducing the tutor andthe employer. A Project Team isprimarily a support network forthe tutor and these are the peoplethat the tutor can ask for help orsupport during the course. Theteam can consist of the employercontact, often an HR manager, butsometimes the owner or generalmanager of the business, othermembers of staff at the workplace,the tutor and the coordinator. Ifthere is union involvement in thecompany, the project team canalso include a union learningrepresentative.

“Met with employer in advance,and established good relations withcontacts at depot as well as localTrade Union representatives, allof whom are very supportive oflearners. On occasions whenlearners have been late, Operationsstaff have kept me informed ofdelays.” – Tutor

See Case Study 3

ProjectTeam

Negotiator Supervisor

Tutor Co-ordinator

OwnerHR contactManager

Othermembersof staff


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Case Study 3:The Role of a Project Team

In October 2007, the Workplace ESOL co-ordinator contacted theHR Manager for the hotel to arrange an initial meeting. In thismeeting, they discussed the details of running a course foremployees, including the number of workers with ESOL needs,their language background and in which departments they worked.

The co-ordinator outlined the expectations to the employer:to provide a suitable place for classes;to allow employees time off from their work in order to beassessed;to release employees to attend classes over a period of 10 weeks;to arrange a workplace tour which involved recording informationusing a camera and writing down information given by membersof staff; andto facilitate a meeting between the tutor and the relevant linemanagers or supervisors.

The HR Manager took the time to speak to relevant departmentmanagers before contacting the co-ordinator two weeks later andconfirming that the course could go ahead. At this point, a tutor wasbrought in and given all the information gathered so far, along withthe contact details for the HR Manager.

The tutor took over the development of the course by:organising times to carry out assessments with workers;meeting with supervisors to identify employer needs;conducting workplace tours; andnegotiating class times and a start date for the classes.

The success of this programme was largely due to the support givenby the HR Manager, departmental supervisors and other membersof staff: the Project Team. The tutor was available and willing to carryout the necessary development work and deliver the classes and theworkers themselves were keen to attend classes to improve theirEnglish language skills.

23Step Two: Gathering InformationA Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning

SEE ILLUSTRATION 11

Before classes begin, the projectteam meets so that everyoneagrees on the goals of the projectand the support network for thecourse tutor is established.

What the Tutor Needs to KnowThe tutor or co-ordinator:gathers information from theemployer about goals for thecourse;gets the names contact details,and locations of managers orsupervisors who can provideinformation for the developmentof instructional material andresources;arranges for a tour of theworkplace.clarify health and safety issues.

Tutors might also want to browsethe internet for information aboutthe workplace and/or the sector,as most employers have a website.The more the tutor knows aboutthe workplace and the spoken andwritten language that employeesare required to understand and usebefore beginning classes, thebetter.

Additional pre-course work carriedout by the tutor must be reflectedin their contract.

“Accommodation for WorkplaceESOL courses can be as variedas the workplace. Tutors findthemselves teaching in boardrooms, offices, canteens andrestaurants. Each provideschallenges: boardrooms can beintimidating, canteens can be noisyand prove distracting. They all havetheir advantages, as well: meetingrooms are often well fixed for

tutoring equipment like whiteboards and projectors, while a busyroom might give the learnersopportunities to practice theirEnglish.” – WEA

The Workplace TourEvery workplace is different andso each tour will provide differentkinds of information for tutors.Be prepared to ask questions andrecord information about:

The kinds of work being doneby employees;The tools, equipment, machineryand materials employees areusing (making note of relevantvocabulary);The atmosphere in the workplace– level of noise, temperature,light;The amount of dialogue betweenemployees, or betweenemployees and supervisors;The presence of supervisors –are they immediately visible oreasy to find?The amount of written workundertaken by employees –are there forms to be filled, notestaken, timesheets completed,reports written?The amount of readingundertaken – are they makingreference to forms or instructions,signs on the walls, instructionson machinery, work instructions,duty rosters?Any numeracy issues – doemployees need to read/writenumbers or units ofmeasurement? Do they oftensay/hear them?The sort of uniform or personalprotective equipment worn inthe workplace.

See Appendix: B

Step Two: Gathering InformationA Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning

24

Appendix B is a form that tutors orco-ordinators might want to use torecord information on a workplacetour.

It is very difficult to get all thisinformation in one trip througha workplace, but with experiencetutors will get better at asking theright questions and noticinglanguage related informationon the tour.

It is a good idea to arrange fora second tour after classes havestarted and to get writtenpermission to take a digital cameraand photograph or video thelearners at their work. Theseimages can be extremely usefulin the classroom for buildingvocabulary and talking aboutwork duties or processes.

See Example 6

See Case Study 4

See Appendix B

Health and safety/hygiene routines:Kind of work done:

Tools:

Equipment/machinery:

Materials:

Atmosphere:(temperature, noise,

light, etc.)

Employee/supervisorcontact:

Co-worker contact:

Reading/writing:(Signs, forms,

time sheets, etc.)

Numeracy:(measurement,quantity, etc.)

Uniforms, clothing:

Notes:

Appendix B Workplace Tour Form


25

Case Study 4:Bring the Trolley In

One of the great advantages of Workplace ESOL classes is theavailability of authentic resources. The materials and tools that thelearners use in their work are on hand and can be incorporated intothe lessons. The supervisors and managers who deliver inductiontraining are also usually on site and available to help the tutorsunderstand vocabulary and processes.

One successful course was delivered in a hotel to a group ofemployees from the housekeeping and kitchen departments.The tutor delivering the course made use of the equipment whichhousekeeping staff used in their daily tasks by wheeling the cleaningtrolley into the classroom:

“Realia is always very successful. I used the housekeeper’s trolleyloaded with all their work tools and equipment for several lessons.”


26

Example 6

West Lothian Adult Literacy and Numberacy Partnership

We might wish to use photographs of you in your workplace, forpublicity (in leaflets, for example), for awareness-raising, and forreporting to our funders (local authority and Scottish Government).If you agree to this, please sign here.

I give permission for WEA to use photographs of me, as longas they are in context.

Signed: Date:

Name (please print)

If you are happy for your picture to be used, please say below,which information you are happy for us to use with thephotograph/s. Then sign at the bottom.

YES NO

Your full nameYour initial(s) onlyName of courseName of workplace or name of employerName of your town or your cityName of WEA Scotland group you attended

When reproducing photograph/s of me, please ensure you includeonly the information I have agreed to, as described above.

Signed: Date:

Name(please print)SCOTTISH ASSOCIATION SECRETARY: Joyce ConnonRiddle’s Court, 322 Lawnmarket, Edinburgh EH1 2PG T: 0131 226 3456 F: 0131 220 0306email: [email protected] website: www.weascotland.org.ukThe WORKERS’ EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION is a company limited by guarantee registered in England number 2806910and a registered charity number 1112775. Registered address is WEA, 3rd Floor, 70 Clifton Street, London, EC2A 4HB.


27Step Two: Gathering InformationA Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning

Gathering Workplace DocumentsAt this stage, the tutor also gathersworkplace written documentsrelevant to the learners, this caninclude:work orders,memo formats,employee handbook,employee performance reports,health and safety documentsand signs,incident reports.

Think about what the learners needto do at work and what they needto understand about how theworkplace functions. For example,they might not have to fill inincident reports, but understandingthe process might help themunderstand more about whathappens in their workplace.

“Many tutors felt they wouldbenefit from developing their ITskills for taking part in Workplacetutoring. Using the internet toaccess ESOL websites andresources, or find clip art imagesis a useful skill.” – Provider

“Some of the literature given tome by the employers was useful,the fire safety procedure, forexample.” – Tutor

“Workplace ESOL courses requirea lot of additional preparation timefor tutors to create appropriatetutoring resources. Turningworkplace documents andhandbooks into suitable teachingand learning tools takes time andneeds to be reflected in the tutorcontract.” – WEA

Also, learners may not be requiredto fill in incident report formsbecause their supervisors believethem to be incapable of doing it.Find out if writing reports would bea useful workplace skill for learnersand offer to teach it to them.

“Having done the groundworkin setting up the course, thanksto (the co-ordinator) liaising initiallywith management, I was pleasedwith the good relationshipestablished with managementand staff. They were alwayswelcoming and helpful withany queries, accommodation,photocopying and supplyingclassroom equipment.” – Tutor

Step Two:A Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning

28

29Step Three: Promoting the CourseA Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning

Establishing how the learners hearabout the course and how theywill sign up to be interviewed isan important part of the process.There are many ways ofdistributing information, and eachworkplace may have their ownway of promoting learningopportunities.

“It is important to have supportfor the Workplace ESOLprogramme from management atall levels. Senior management arebest positioned to encourage theentire workplace, at all levels, tosupport the programme. Employeesupervisors need to see the valueof the learning, too, as theirbacking is important to thelearners.” – WEA

Depending on the workplace, it canbe important to make clear earlyon to everyone that expressing aninterest in an ESOL class does notguarantee a space in the course. Insome workplaces, oversubscriptionmight not be a problem, but inothers it is best to avoiddisappointment. If there is a lotof interest for a course, employersmight consider planning for asecond round of classes or splittingthe learners by language level intotwo separate classes.

Courses can be advertised in manyways:word of mouthpayslip insertsposters on bulletin boardsflyersinformation sessions

While it should be possible toadvertise the course through wordof mouth or internalannouncements, the employer andthe coordinator must agree that noone is compelled, or made to feelcompelled, to attend the course.

Information sessions are a goodway of advertising an ESOL courseand gauging interest within aworkplace. With the help of theemployer, the tutor or co-ordinator(or both) speak briefly to groups ofemployees and tell them about theproposed ESOL training, finallyasking that anyone who isinterested in learning more aboutthe classes sign a sheet. Ideally,the employer will be able to bringthe employees together in amanageable group. However,tutors and co-ordinators may insome workplaces find themselvesspeaking to a very large group (ona factory floor).

Wherever possible, everyemployee who indicates interestis interviewed. Even if someoneis not eligible for the proposedtraining, an interview could indicateanother training opportunity withinthe company that could bereported back to the employer.An interview is also a goodopportunity to signpost and referlearners to other providers orlearning opportunities if theproposed Workplace ESOL courseis not suitable. Also, any interviewis a good opportunity to find outwhat the general attitude istowards ESOL learning or toidentify possible topics to coverin the course.

See Case Study 5

See Example 7

Step Three: Promoting the CourseA Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning

30

Example 7

Free English Classes!Tuition in English for Speakers of Other Languages

(ESOL) is available to you free of charge now!

If you are working and English is your second languageattend our classes which can be held at your place of work.

This tuition will help you:

Communicate better with colleagues and friends

Build your confidence

Get more from your job

Improve your career prospects

Prepare for further education

Find out more about Scottish culture

To find out more about these free English classes please:

Talk to your managerOr contact:(Workplace ESOL Co-ordinator)Workplace Literacies (including ESOL)WEA Scotland

Tel:

Email:

Step Three: Promoting the CourseA Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning

31

Case Study 5:Expect the Unexpected

Sometimes the needs assessment process can bring up learningissues of which the employer is unaware. Workplace ESOLco-ordinators are usually brought in when employers identifya communication problem related to language, but co-ordinatorsneed to be open to other issues, as well.

In one large manufacturing plant, the tutor and coordinator didseveral stand up information sessions for groups of thirty or moreemployees. After the sessions, they passed a sign up sheet aroundthe group for anyone interested in a personal interview andassessment. When it came time for interviews, they were surprisedto find that several indigenous speakers of English had signed theirnames to the interview list.

Rather than refuse to interview the indigenous speakers on thegrounds that the classes were unsuitable for them, the tutor metwith each employee individually. She explained what the ESOLclasses were and then spoke to them about why they had signedup for interview and what learning they would be interested inthemselves.

When the tutor reported back to the employer on the needsassessment process, she included the information she had receivedfrom the indigenous speakers, making sure she had informationavailable on all aspects of learning highlighted in the assessmentstage.

Step Three:section oneA Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning

32

Step Four: Needs AssessmentA Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning

33

This step is a multi-stage processand takes place with severalgroups within a workplace:

supervisors or managers –generally best as a focus group,but they can be approachedindividually as well (Appendix C);learners – either individually orin small groups (Appendix D);other people in the workplacethat the learners have contactwith, like team leaders, linemanagers and office staff.

Employer Needs AssessmentQuestions for supervisors andteam leaders include:

Which employees will participateand why?Who do the employees needto speak with at work?Who speaks to them?What do they need to reador write?If they are not reading or writingnow, is there anything it would behelpful for them to read or write?What one thing would make theemployees job easier or allowthem to advance?What one thing would make theemployers or supervisors jobeasier?

“The driver needs to conversewith the public and his colleagues.We need our drivers to be ableto read signs, forms and routedestinations. They also need toconverse with emergency servicesand give correct information.”– Employer

“Not all employers have specificworkplace goals in mind whenthey decide to offer WorkplaceESOL courses. Speaking Englishat work may not be vital in a singlelanguage workplace, butemployers may want to help theiremployees integrate into thecommunity and enjoy their livesin Scotland more.” – WEA

The final two questions can identifyconcrete and achievable topics thatthe tutor can teach in early classes,something that will have anobvious and constructive effectin the workplace. In addition tobeing of benefit to the learnersthis creates a positive relationshipwith the employer when they seethat the workplace ESOL class isaddressing issues that they haveidentified as significant. Thispositive relationship will meanmore and better support for thecourse which can make a bigdifference both to the tutor andto the learners.See Appendix C

See Appendix: C,D


34

Name(s) anddepartments:

Language skills needed (prioritise by number 1, 2, 3, 4)

listening speaking reading writing

Listening/understandingWho speaks to the (try taking them through an average day in order to be thorough)employees that will

be in the class?

What about? (take notes as they come up from above)

SpeakingWho do the (be sure to ask ‘ideally, who should they be able to speak to?’)employeesspeak to?

What about?

ReadingWhat do you want

the employeesto be able to read?

WritingWhat do the

employees needto be able to write?

GeneralWhat can I do for

learners in thiscourse to help you

with your workas their supervisor?

Staff members of this small family-run hotel.The families for whom Kxx cleans.

Work in the grounds. Cleaning methods and materials.Healthy lifestyles.Accents sometimes make this difficult.

Other staff, often using the other Polish staff asinterpretersvisitors, by chance as they go about their jobs

Greetings.Responses to employers instructions and suggestions.

Labels on cleaning materials, mostly.

Nothing specific

The owner’s first concern was for the learners to develop personallyand socially. This holistic approach includes:• Learning not to rely on pre-cooked junk food,• Learning about the geographical and historic features of the area,• Encouraging them to get out and about, whether on foot, bike, orby public transport,

• Encouraging them to go to local events or clubs• Helping them improve their English

Mrs. XXX, Proprietor of the Hotel

Axx – reception and housekeeping

Bxx – Assistant to Axx

Appendix C Needs Assessment Supervisors/Other Workplace Contacts

1 3 2 4


35

Social InteractionThe starting point in the deliveryof all WEAWorkplace Learningactivity is the Learner. Curriculumis negotiated and developed aroundthe individual learner’s purposes andgoals and embedded in the widersocial context of the workplace.

“There is quite a range of Englishlanguage experience in the group,but they support each other. It isuseful that they share social, aswell as work life experiences, andthese can provide useful themesfor talking and writing.” – Tutor

It is important to ask about socialinteraction within the workplace:when do employees get breaks,where do they take them? Thetutor could even ask if there areany popular topics of conversationamong co-workers – doeseveryone watch EastEnders, followthe local football team? Socialinteraction and casual conversationwith co-workers is often one of thefirst improvements that employerswill notice and make positivecomments about.

“The two (members of staff) inthe kitchen seem happier. I thinkthey feel more like part of theteam. They feel valued. They arenot afraid to ask questions now.”- Employer

Learner Needs AssessmentThe purpose of the Learner NeedsAssessment Tool is to measurelanguage skills in all four areas:listening, speaking, reading andwriting.

The information provided by theLearner Assessment Tool shouldgive the tutor a goodunderstanding of the overalllanguage level of the learner. Thisinformation will assist the tutorwith planning lessons, pitchingtutor language in the classroomand grading language tasks.

Remember that everyone whosigns up for information aboutthe course should be interviewedif possible.

Conducting the Assessment“I found the learner assessmenttool easy to use and it enabled usto identify two different groups oflearners: one at around Access 2,the other around Access 3. If thetool is used flexibly, allowing forprompting where necessary, thenperhaps the learners might feel itis not being presented as an‘exam.’” – Tutor

The assessments are not tests orexams, but a means for the tutorto discover the learners’ goals andneeds. To make the assessmentsas stress free as possible for thelearners, always explain that theyare being assessed to establishwhat language skills they have,and which they need to develop.


36

Tutors can further lower the stresslevel and put learners at ease by:using an appropriate approach tointroducing the assessment (forexample body language, choiceof words, tone of voice);allowing the option of aninterpreter (ensure that theinterpreter only explains thepurpose of the assessment andinstructions but does nottranslate any of the assessmenttool);explaining that only the tutor willsee the completed assessments;ensuring there is sufficient timeavailable for learners to completethe assessment;emphasising that learners canstop whenever they want.

The Learner Needs Assessment toolincluded in this document is in twoparts: a listening speakingassessment in the form of aninterview with the tutor orco-ordinator and a reading andwriting task that the learnercompletes.

“The learner assessment toolwas useful as a starting point. Thewriting part was a bit intimidatingto a particularly diffident learner,and we agreed not to assess herwriting at that time.” – Tutor

Where the Learner NeedsAssessments take place, and howmuch time the tutor can give tothem help determine the form thatassessments will take.

If it is possible to spend 20-30minutes with each learner duringan assessment, the tutor beginswith the listening and speaking

interview.Explain the purpose of theinterview and the readingand writing assessments.Begin with the interview whichhelps to put the learner at easeand establishes a relationshipbetween learner and tutor.After the interview, the learnercan progress to the reading andwriting tasks.

If time for assessments is limited,the assessment tool can be usedwith groups of learners.Explain the purpose of thereading and writing assessmentsand the interview.Give each learner a copy of thereading and writing assessmenttool and explain how to completeit.As each completes thereading/writing assessment, thelearner comes to the tutor for theinterview. Because learners willfinish the reading/writingassessment at their own pace,the tutor will have a steadystream of interviews withoutleaving learners waiting too long.

“Although there were differencesin language skills between thelearners, I would say it was amanageable range, and I thinkthis helped to make the coursea success.” – Tutor

The assessments identify thelanguage level that the learners areworking towards and are based onthe SQA NQ ESOL Qualificationlevels. The speaking and writingassessments will also gatherinformation about their work, theirinterests and their language needs.


37

Listening and SpeakingAssessment: The InterviewThis step is divided into twophases.In the first phase, in addition togauging the learners’ ability tospeak and comprehend, the tutorgets information about thelearners’ background. Mostlearners, even beginners, shouldbe able to answer some of thesequestions.In the second phase, learnershave an opportunity to talk abouttheir work, their language learningand their interests. If learnersstruggle to understand or answerthese questions, it is best toconclude the interview and try toget this information later, in class,when the learner has moreconfidence.

The final page of the interviewform provides a space for the tutorto record the language level thatthe learner is working toward andto make any notes arising from theinterview relating to language skill.There is also space to record theresults of the reading and writingtasks.

The Reading and WritingAssessmentThis step is multi-phased. Asklearners to begin with the first taskand work through the tasks untilthey become too difficult. If alearner seems reluctant to stopworking on a task that is toodifficult, the tutor might need toset a time limit at this point; forexample, tutors might say that thelearner will have no more than5 or 10 minutes to complete thisportion of the assessment.The first two pages of theassessment determine if thelearner has any difficulties withliteracy in English. If a learner isable to complete the taskswithout help, it can be assumedthat literacy is not an issue. If thelearner is unwilling or unable tobegin, the tutor can read thestatements to the learner and askthem to indicate thecorresponding picture.The tool will assess a learner upto the stage of Intermediate 1,as defined by the SQA NQ ESOLqualifications, and is designedso that the tasks becomeincreasingly difficult.

If learners are taking an SQAqualification, the initial assessmentinformation will also give the tutora clear idea of which level of Unitthe learner should be workingtowards.

“Learners have been much moreinterested and motivated sinceembarking on work towards aqualification.” – Tutor

See Appendix D

Step Four:A Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning

38

Personal InformationWhat’s your name? First name and surname

(please tick one) Male FemaleWhat is your address?

Postcode

What is your phone number?What is your date of birth? DD / MM / YYYY

What country are you from?What languages do you speak?When did you come to Scotland?

How long do you planto stay in Scotland?

EducationLevel of education?

(for example how many years didthe learner go to school)

Have you ever studied Englishbefore?

If so, where and for how long

EmploymentHours worked: full time part time seasonal

unemployed otherWhat is your present job?

How long have you worked here?Have you worked anywhere

else in the UK?

What was your job in yourhome country?

01/01/1981

Philippines

Tagalog / English

2 years ago

2 more years

University : Management of tourism BA

no

no

Housekeeping

6 months

Leather factory

Tour guide

�

Appendix D Workplace ESOL Learner Assessment Tool

Step Four:A Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning

39

EmploymentWho do you

speak to at work?Who speaks to you?What do you have to

read at work?

What do you need towrite at work?

Do you need to usenumbers in your job?

In your job, what isthe most difficult thing

to do in English?

If you were taking anEnglish class, whatwould you like help

with the most?

What are your goals?What do you hope tobe doing in 2 years?

in 5 years?in 10 years?

What are your hobbiesand interests?

Notes Slightly better than the others. He has Scottish friends andis self-taught, so he’s able to communicate better. However,it’s still very basic and he gets frustrated because he’sunable to express himself. He’s never studied Englishformally, so I think he’ll benefit from the class as much asthe others. Acts as a go-between and translator.

Managers and supervisor – acts as translator for the others

Notice Board - Job of the Day

Nothing

No problems

Accents are difficult.Lack of vocab is frustrating: he can’t say what he wants

He’d like to be more polite to guests, to know the rightwords and phrases to use

Don’t know. Working too hard right now.

Appendix D Workplace ESOL Learner Assessment Tool

Step Five: Goal SettingA Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning

40

Learner

Appendix E Examples from several sources

CCoo--wwoorrkkeerrss

• Communicate as partof a team

• Follow instructions• Engage in informalconversation

• Use strategies forclarification andrepetition

LLiinnee--mmaannaaggeerr //SSuuppeerrvviissoorr

• Complete dailyreports

• Complete incidentand accidentreports

• Take telephonemessages

CCiittiizzeennsshhiipp

• Scottish language• Scottish culture• Spoken language• Vernacular

RReellaattiivveess

• Get informationabout residents

• Respond to relativesquestions

• Participate intelephoneconversations

• Take telephonemessages

RReessiiddeennttss

• Engage in informalconversation

• Ask and respond toresident’s questions

• Health related• Needs• Wishes

The Communication NetworkDiagramAll of the information gatheredthrough the needs assessmentprocess will help the tutor to planfor the Workplace ESOL Course,and to start setting goals that areachievable for the learners. ACommunication Network Diagram(CND) (Appendix E) is a useful firststep in organising information.

The purpose of the CND is to helpthe tutor define goals and developa workplace ESOL course based onthe learner and the interactions thatthey have in the workplace and thelarger community. It will help thetutor to see at a glance who themain stakeholders are in theworkplace ESOL course and todefine what interactions thestakeholders have with oneanother. The CND also helps thetutor in creating Individual or GroupLearning Plans (ILP and GLP)

“For me, the CommunicationsNetwork Diagram helped to clarifywhat was relevant to the learnersand so helped with lessonplanning.” – Tutor

The CND could be used in twoways.The tutor could develop oneCND for the entire class withinformation from the interviewswith learners, supervisors andmanagers, as well as from theinformation gathered on the tour.In this case, the CND can informa GLP.It is also possible for the tutorto build CNDs for each individuallearner, perhaps with the learnersas a group task in an early class.It will help determine whatpersonal goals the learners haveand provide information for anILP.

In either form, the CND is avaluable tool for tutors throughoutthe course: to define and refine goals; to check for the relevance ofa planned topic or activity;to make sure all aspects of thelearners’ lives, both in and outof work are being givenconsideration in the course.

“Some aspects of the courseframework were really useful. TheCND and action cards proved to begood points for discussion. Withthe beginners group, we did oneCND for the whole class while themore advanced group did one eachafter some discussion.” – Tutor

See Appendix E

41Step Five: Goal SettingA Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning See Appendix E, F, G, H


42

Tutors may wish to complete amore formal ILP as a way forlearners to articulate their personalgoals for the course, an example ofan ILP is given in Appendix F. It isstrongly recommended that tutorsadapt the example ILP for theirlearners/workplace.

See Appendix F


43

Workplace ESOL Goal SheetBased on the Workplace ESOLlearning principle that it is oftenmore effective to “teach less butteach it better”, workplace ESOLlearning objectives are a short listof goals identified by the learner,the employer, the unionrepresentative and the tutor. Otherconcepts and topics will naturallybe introduced during the course,but the focus will be on a few verytargeted goals recorded on theGoal Sheet (Appendix G).

“After the first assessments, itwas clear the learners had limitedEnglish skills. They were unableto express their own thoughts andopinions about what they wantedto learn. By the time we were halfway through the course, we hadestablished a good group and theyknew each other much better. Iwas then able to ascertain fromthem what they wanted to coverfor the latter half of theprogramme.” – Tutor

All of these goals emerge naturallyfrom the preparation of aCommunication Network Diagram.The method of measuring successin achieving the goals should beindicated on the form as well.

See Appendix G

Understand workplace policy surrounding unplanned absence from work

Learners know the phone number to call when they can’t

get to work

Learners can identify themselves and their supervisors

and spell relevant personal information

Learners can describe simple illnesses (cold, flu) and

appointments (dentist, hospital)

Goal 1Learners will:

Indicators of success:Learners can… a)

b)

c)


44

Examples taken from several goal sheetsExamples taken from several goal sheets

know about other tourism businesses in the local area.

learn more about their workplace.

will: be able to follow instructions.

follow tutor’s instructions

use vocabulary like ‘take’ ‘bring’

remember steps in a sequence.

describe orally a room on the grounds

write a paragraph for the website

match pictures and place names.

correctly pronounce place names.

give detailed directions from a town plan.

discuss the history of the hotel

be able to use currency and order food and drink.

know the names of canteen food regularly served.

know the denominations of money.

count change.

know the names of places of interest to tourists.

describe tourist sites

identify local landmarks

Appendix G Workplace ESOL Goal Sheet Workplace:

Tutor: Date:



b)c)



b)c)



b)c)



b)c)



b)c)


45

The goals will often be added toand refined during the first third ofthe course as the tutor comes to aclearer understanding of what thelearners are capable of achieving.Sometime soon after this, the tutorshould submit the goal sheet to theco-ordinator and possibly meet todiscuss it, perhaps sharing it withthe project team. The tutor canmake further changes if necessaryas the course develops, withregular updates to the co-ordinator.

“The group did some work onDoric since they had experienceddifficulty with the dialect used bycustomers and colleagues.”– Tutor

The goals, in an appropriate form,should also be distributed to thelearners so that they have a senseof where the course is going. Asthey gain in confidence, learnersmay want to add to the goals andsuggest topics.

“Last term, work round health anddoctors’ appointments didn’t seemuseful because learners take afriend to translate. However, wehad an interesting discussionaround what you get in thechemist, with lots of unexpectedquestions about what you can buyover the counter.” – Tutor

The tutor should fill in a lesson planand/or record of work for eachclass (Appendix H). It helps toprovide the main objectives or abrief plan for the day to the learnersat the beginning of every class andto invite them to add to the agenda.Tutors should keep these recordsand submit them to the coordinatorat the end of the course.

“I found the daily lesson plantemplate very useful for keepingtrack of all the classes. I teachanother elementary class at acollege. I was able to reuse anddevelop much of the same materialbetween these classes, as theyshare many of the samedifficulties.” – Tutor

See Appendix H


46

*In the case of an SQA accredited course, please makea note of the which outcome you are working towards

Appendix H Record of work:

Workplace:Tutor:

Dates of course:

Date of Class Topics / Work covered *

Appendix H Daily Lesson Plan:

Workplace:Tutor: Date:

Objective Activity Time

In case of SQA accredited course, please identify outcome

Tutors have the choice of a numberof different ways of assessing thelearners’ progress and givingfeedback to the learner. The choicewill depend on a number of things:the language level of the learnerthe number of learners in acoursethe length of the course (whichhas an effect on how much timetutors will feel it appropriate todevote to ongoing assessment)whether the course is accreditedthe expressed desires of thelearner

The following are some of theways the tutor might choose tobuild feedback and evaluation intothe course.

Check-in and Check-outChecking in is much more thanasking learners the standard“How are you? How was yourweekend?” questions. While thosequestions are good for warm-up,‘Check-in, Check-out’ questionscan actually be the most importantpart of the course evaluationprocess.

At the beginning of each class thetutor can take 5 -10 minutes forlearners to report on how theyhave used the English they arelearning. Learners can also presentlanguage problems or questions forthe tutor or the group to help with.

This may be a time for learners to; ask about an idiom or expressionthat was new and confusing; tell the group about a successthat they recently had, such asusing English for the first timeto get a bank loan or to ask thesupervisor for help; suggest a topic for English study,such as filling in a dental form orreading product labels; set new personal goals, suchas “I need to speak English tosomeone at lunch-time at leastonce every day.”

“The initial check-in tends todetermine the order and emphasisof the session.” – Tutor

Similarly, check-out can be a timefor learners to think about whatthey have learned in class that day.The tutor can allow 5-10 minutesto ask questions and encouragediscussion. Ask learners to reflecton questions like:

What did I learn in this class? When and where will I use whatI have learned? What will help me to rememberwhat I have learned?What kind of questions might Iask in check-in time next class?

This last question encourageslearners to seek out opportunitiesto expand their English, and to seeclass as a place that has relevancefor solving everyday problems. Itshould also help learners to furtherdevelop their language learningskills, particularly in short coursesas learners can then use theseskills to improve their Englishindependently.

Step Six: Feedback to LearnersA Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning See Appendix: I,J,K

47

Step Six: Feedback to LearnersA Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning

48

“The check-in, check-outquestions at the start and end ofthe sessions proved to engagelearners and helped to evaluatetheir progress in line with theiridentified needs.” – Tutor

Recording the kinds of questionsand topics that arise during ‘Check-in, Check-out’ will be valuable fortutors in setting new goals andplanning activities. It will alsoprovide useful information on howindividual learners are progressingand so helps with evaluating andreporting on the course.

“The group developed a ‘catch-up’or discussion time at the start ofclass where they talked about theprevious week in English. I wasdelighted with it as they did theirvery best to express themselvesin English rather than reverting totheir mother tongue.” – Tutor

Action Cards

Action Cards are a transfer oflearning activity that will helpevaluate progress outside of theclassroom. Action Cards (AppendixI) are a mini-contract that learnersmake with themselves to use theEnglish they have learned.

“Some of the group don’t seemto have many opportunities topractice their English languageskills outside work. (Learners) tendto share accommodation withother Polish people so don’t haveor don’t seek many opportunitiesto socialise. Many now haveaccess to Polish television, whichis good, but again, may reducethe opportunities to use spokenEnglish.” – Tutor

On the Action Card, learners simplywrite a short statement of howthey plan to use some of thelanguage they have learned oncethey leave the classroom. Learnerscommit to carrying out that actionbefore the next class. The act ofwriting the action on paper makesthe learners’ commitment to do itmore serious.

“A trip to the library was verysuccessful and learners wereintroduced to all the facilitieson offer there. They were veryimpressed by internet access aswell as the huge range of localinformation.” – Tutor

See Appendix I


49

The action could be to performa task in English:I will give my opinion at the nextstaff meeting.I will give someonea compliment.I will ask my supervisorif she had a nice weekend.I will talk with someonein English at coffee break.

The action could be more linguistic:I will use the present continuoustense (if you have been studyingit). I will pronounce the “th” soundwhen speaking to someone.I will use ‘a new word learnedin class.’

Action Cards also provide anopportunity for evaluation whenthe learners report back on theirsuccess in the next class. Learnerscan also record the results of theirattempts on the back of their cardsand bring them into class for thetutor to collect. If tutors keep aportfolio of the successes andchallenges learners haveexperienced, they have valuableinformation to pass along to theProject Team and to motivate andencourage the learners.

“Introduced Action Cards: writea personal shopping list; learn tospell six new words. We’ll seeif it works!” – Tutor

Appendix I Action Cards:

Action Card: Before next class, I plan to …

Action Card: Before next class, I plan to …


Conversation LogsConversation logs (Appendix J)are another transfer of learningtechnique that can double as aformative evaluation process.These logs give higher levellearners the opportunity to evaluatetheir own progress in using whatthey have learned.

At Check-out, learners can discusswhere and with whom they willuse English before the next class.The next time the class meet,learners log their success on theform. Answers to the question‘What did you find easy to say?’‘What did you find difficult to say?’‘Was there more you wanted tosay?’ can help tutors identify newgoals or areas of the courseprogram they want to expand.

Conversation logs work best withintermediate or advanced learnerswho can articulate well on paperbut a simpler, oral version couldwork in a beginner level class, too.

See Appendix J

50

Appendix J English Conversation Log

(You may use either English or your first language to answer.)Name:Date:

Who did you speakEnglish with?

What did you say?

What did the otherperson say?

Was there more youwanted to say?

Explain.

Rate your successusing English: 1 2 3 4 5

not good ok good


51

Learner Report:The Learner Report (Appendix K)can be completed with learners atany point in the course, as often asthe tutor finds helpful. The reportwill provide informative feedbackfrom the tutor to help learners thinkabout their learning and considerwhat their goals and objectives are.

If the tutor feels that a particularlearner is losing interest orstruggling with the course, theLearner Report might help thatlearner regain some focus and willhelp the tutor see if there is anyother support that can be offered.Going over the skills and objectivesthey have already covered is alwaysimportant and might promptlearners to think about where theywould like to progress to.

The Learner Report outlines themain skills and objectives that thelearner has been working on andchecks off progress as beginning,developing or completing. Theopen-ended comment sectionof the report is written for thelearners in language and termsthat they will understand.

The attendance section of thereport is a good opportunity todiscuss causes for poor attendancewith a learner when there is aproblem with a view to overcomingbarriers. It is also an opportunityto comment positively on goodattendance.

The report also allows tutors topoint out the inevitable results ofnon-attendance: apart from thedetrimental effects on learning,poor attendance could well meanthat learners do not receive acertificate at the end of the course.Indeed, if the course is accredited,learners may find they have not gotthe skills to successfully completethe final assessments. Even in anon-accredited course it is usefulto tie attendance to receiving acompletion certificate: for example,a tutor may stipulate that learnersmust attend at least 80% ofclasses (16 out of 20), to gaintheir certificate.

If classes take place during worktime, and learners are paid toattend, attendance can be a crucialissue. In this case, learners shouldbe aware that their attendance willbe reported back to the employer.

See Appendix K


52

Appendix K Workplace ESOL Learner Report

Learner: Course:

Skill/Objective Beginning Developing Completing

Comments and suggestions about your language learning:

Attendance: (actual days/possible days)

Your attendance Your attendance Your attendance is good: is satisfactory: is not good and

slows your progress:

Date: Tutor’s signature:

Learner’s signature:

�

�

�

�

General conversation

Using the correct verb tense

Speaking to co-workers

Asking questions at work

Speaking about the past

�

�

You are becoming a lot more confident in your English and a lotmore relaxed in class.

Your fluency is improving.

Keep practicing at work and at home – especially with your partnerand neighbours

14/15

Step Seven: Reporting to the EmployerA Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning

Throughout, tutors keep in closecontact with the coordinator inorder to pre-empt any problemsthat may arise. As much aspossible, difficulties should be dealtwith between the tutor and theemployer representative. However,the tutor should alert thecoordinator to any significantchanges;poor attendance major changes to courseoutline or goals learner successes difficultiesclass cancellation by theemployer

This is particularly true if the tutorhas already spoken to theemployer and there continuesto be a problem.

“During January, staff workedfewer hours and did not attend ifthey were not on shift on the dayof class.” – Tutor

It is a good idea for tutors to speakwith their learners’ supervisorsregularly where possible. Informalmeetings give tutors an opportunityto update supervisors on learnerprogress and ask for further classcontent suggestions.

Checking in with supervisors andmanagers is a good way to keepup the profile of the course anddemonstrate that employercomments and feedback areimportant. Ideally, the tutorestablishes a presence in theworkplace as a reliable and regularresource and makes a habit oftalking to course contacts regularly.

“I arranged a lengthier meetingwith the supervisor and broughthim up to date. He gave me afurther explanation of a trickyform!” – Tutor

It is essential to:arrive a few minutes early forlessons to set up the class anddo any photocopying required;stay afterwards to clear up.

About 10 minutes before and aftereach class for set-up/clear-up andphotocopying is ideal, but this willdepend on the workplace.

If tutors feel that the course is notgoing well and find the employerdifficult to speak to and unhelpful,they should contact their co-ordinator. The co-ordinator shouldcall a project team meeting todiscuss the issue. The support ofthe employer is vital to the successof any course and if a workplaceappears to become unsupportivethe co-ordinator needs to find outwhy. Often, a meeting to discussthe course and the problems thatthe tutor is having is enough tosmooth the way.

See Case Study 6

53

Step Seven: Reporting to the EmployerA Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning

54

Case Study 6:Making Time to Say Hello

A good relationship between the tutor and the supervisors ormanagers in a workplace can sometimes be useful in unexpectedways. Any information the tutor has about the workplace and howit operates can influence the course.

One tutor in a small manufacturing company made a habit of cominginto the office early on teaching days to photocopy handouts for thelearners and chat with the office staff. One day, in a casualconversation, a manager told her that an employee (not one of herstudents) had been dismissed after making a serious error inmeasurement that ended with an entire order being scrapped.

The tutor asked if measurement was a problem generally in thefactory and if it would be helpful to cover some basic numeracy inclass. The manager agreed that she would teach a couple of lessonsreviewing the language surrounding basic maths and measurement.

55Step Eight: Course Completion and EvaluationA Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning

The end of the course is markedby four very important events:

evaluation of the course reportingrecognition of the learnermeeting to plan next steps

EvaluationsAt this stage, all stakeholdersin the Workplace ESOL coursewill complete evaluations.

Learner EvaluationsTutors create an evaluation forlearners based on the form inAppendix L. The first page of theevaluation is made up of ‘I can…’statements based on the goalsthat were set for the group. Inthe example, the first and laststatements have been filledin as an illustration.

For example, if the goal was to ‘understand workplace policysurrounding unplanned absencefrom work’,

the tutor might include thestatement

‘I can phone work to sayI am sick’

The learners then choose how truethe statement is for them: smileyfaces are used as indicators on thesample form. More able learnerscan be asked to fill in the goalsthemselves, based on their ILP andthey might prefer to choose from‘very well’, ‘quite well’, ‘okay’ and‘not well’ when rating theirunderstanding of a topic.

The back of the form allows thelearners to evaluate the course andthe tuition. The statements herecan also be changed to reflect theindividual course.

Tutor Evaluations

Tutors will also fill in an evaluationof the course (Appendix M). Thepurpose is to evaluate how well therelationship worked between tutorand learner, tutor and employer,and tutor and co-ordinator with aview to improving future courses.The provider may wish to adapt theform to reflect their own policiesand interests.

“I found the Sound ScotlandMaterial to be very helpful forlistening with Scottish accentsand covering every day topicslike opening a bank account andmaking telephone calls.” – Tutor

See Appendix M

See Appendix L

Step Eight: Course Completion and EvaluationA Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning

56

Appendix L Course Evaluation - LearnerWe may use your comments for reports and publicity.If you don’t want us to use them, please tell your tutor.

Course:Tutor:

Day and time of class:Topic �I can I canI canI canI canI canI canI canI can

Other comments:

Topic

The English I learned in this class helped … My life Me My family My job in Scotland

More comments:

I feel more confident about English.

�

ask questions when I don’t understand something

speak better

pronounce better

understand more medical vocabulary

make questions correctly

use present tense correctly

do my employee development questionnaire

learn language by myself and with help

understand the safety procedures

I liked this class:

I understood everything:

This class is a good size:

My tutor was helpful:

2 hours was a good length:

10 weeks is enough time for this course:

My English is better now:

I learned a lot in this class:

I think other people would like this class:

I think everything was perfect, but this course shouldbe longer – 20 weeks!

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

� �


57

Appendix M Course Evaluation - TutorPlease complete at the end of the course

Course:Name:

Day and time:

The Course:Were you clear at the start of the course what your goals were? Comments:

Did you spend some time at the start of the course setting goals with the learners?Did you continue to consult with learners about goal setting as the courseprogressed?Comments:

Were the project team members involved in setting goals in the course?Comments:

Do you feel you met the goals set? What evidence do you have to support this?Comments:

What methods did you use to encourage the learners to participate activelyin the course?

What teaching materials or methods did you find particularly successful orunsuccessful?

Yes, I was clear about my general goals, to teach ESOL that meets thedemands of all the stakeholders, and is appropriate to the situation ofthe specific workplace.

The group gave me a list of what they wanted to learn. They were a veryable group and they seemed to already know quite a lot about what theywished to learn.

I think so. We did evaluations with everyone.

The learners were much more confident in using their English. They askedquestions more readily and more clearly. They were much more willing totalk to me.

I asked them to choose their own topics. They were less keen on workplacetopics, but I mixed them in. At the end of each class, we talked aboutwhat we’d do next time.

A set of photos of learners at work was great for getting them to talkabout what they did and about other work related topics.


58

Your teaching experienceWhat did you find satisfying about this course?

What was not satisfying?

What could or should have been done better?

What was most helpful to you in teaching this class?

Was the workplace supportive of the course and of your teaching?Do you feel there is a place for, or interest in, further courses in this workplace?

Do you feel the tutor co-ordinator provided enough support during the course?

What recommendations would you make to help improve this type of coursein the future?

Appendix M Course Evaluation - TutorPlease complete at the end of the course

Thanks for completing this form. All of your comments will help us to continue with good practice and makeimprovements in future classes. We may like to use your comments in reports or publicity. If you would ratherwe didn’t, please make a note on this page.

Getting to know the group and learning about where they worked.Being able to address their specific needs when they brought themup.

A number of the learners dropped out after the Christmas break andI didn’t learn why.

I wish I’d been able to make better materials for the mixed levelsin the group. Sometimes, I think the better learners got bored.

The feedback from my co-ordinator. She really helped.

They were. I think they’d be interested in more courses.

Yes, definitely.

Mostly, I’d just be more prepared myself. I learned a lot.


59

Employer EvaluationsEmployers are also asked to fill inan evaluation (Appendix N). Thepurpose of this evaluation is toidentify any problems that were notaddressed during the course, andto help improve future courses.

The evaluations also highlight whatworked well, what the employers,learners and tutors were pleasedwith. They provide valuableinformation for good practice inother Workplace ESOL courses,and will hopefully be full of great‘quotes’ that will help withpromotion and publicity.Remember to get permission fromanyone filling in an evaluation touse their comments in reports andpublicity.

“The students have grown inconfidence. One learner has beensuccessful in gaining another postwithin the organisation. Before thecourse, she felt that her languageskills placed her at a disadvantagein the hands-on care work.”– Employer

“Although it was difficult to coverthe floor to allow staff to attend thecourse, the end result made itworthwhile.” – Employer

“I believe that our staff who havegone through this programme feelvalued as employees and recognisethat the organisation has investedin them. It has promoted harmony,good manners, and educationwithin the staff group.”– Employer

“A very well organised programmewhich paid attention to detail(relevant to the organisation).Employees are in a much betterplace in terms of job satisfactionand career progression.”– Employer

See Appendix N


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Appendix N Course Evaluation - Employer

Organisation:Name:

Contact details:Position in organisation:

How did you hear about the Workplace ESOL course?

In what ways did the Workplace ESOL course offer learning that was in tune withyour organisation’s training and development plan?

Did you receive adequate information about the options for delivery?

In what ways did you promote this opportunity to employees?

Did you and your employees receive enough information before the course started?

Do you feel that the course took into consideration the operational needs of yourorganisation?

I was put in touch with the WEA through the local enterprise company.

From the outset the learning was in line with enhancing communicationbetween the employee and employer to the benefit of both and helped withour overall philosophy of helping foreign staff settle in the local areaand at work. Our strategic aim is to have an English speaking workforce andthe WEA have been invaluable in helping us in our moves towards achievingthis.

Yes, all areas were explained and revisited to ensure they were stillrelevant in our changing work environment.

Initially through internal advertising and speaking directly with ouremployees, and word of mouth.

Yes. We were fully informed at all times.

Without a doubt. The WEA have proved to be flexible and able to cater forour production demands.

Human Resources manager

61Step Eight: Course Completion and EvaluationA Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning

Do you feel that the courses delivered were appropriate for the needs of employeesand the organisation?

Is there anything in terms of the delivery or content of the course that you feel couldbe improved?

Do you feel that there was adequate feedback and consultation between yourself,employees and the Workplace ESOL co-ordinator as the course progressed?

Describe any changes you have noted in employees as a result of attending courses.

Overall how would you describe the experience of the Workplace ESOL course interms of benefits to your organisation?

What learning opportunities might your organisation require in the future?

Appendix N Course Evaluation - Employer

Thank you for taking time to complete this evaluation, your views will help us inthe design and delivery of future courses. We might use the comments you makehere for reports or publicity. Please indicate on this page if you would prefer wedidn’t make use of your comments.

Yes, we have seen a marked improvement in communication and awareness ofall employees who have taken part.

No, I feel the tutors are first class and the content is at the right levelfor the students involved.

Yes. I speak with the tutor almost every working day she is on site and Ihave regular contact with the co-ordinator, too.

We have seen a marked improvement in all students involved in the WEAcourses. Some involved have now moved on to supervisory positions withinthe company with the courses being instrumental in this. Confidence andmorale among the Foreign staff has grown with a real understanding of theimportance attached to learning English as a second language to help easetheir integration in to the local community as a whole.

The relationship between the company and the WEA has been invaluable inhelping us towards our longer term strategic aims in relation to ourforeign workforce and their need to understand and communicate in English.

Both basic and more advanced English lessons will be required in the futureas it is unlikely that the recruitment of foreign staff is going to stop inthe immediate future.


62

Final Report

The tutor and co-ordinator worktogether to create a final report.The report is a summary ofinformation about the employerand the course. It should begeneral enough that it can be givento the employer as a summary ofthe course, or handed round as acase study to other people whoare interested in Workplace ESOL.

Tutors should avoid mentioningspecific learners in the report.Appendix O contains an outlineand a sample final report takenfrom the English at Work coursein the WEA Highland.

Learner RecognitionThe project team plans arecognition event for learnersupon the completion of the course.The tutor and workplace can inviteoutside people to attend (the co-ordinator, supervisors, managers)or the event can be attended onlyby the employer representative,the tutor and the class.

See Appendix O


63

Appendix O: Final Report

Outline1 Who is the employer?2 How was contact first made with the Provider?3 What was the motivation for beginning English lessons?4 Who are the learners (by job title)?5 What topics were covered?6 What have the learners said / how have they benefited?7 What have employers said / how have they benefited?8 What problems exist and how might they be resolved in future?9 What has worked particularly well?

1 Who is the employer?a unique community offishermen, farmers,processors, retailers andconsumers passionateabout great quality andtaste, sustainability,fair trade and animalwelfareEmploy approximately 125people: 75 on the floor,20-30 of those aremigrant workers

2 How was contact first madewith the WEA?HR Manager contacted ushaving read about ourcourse in the localnewspaper

3 What was the motivation forbeginning English lessons?The company are aninnovative employer.Their main focus instarting English classeswas to help employeesintegrate into thecommunity and develop arelationship with thecompany

4 Who are the learners (by jobtitle)?All learners worked onthe production floor –boning, filleting,slicing, packing

5 What topics were covered?Making appointmentsTalking about work withsupervisorsAsking for thingsUnderstanding payslipsUnderstanding the CABDescribing illnessUnderstanding signsaround the factoryEmployer’s hygiene rulesSafety proceduresEnglish words forPersonal ProtectiveEquipment


64

6 What have the learners said /how have they benefited?Large classes (10 ormore) make learning moredifficult‘I’d like to learn moreabout Scottish historyand culture.’

7 What have employers said /how have they benefited?Quite keen that languageon a social/culturallevel is achieved beforecommencing onto more workrelated topicsEmployees have proved‘enthusiastic to learn,’and there has been‘improved communicationwithin the workplace’tutor is great and bringsgreat enthusiasm to theclassAquascot would like todevelop an ESOL coursefor the next 12 months,plan what classes tooffer and make sure thatemployees know that theywill receive ESOL classesand when.

8 What problems exist and howmight they be resolved infuture?Attendance dropped offlatterly – need to re-advertise the classes andoffer some incentive tolearning such asaccreditation.

9 What has worked particularlywell?Tutor has been excellentand innovativeMedia has shown interestin the class – ITV wereup to film and publiciseEmployer is verysupportive, allowing thetutor access toelectronic equipment,access to the floor totake photographs, andencouraging other staffmembers to train asteaching assistants


65

The co-ordinator will providecompletion certificates for anylearner the tutor identifies, if theyare requested (attendance mayplay a part in this decision). If thecourse is accredited, the projectteam may wish to plan a separaterecognition for learners whoachieved the unit. With thepermission of the employer, thetutor or co-ordinator might want tonotify local press and media aboutthe recognition event.

Next Steps and LearnerProgressionFinally, there will be a meeting ofthe project team to discuss thecompleted course and talk aboutnext steps. If the employer is keento go ahead with more courses,tutor and co-ordinator need toagree on start dates, class lists andnew objectives. The project teamneed to decide if the same learnerswill be going forward into anothercourse or if a different group oflearners will be offered a class. In the case of large employerswhere only a portion of the peoplewho expressed an interest inWorkplace ESOL were able toparticipate in the first course, theremay already be a list of namesfrom which to draw a new classlist.

Sometimes, once the courseis completed the employer willchoose not to continue theWorkplace ESOL programme.It is important in these cases thatlearners are given some guidanceon how to pursue their learninggoals outside the workplace. They may wish to attend anotherESOL course with a differentprovider and out with theirworking hours. They may have discovered a newlearning interest as a result of theESOL in the Workplace coursewhich they now have theconfidence to pursue.

At the end of a course, tutorsshould be prepared to give learnersinformation about other learningproviders and other learningopportunities which may interestthem. Ideas for recommendationmay come from notes of learners’interests as they came up duringthe course or in the assessmentprocess.

“The learners benefited froma good introduction to Englishlanguage. The group has gelledwell and been very supportive ofone another. Some learners areinterested in taking up otherlearning.” – Tutor

Employers and their employeeswill appreciate the value ofWorkplace ESOL classes but thelearning experience will also bemeaningful as the learner feels ableand encouraged to look into otherlearning opportunities.

See Case Studies 7, 8


66

Case Study 7:New Doors Opening

The WEA had been running successful Workplace ESOL coursesat one small manufacturing company for three terms. Classes weresmall, four or five learners each, and targeted to improve thelanguage that the employees and their employer wanted. They hadrecently begun offering SQA accredited ESOL units to the learners.

Much to his surprise and satisfaction, the factory manager wasapproached by three of his native English-speaking employees. Theywere aware of the Workplace ESOL courses and knew that ESOLlearners were being offered SQA accreditation in their class. Theseemployees asked whether they could access this kind of learningas well.

The WEA’s Workplace Literacies co-ordinator met with the factorymanager and this employer is now in negotiations to run bothaccredited ESOL and accredited Communications courses in thenext term.


67

Case Study 8:A Developing Relationship

This company has had a large migrant workforce for years andrecognised early on that language learning was going to be veryimportant to them. Initially the company encouraged their employeesto attend general their ESOL classes in the community. However,in January 2006 HR Manager, asked the Workers’ EducationalAssociation (WEA) to provide ESOL classes on-site through theirEnglish at Work programme.

The company provided premises, class time at shift end, and supportfrom charge-hands and line managers, who have all madethemselves easily available to tutor and co-ordinator for consultation.They have given factory tours to the tutors, allowed photographs tobe taken, and provided materials for producing learning resources.

What started in 2006 as a single class offered twice weekly hasdeveloped into a programme of courses throughout the year. TheWEA and the employer have agreed to offer ten week ESOL coursesfrom February to April and again from May to July each year, carefullyavoiding peak production times in the factory. They offer two courseseach term meaning classes are running in the factory four days aweek. Recently, the employer has begun offering SQA accreditedESOL courses at Access 2 and Access 3.

The value that the company attaches to the Workplace ESOL coursesis apparent in the time and resources they willingly commit tokeeping them going. This is one of many employers who have agreedto fund part of the tutor’s salary as a step toward making WorkplaceESOL courses sustainable over the long term.


68

Workplace ESOL ChecklistA Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning

69

Below is a checklist for tutors and/or co-ordinators to track how the course is progressing the paperwork time spent on each stage

Course Development DATE

Project Team establishedTutor appointedWorkplace tourWorkplace documents collectedCourse advertisedLearners sign upEmployer Needs AssessmentLearner Needs AssessmentCommunication Network DiagramWorkplace ESOL Goal Sheet startedStart dates and times confirmed

Course Delivery DATE

Goals and Objectives revised and refinedDaily lesson plans / records of work completedEstablish review and feedbackRegular reports to employer

Course Completion and Evaluation DATE

Conduct Employer EvaluationsConduct Learner EvaluationsComplete Tutor EvaluationFinal reportLearner RecognitionRecommendations for ProgressionMeeting to Discuss Next Steps

Dealing With ProblemsA Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning

70

It is always possible that aWorkplace ESOL course will notunfold as expected.

Tutors and coordinators mayfind that the expectations ofmanagement and/or theemployees are not being metor are very difficult to meet. The employer may not haveclearly thought out the reasonfor offering Workplace ESOLor communicated it to the tutor,to the supervisors, or to theemployees. Supervisors may resent their staffbeing unavailable for work duringESOL classes.

Whatever the situation, issuesshould be addressed quickly andwherever possible defused.

“The shift managers and GeneralManager displayed a ‘the quickerwe do this, the quicker we get itover with’ attitude. There was nointerest or involvement despiteinitial requests to sit in on classesand provide regular feedback fromthe factory floor.” – Tutor

Because they generally work ontheir own, Workplace ESOL tutorsdo not have a colleague down thehall who they can ask for adviceso they can feel isolated whenthe course is not progressing aseveryone hoped. It is importantfor tutors to develop allies at theworkplace. Dropping in to teach

the class and going home afterclass will only increase the tutors’isolation.

The tutor needs to becomea recognisable part of theworkplace; supervisors need toknow them by face and by name. The Human Resource or TrainingManager responsible for gettingthe class started wants it towork, and might like to get shortupdates every week or two onhow things are going.

All stakeholders are more likely tohelp when problems arise if theyfelt included before problems start.

“The Christmas holiday was anunfortunate and de-motivatingbreak in the course after whichsome of the learners did notreturn.” – Tutor

The co-ordinator is also animportant resource for the tutorand employer. If the tutors findthey are not getting support fromthe employer with a problem, theycan ask for advice, or for a meetingwith the concerned parties to sortthings out. If the issues are causinga problem for the learners, tutorscan try to find a way to help themresolve their own problem. If theissues are causing tutors aproblem, coordinators can adviseon the rights and responsibilitiesof a tutor.


71

Always go back to the beginningand ask: What am I being asked to do? Who am I being asked to teach? Do learners know why they aretaking the course? Do learners know what’sexpected of them? Do employers understand whatcan and cannot be done in aworkplace ESOL Course?What are stakeholderexpectations? Are they realistic?Can I achieve them?

It is unlikely that courses will haveto be cancelled if the time wastaken to build support ahead oftime. However, Workplace ESOLcourses are not schools orcolleges. They are learningopportunities offered inbusinesses. From the employers’point of view, a Workplace ESOLcourse will always take secondplace to the business interestsof the company. For learners, theirjobs will take priority over thelearning opportunity.

In the end, it may not be possibleto resolve every situationsatisfactorily. If this is the case,and absolutely no solution can befound, then tutors and providersmay have to cancel the course andconsider it a learning experience.

While there is no method orframework to follow that willguarantee a successful ESOLworkplace course, following thesteps and process set out in thisguide should ensure the mostpositive outcome for eve ryoneinvolved.

See Case Studies 9, 10


72

Case Study 9: Unforeseen Obstacle

An enquiry which came through to the Workplace ESOL co-ordinatorfrom a hotel started off positively. The HR Manager was keen to runclasses and they met in November to discuss details.

The co-ordinator gathered information about the employees, such ashow many would be interested in classes, their nationalities and theirjobs within the hotel. She also explained what would be expected ofthe employer. They reached agreement and a tutor was appointed.

The tutor carried out initial development work, including collectingworkplace documents and taking pictures around the workplace.The tutor also carried out the learner assessments.

In early December, the tutor received an email from the HR Managerto advise that five of the six workers who had been assessed for theclass had handed in their resignations. No explanation was given forthese resignations and as a result of them, the course was cancelled.

Eventually it arose that the employees who had shown interest weretemporary staff and the employer surmised that they may haveplanned to return to their home countries for Christmas.


73

Case Study 10: Production Matters

In October 2007 the manager of a large food manufacturing companyresponded to a letter from the Workplace ESOL co-ordinatorregarding ESOL courses. As a result of this contact, the co-ordinatorcontacted potential tutors and confirm their availability before makingany commitment to the employer.

Soon after, the initial meeting between management and the co-ordinator took place. They discussed the nature of the course andthe manager outlined the current company situation. This large foodproduction organisation employs a significant number of migrantworkers on both a long-term and a seasonal basis. The employeeshave varying degrees of language need.

The employer was committed to supporting staff, and wasconcerned for their welfare and training. However, the high volumeof orders for food preparation industries in the run up to Christmasmeant that under no circumstances could employees be releasedto attend learning sessions before January.

At the beginning of January 2008, the co-ordinator met with thetraining manager again. The meeting was positive, resulting in anagreed start date, times and days for two ESOL courses. They madearrangements for a future meeting to involve the tutors.

The co-ordinator, together with the tutors, attended a meeting withthe training manager. The two hour meeting included a tour of partof the factory and a meeting with appropriate supervisors. Twogroups of twelve learners had been identified by the employer froma list of 80 interested people. Arrangements were made for tutors toconduct needs assessments and with the learners and supervisors.

Despite appeals from the co-ordinator and tutors, the companyremained firm over the start date. A February holiday shutdown in thefactory meant the course could not begin before mid-March, resultingin a six month lead-in time for this course.

The WEA Approach to LearningA Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning

74

The WEA Approachto Learning

There is no single correct way toteach in adult education. But if youfind the style of teaching that bestsuits your learners and yourself andif you start from the assumptionthat in adult education the act oflearning and the way in which it isachieved are just as important asthe subject matter, then you aresome way towards identifyingappropriate teaching methods.The WEA approach to learningis always:

Democratic, and believes thatlearners are equal partners andare involved in all stages of thelearning process. Developingstudent control of the curriculum,methodology, class organisationand evaluation to meet individualand group needs embeds theskills required to participate indemocratic and communityaffairs in the learningenvironment.

Inclusive, and aims to activelyinvolve socially excluded groupsand adults in society who haveoften experienced barriers tomainstream education in the past.

Student-centred, and promotesan approach which values andbuilds on life experiences.Recent research indicates thatnew learning experiences needto be located on, or connectedto existing knowledge andexperience. They should also bepersonalised and attuned to theself interest of the learner.

Co-operative and creates asupported learning environmentby recognising that learning doesnot happen in isolation, asupportive group and theopportunity for shared learninghave a powerful impact on thelearning process.

An approach which recognisesthe different styles of learning.As the pie chart shows, aslearners we all have a preferredstyle of learning, our brainsprocess information through oursenses. It is important to providea repertoire of strategies toengage with visual, auditoryand kinaesthetic learners.

Visual 29%

Auditory 34%

Kinaesthetic 37%

75AcknowledgementsA Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning

The ESOL project steering groupThe WEA ScotlandProject Team, Archie Campbell,Shirley Howitt and Jackie GentlesWorkplace Literacies Tutor OrganisersArea Tutor OrganisersWEA Tutors

Stevenson College EdinburghSpecial mention to Ann Morgan-Thomasand Haidar MahmoudLearning Connections,Lifelong Learning Directorate,Scottish Government

The Adult Literacy and NumeracyPartnerships: inAberdeen City Aberdeenshire City of Edinburgh East RenfrewshireFalkirk City of Glasgow Highland Moray South Lanarkshire West Lothian

Employers Participating in the Pilot:Apna Services (Barnardo’s), GlasgowAsda, FalkirkAquascot, AlnessBurnbank House Residential Care Home,GlasgowFirst Bus, South LanarkshireKnockomie Hotel, ForresMorrisons, AberdeenSouthern Cross Care Homes, AberdeeStrathaird Salmon, InvernessThistle Hotel, GlasgowThistle Health Care, East KilbrideTime4Thai, EdinburghUnichem, West LothianViewpoint Housing Association,Edinburgh and employers whocontributed in other ways

A special thanks goes to Dale Klassenand Lynn Campbell of the AdultLanguage Training Branch, ManitobaImmigration and MulticulturalismCanada, whose work in this fieldinspired the guide to organisingworkplace ESOL learning and toour training team, Mandy Cheung,Jessie Harrington and Judie Holliday.

The WEA would like to sincerely thank the Lifelong Learning Directorate, ScottishGovernment for funding this Project.

The WEA would like to acknowledge the hard work, support and contributions of thefollowing people and groups, without whom this project would not have been possible.

ContactsA Guide to Organising Workplace ESOL Learning

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