ESOL and Training for Security Industry Authority Licence - Essay Example

ESOL and Security Industry ity License Introduction The increasing number of English as Second Other Language (ESOL) learners has become a challenging task for educators of other fields. The continuous expansion of the European countries is paralleled with the need for these countries to learn English in order to compete with the demands of globalization. These learners native language (L1) Migrants contribute into a more diversified community for the formation of a strong society. Diversity in the community brings about different opportunities for these migrants as well as it makes the society a flexible one. On the other hand, the challenge in learning the English language is but the biggest issue of immigration, and the teaching of which is therefore the biggest challenge for the educators or trainers of ESOL learners. Thus, a continuous expansion of European countries, the bigger and the larger migrants, and the more challenging teaching and training becomes for the educators or trainers of these migrants. ESOL Learners and the European Union “Teaching ESL to adults mean being awed every day as we witness the tenacity and perseverance of immigrants carving out better lives for themselves and their families.” —Spelleri, 2002 (http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/ann_rev/comings_ch5.pdf, para 1) Further expansion of European Union (EU) entails an increase in the number of migrants every year. It at the same time demands the citizens of the joining countries to become as competitive as the other countries who are already members of the EU. In addition, the need to learn the basic rules and regulations of the union influences their actions that lead to migration. Thus, this need demands a great deal of learning the English language to be able to adapt to the new systems that joining the EU have brought them. As a result, more and more of these migrants are making themselves aware of the different adjustments that they have to make through trainings and non-formal educations that may supply their needs for more information they need to be able to be accustomed to the new situation that calls for this need. French and Germans are just two of the numerous countries who joined the EU. These countries however are non-English speakers. Therefore, there it is a challenge for them to learn the things taught to them during trainings and other non-formal education that would familiarize themselves with the big community they have joined in to. Thus, ESOL learners have been expanding as well, demanding more innovative teaching strategies involving the ESOL learners for organizations providing them trainings for development. Furthermore, the task for the educators have become more than just challenging since they will basically be dealing with adult ESOL learners – in which most of whom are not as motivated as the younger generation going to a formal school community. On the other hand, having a more diversified group of ESOL population, their needs in learning the English language vary according to their backgrounds – educational background, fields of studies, and even economic status. This is however specified interms of their need in oral communication. (qtd in http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/ann_rev/comings_ ch5.pdf, para 18) Citizenship also demands a need for learning the English language that demands for ESOL provision to increase further. The Immigration, Nationality and Asylum Act 2002 introduced a new requirement for those wishing to settle in the UK to take a citizenship test with a language component. During the summer of 2004 the Home Office confirmed that, in order to gain citizenship, individuals would have to be able to demonstrate achievement of English language ability at Entry Level 3 or higher. (http://readingroom.lsc.gov.uk/lsc/2005/research/ commissioned/kpmg-review-of-english-for-speakers-of-other-languages.pdf, para 3) Chairman of the Life in the United Kingdom group, Sir Bernard Crick moreover stated that the “use of the English language itself is possibly the most important means by which diverse communities participate in a common culture - that is why it is so important that new citizens should have a sufficient knowledge of English, Welsh or Scottish Gaelic. We do not want the burden to be onerous but plainly citizenship is more esteemed and valued when it is earned and not given.” (M2Presswire, 2003) Finally, the broadening of the European Union (EU) was expected to lead to an increase in the number of individuals in the new member states who would access free ESOL provision. The review investigates early indications of this potential increase in demand and related issues. (http://readingroom.lsc.gov.uk/lsc/2005/research/commissioned/kpmg-review-of-english-for-speakers-of-other-languages.pdf, para 4) Teaching ESOL to non-English speakers involves knowing the importance of the four key groups that understands the issues related to challenges faced by adults who lack in their English speaking skills. These groups include (a) policymakers who influence the design, funding, and evaluation of adult ESOL programs; (b) researchers who investigate the success of adult education programs; (c) educators who prepare teachers to work with adult ESOL learners; and (d) the teachers themselves. (http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/ann_rev/comings_ch5.pdf, para 23) ESOL and the Security Industry Authority The Security Industry Authority envisions itself to create an agency that is a model of good regulation which is at the same time internationally recognised as a major contributor to the quality and effectiveness of the private security industry. Along with this vision is its availability in helping reduce crime, disorder and the fear of crime. Specifically, it aims at providing the following situations for the EU as a whole. An enhanced protection of the public through increased public trust and confidence in the private security industry by reducing criminality, setting and maintaining standards of probity, and improving the professionalism of all who work in the industry Businesses in the private security industry improving their standards through the creation of a framework for developing, promoting and spreading best practice A private security industry centre of knowledge and expertise enabled which supports and encourages effective industry development and investment A strengthened extended police family by encouraging and supporting further engagement of the private security industry. And, the recognition, by our stakeholders, of the SIA as a model of good practice. (http://www.the-sia.org.uk/home/about_sia/the_sia.htm, para 5-6) These objectives may look stunning yet it involves an extensive training strategy for its learners. Providing trainings regarding the Security Industry Authority Licensing is already a challenge that needs to be defeated by the trainer himself. Trainings on SIA, on the other hand, receive as much applicants and learners as the European Unions continue to expand. Moreover, the students of which were migrants from other countries who are members of the EU community. Teaching security subjects to migrant workers has been demanding more effort since the learners are non-native English speakers who are yet to master the English language as their second acquired language. The main concern, however of the SIA trainings involve more on the oral communication skills of its learners, since the job description of which entails coordination and management towards security authorities and the licensing aspects. There is a need for the trainees to develop their communication competencies in developing executing their roles that involve their authoritative and licensing tasks that would further help them adapt to the society they are in. These communication competencies include linguistic competence, communicative competence includes sociolinguistic competence, or the ability to use language appropriately in various contexts. Sociolinguistic competence entails the degrees of formality and informality, appropriate lexical choice, style shifting, and politeness strategies. In addition, strategic competence, which is another communicative competence, is the ability to use language strategies to compensate for gaps in one’s second-language skills. The fourth competence which includes the rules of both cohesion, is discourse competence. These four components of communicative competence have several practical implications for teaching adult ESOL learners. (http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/ann_rev/comings_ch5.pdf, para 25) They both need to learn the basics of transactional and interactional speech as is the ability to negotiate English speech acts in a variety of speech events. Interactional speech is communicating with someone for social purposes that include both establishing and maintaining social relationships. On the other hand, transactional speech involves communicating to accomplish something, including the exchange of goods and services, for which most human spoken interactions can be placed on a continuum from relatively predictable to relatively unpredictable. Interactional conversations are relatively unpredictable and can range over many topics, with the participants taking turns and commenting freely. However, transactional encounters of a fairly restricted kind will usually contain highly predictable patterns. (http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/ann_rev/comings_ch5.pdf, para 26) This two methods of speech can be best utilized when the migrant workers learning ESOL when they have an unrestricted conversations with their clients or customers. Knowing the best way to communicate their roles and the rules of the agency and the community they are connected with will enable them to become effective workers. They would be therefore effective in executing their tasks as a native worker in the country. Conclusion Diversity among the community strengthens its economic and social status. On the other hand, it entails social responsibilities that involve the need to educate then effectively especially its immigrants. Continuous expansion of the European Union has brought about the increase in migrant workers struggling to fit into the new community that demands the need to learn the English language to meet the needs and the demands of the society. Learning the English language moreover helps them understand more the ideas that they need to know in accordance to the society’s requirement as member of the new group of civilization. Their limited English proficiency therefore implies a need for further development or innovations of the teaching and training strategies. Their difficulty in the English language limits their capability in understanding the ideas and ideals that the community would want to emphasize. The increasing number of ESOL learners choosing the Security Level 2 training in the Security Industry Authority that involves Licensing affects the teaching modes such that a more interactive and transactional oral communication should be developed in order to meet the needs of the learners. Works Cited: “Issues in Teaching Speaking skills to Adult ESOL Learners.” http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/ann_rev/comings_ch5.pdf, Oct. 23, 2006. “KPMG Review of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)”. http://readingroom.lsc.gov.uk/lsc/2005/research/commissioned/kpmg-review-of-english-for-speakers-of-other-languages.pdf, Oct. 23, 2006. M2 Presswire. “English and citizenship to help integration and make people proud to be British.” 2003. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-107221038.html. Oct. 23, 2006. “What is the SIA?” http://www.the-sia.org.uk/home/about_sia/the_sia.htm. Oct. 23, 2006. Read More