Harrow College has created four new qualifications which have now been adopted by 34 colleges nationally.
The courses – offered under the banner of Living and Working in the UK – enable ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) students to combine learning language skills with essential knowledge and experience.
Spearheaded by Therese Lorphevre, Harrow College’s Head of English, ESOL and Maths, the qualifications were developed in partnership with the awarding body Gateway Qualifications.
The programme achieved national accreditation via Ofqual (Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation) and has been running at Harrow College since 2017 on all part-time day classes.
The qualifications are also being run at Uxbridge College, part of the merged college group HCUC (Harrow College Uxbridge College) and delivered to all part-time ESOL day classes.
Many ESOL students have high-level qualifications from overseas, but benefit from learning more about UK cultural norms, including around citizenship, education, work, and social structures.
For more information about the qualifications go to:
https://www.gatewayqualifications.org.uk/qualification/gateway-qualifications-entry-level-award-living-working-uk-entry-2/
FE News interviewed Therese Lorphevre to find out more about how and why the qualifications were developed, and the opportunities they are offering students nationally – see: Supporting Refugees Living and Working in the UK – FE News