When?
Available from August 2004, QCA have approved a new set of ESOL Skills for Life qualifications developed by the main ESOL awarding bodies.
What is Skills for Life?
ESOL is one of the three main strands of the Skills for Life strategy. Launched in 2001, the Government’s Skills for Life strategy aims to improve significantly the literacy, numeracy and language (ESOL) skills of adults in England. The Adult Basic Skills Strategy Unit (http://www.dfes.gov.uk/readwriteplus/) has responsibility for the overall delivery of the strategy. There are demanding targets set for improvement in adult basic skills. Each learner’s achievement and level of skill can be measured against national standards set out in the Adult Literacy Core Curriculum (http://www.dfes.gov.uk/curriculum_literacy/) and the Adult ESOL Core Curriculum (http://www.dfes.gov.uk/curriculum_esol/). These core curricula based on the national standards provide the framework for learning programmes, supported by courses for the professional training of basic skills staff.
