Cadbury and Crisis help refugees learn really useful English

As part of their ongoing involvement with the West Midlands Business Action on Homelessness steering group, The Cadbury Foundation has provided funding for the Business in the Community (BITC) run programme to collaborate with Crisis and provide tailor-made English Skills Workshops for their clients.

Through their work with refugees looking to secure employment, BITC realised that one of the major stumbling blocks was their grasp of the English everyday language.  Although clients have been schooled in correct English they often find it difficult to hold conversations because of the way that Brits have developed the language to include phrases and colloquiums.

The course was specially designed for clients that have taken part in the Business Action on Homeless (BAOH) Ready for Work Programme, which offer pre-employment training and support. The clients work alongside a member of Crisis, the national charity for single homeless people, to develop their understanding of the language.

The workshops, being held at Cadbury offices in Bournville, began on Thursday 20th January and continue for six weeks.  They differ from the ESOL (or English for speakers of other languages) lessons in that they attempt to teach the students English skills and words that would not have been included in the more formal ESOL programme. 

Charlotte Aldridge, BAOH Client Support Manager, said:
“We have some truly dedicated clients who work hard and are so desperate for work that have not been as successful as we may have expected.  Looking further into the problem we have realised that this is not because they do not do a good job or cannot speak English, but rather that they don’t understand simple phrases that we use like.  The aim of the English Skills Workshops is that they provide lessons for these people to help them hold a conversation in a normal working environment.  As well as making it easier for their colleagues, it often boosts the clients’ confidence making them, in turn, more productive and successful in the work place.”

Cadbury sits on the West Midlands BAOH Steering Group alongside companies including ADI Group, KPMG, Badenoch & Clark, Royal Mail, Wragge & Co, Carillion, Barclays, Signet and AF Blakemore.

Ready for Work operates in partnership with local businesses, hostels and other agencies to deliver pre-employment training, work experience placements and post-placement support.

For more information on Business Action on Homelessness, visit www.bitc.org.uk.