4. The impact of lack of fluency in English 4.1 The social arguments for ensuring effective access to learning and high quality ESOL provision are very similar to those for adults with poor basic skills more generally. Lack of fluency in English is likely to affect individuals' ability to secure employment or advancement in the workplace, to gain benefit from further education, to access community and social services and to participate in community life. It may also limit their ability to be involved with and support their own children's education. 4.2 The economic costs are also considerable. Unemployment is much higher than average amongst refugee groups and most settled immigrant communities. For example, in a survey by the Peabody Trust4, 68 per cent of asylum seekers and 47 per cent of those with refugee status or granted exceptional leave to remain were unemployed. The reasons for this are not straightforward but it is clear that lack of fluency in English is an important contributory factor across all groups. For many refugees and asylum seekers it is by far the greatest impediment to entering the job market or education and training. Failure to address these English language needs creates a drain on welfare and other public services like health and immigration, which have to spend time and money on finding solutions to communication problems, such as translation and interpreting services. 4.3 There is also a significant national waste of potential in failing to make the best use of people with professional qualifications and experience, for example in areas of skill shortage like the medical professions, who are cut off by from employment by their lack of fluency in English. Case study 7 P. was a doctor in practice in Republic of Congo who is now living in one of the outer London boroughs. She arrived in the UK in 1998, with her two children and wants to improve both her general and medical English and re-qualify so she can continue her profession. Her attempts to do so are hampered by a lack of finance. She needs to pay, from her income ( 90% income support) for travel to the only FE college in London which provides the specific course she needs and then about £100 for the exam fees of both the English exam and the medical test administered by the BMA. She may then need to take a 6 month clinical attachment for which she would not be paid, but during which she would lose her income support. If she can manage to go through this process, she will then be a UK qualified doctor, able to practise in this country. Case study 8 S. was a civil engineer in Bosnia in her late twenties. She wanted to take up her profession again in Britain. Her English language skills were quite good, but she needed to get her degree accepted and some updating of her training. She joined a course for engineers/scientists/computer experts at an college which had a link to a university anxious to recruit high-flyers to fill spare places in the science/engineering courses. She studied high level English -with some reference to the technical subjects which the students were interested in. The course included work on sorting out equivalencies for her qualifications and preparation of a portfolio to list all the projects she had been involved in, with reports from ex-colleagues, many now also in the UK. She also found, with encouragement, some work experience in her field of expertise and a reference from her manager there was added to the folder. This portfolio was shown to the university staff who immediately offered her a place on an M Eng. Course and charitable funding was sought to pay the course fees. She completed the masters successfully and was able to gain employment in her field. 4.4 For the Government's policy of dispersal to be successful in dealing with refugees, effective settlement will be essential. If refugees do not learn sufficient English to be able to participate fully in everyday life and find employment, they will find it even harder to settle in areas where there are fewer members of their own communities. Footnote 4. The Employment and Training of Refugees. Peabody Trust, 1999

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