What Sets REP’s ‘Conversation Clubs’ Apart From a Typical College ESOL Class?

• The Growth Company (GC) delivers the Home Office Refugee Employability Programme (REP) across Yorkshire and the Humber.
• The programme aims to help refugees into sustained employment through individually tailored support.
• Recently, the REP team have adopted a new approach to their ESOL support 'Conversation Clubs'.

The Refugee Employability Programme Yorkshire and the Humber delivers non-accredited ESOL support, now known as ‘Conversation Clubs’, taught online and in person by dedicated ESOL tutors.

Recently, the REP team decided to take a new approach to their sessions, with a vision to increase attendee numbers. The sessions are non-accredited; therefore, they can be flexible and adapt them to fit service users' needs and learning style, making them more engaging and tailored to compliment what they may already be learning. The sessions now focus on two main areas, employability and communication, with a third, integration, to be introduced very soon.

Furthermore, the team also recently implemented female only Conversation Clubs, giving female service users a chance to practice comfortably with attendees who have similar backgrounds and experiences. 

Service users have commented on how different the sessions are to college classes, with many mentioning that there is more talking in the REP sessions, which helps them to learn quicker. The number of service users attending has doubled since the re-brand 3 months ago, with numbers steadily continuing to increase.

Gulan's Story

REP spoke to one attendee, Gulan, who has grown in confidence since attending the Rotherham Conversation Clubs. When asked what she first thought about them, Gulan said: “At first, I thought class would be difficult, but now I am attending I think it’s very good. I am learning more about new words and rules."

When she started attending the sessions, Gulan described herself as shy, but after attending the sessions and with regular practice, her English speaking has significantly improved. She explains: “I can use it outside, for example, when I go shopping, or at my children’s school. I learn words that can help with my children’s homework too."

When asked if the programme exceeded her expectations, Gulan commented: “Yes, it gives me more help. They are different from college ESOL because I learn how to talk to people. There is lots of time to talk in the sessions and it helps you learn about different topics."

Finally, when asked if she would recommend the sessions to other refugees, Gulan said: “Yes, because it’s learning more practical English. I can use this English everywhere I go!”

Saeed's Story

REP also spoke to Saeed, a service user who came to the UK in 2021. Originally from Eritrea, Saeed was granted refugee status in 2023. Saeed worked as a farmer in his home country. However, he hopes to one day do a plumbing course at his local college once his English has improved.

He currently attends the Doncaster Conversation Clubs and told REP how helpful the sessions have been in improving his confidence in speaking English in public, as well as his vocabulary. 

When asked what he enjoyed most about the clubs, Saeed said: “I like how the focus is a lot of conversation. In college, we don’t get the opportunity to practice the English learned. This class provides us with a space to practice speaking with other ESOL learners. 

“This has improved my confidence a lot, and I feel much better when speaking to people outside.”

Saeed goes on to talk what specific session topics he finds useful: “There are two types of content I really like. Firstly, the general topics which we can have conversations about, such as daily routines, booking appointments etc.

“Secondly, I like how I get to learn about the rules, laws and culture of the UK, which is very useful as well as very interesting.”

Saeed recommended the ESOL class to his friend who was not already on the programme. His friend attended along with Saeed and really enjoyed it; shortly afterterwards, he signed himself up to the programme. 

Enhancing Engagement

The programme has successfully re-invented REP's non-accredited ESOL Support into engaging and practical ‘Conversation Clubs’. This new approach has significantly enhanced engagement by addressing the specific needs of our service users and tailoring sessions to their needs. The positive feedback from service users such as Gulan and Saeed highlights the sessions’ effectiveness in boosting confidence in practical English skills.   

Find Out More

Commissioned by the Home Office and delivered by the Growth Company, the Refugee Employability Programme helps refugees into work through tailored employability sessions, English language tuition, vocational training, job application assistance, and community integration support.

The programme also has a focus on providing locally informed advice to best support refugees to settle and thrive in their new communities.

Find out more about the programme's ESOL support on on its website.

The Growth Company

The Growth Company is an award-winning social enterprise with a mission to generate growth, create jobs, and improve lives.

We help people and businesses across the UK to develop, grow and succeed through a range of employment, skills and business support services. We provide employment, justice, and health services across Greater Manchester, the Liverpool City Region, Lancashire, Cheshire, and Yorkshire and Humber. 

Contact us today to find out more.