Adult learning is not a tidy business: adults fit learning into the spaces left by the other demands on complex lives, and into the spaces left in administrative structures overwhelmingly designed for other people. No simple metric can capture adults' diverse purposes and achievements, and no single programme can capture the full range of things…

Many asylum seekers overcome unimaginably horrific experiences to rebuild their lives in the UK. Their success often depends on having ready access to English language training. The immediate access to English allows the new arrival to interact with the local community and contributes to community cohesion. It enables the parent to speak to her…

Every government wants to appear to be tough on asylum seekers. But in failing to offer newcomers immediate access to English language learning one runs the risk of missing out on significant economic and social cohesion benefits. In this article, the author argues that asylum seekers need to get English language support in their first six months…

In England more is spent on English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) for adults than is spent on literacy and numeracy put together, an estimated 323 million pounds for 2007-2008. This may well be the biggest investment in Europe for national language learning for adults. It is argued that ESOL is central to several social policy streams.…

In this article, the authors report that almost one in three adults in the UK have experience of learning a language as an adult, but only four percent are currently doing so--one percent less that in 1999, equivalent to a drop of half a million adults learning languages. Figures of speech, NIACE's UK-wide survey of language learning, also found a…

Britain remains well and truly in the slow lane when it comes to learning languages--despite the repeated commitment of politicians to reversing this historical trend. But, as the author proves, even the least able linguist can learn the few words of a foreign language which can make all the difference when traveling abroad. In its recent briefing…