Published Monday 16 August 2021 at 11:23
A new website is making it easier for people to find the right English class to help them improve their language skills and get more involved in local life.
Learning English Together is the way to find classes delivered by a range of different providers of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) in Blackburn with Darwen.
The site www.learnenglishbwd.org.uk has lots of information about classes across various levels, and in different places in the borough, with many starting this September.
The website is managed by the team behind the borough’s Our Community, Our Future social integration programme, and has been funded through the Ministry for Housing, Communities & Local Government.
Councillor Mohammed Khan, Leader of the Council and Chair of the Our Community, Our Future Board, said:
Figures from the 2011 census tell us that 4% of residents over the age of three speak no or very little English. For these people, lacking English language skills can prevent them from making the most of everything that the borough has to offer, and perhaps lead to them living isolated lives.
Through a better co-ordinated approach to ESOL teaching across the borough, Learning English Together aims to reduce the number of people who can’t speak English well and the number of households in the borough where only children speak English.
Helping residents to improve their English language skills supports our social integration goals, by building people’s confidence to get involved in local life – through accessing healthcare, supporting their children’s education, finding work, and much more.
We’re very grateful to all the local partners who’ve got involved in Learning English Together. Through better co-ordination of ESOL classes, we want to make it easier for people with an English language need to find the best class for them, without having to go on a waiting list.
Learning English Together is a partnership of learning providers that offer ESOL classes in the borough. By working closely together and better co-ordinating how potential learners can find information about classes on the new website, it’s hoped to speed up the process of learners getting assessed and enrolled onto the best classes for them – at the right level and in a local venue that’s convenient for them.
On the Learning English Together website, people can search for classes by level, by the provider teaching the class, and by the venue where the class takes place. They can also register for an assessment to find out which level of class they need to join.
Local partners in Learning English Together are: Al Hayat Languages, ARC Project Blackburn, Blackburn College, Darwen Asylum & Refugee Enterprise (DARE), IMO, Re:Source Blackburn, and Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council Adult Learning.
Take a look at the Learning English Together website – www.learnenglishbwd.org.uk.
For more information about this co-ordinated approach to ESOL teaching in Blackburn with Darwen, email learnenglishbwd@blackburn.gov.uk or call 01254 304597.