Adult Migrant English Program
Objective
This item provides access to a quality national English language tuition program for all eligible new migrants and humanitarian entrants who do not have functional English.
Description
Learning basic English is one of the most important steps that migrants and humanitarian entrants can take towards successfully settling in Australia. The Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) offers up to 510 hours of free English language tuition to eligible new arrivals who do not have functional English. Additional tuition is available through the Special Preparatory Program to eligible humanitarian entrants with low levels of schooling or who have had difficult pre-migration experiences such as torture and/or trauma.
The program, with administered expenses of $174.5 million, is managed through 18 contracts for tuition and two for associated services. The two non-tuition contracts relate to research and professional development provided by the AMEP Research Centre and quality monitoring and accreditation of service providers by the National ELT Accreditation Scheme (NEAS).
The 2008–09 Budget provided $49.2 million over four years for the Employment Pathways Program and Traineeships in English and Work Readiness Program. Both programs will assist new arrivals to gain the language skills needed to join the Australian workforce.
In the Employment Pathways Program, new arrivals learn English, gain familiarity with Australian workplace culture and practices, participate in a work placement and learn about:
- work ethics and culture
- employment processes
- occupational health and safety
- taxation requirements
- the role of unions.
The Traineeships in English and Work Readiness Program helps new arrivals to make the transition into their professional field or into vocational training by offering them a combination of vocational-specific English language tuition with work experience and mentoring.
The programs, which complement the suite of settlement programs administered by the department, began in October 2008 following a select tender process. They will be evaluated in early 2009–10. The programs will become part of the larger AMEP contract tender in 2009–10.
New AMEP business model
The review of the AMEP conducted in 2008–09 involved extensive consultations with clients, teachers, AMEP and other settlement service providers, and Australian Government and state/territory government agencies. Findings of the review were considered in the development of a new AMEP business model which will be used to inform the request for tender for AMEP services in 2009–10.
Features of the new model include additional counselling support and an individual pathway guide for clients, the expansion of services to include new arrivals aged between 15 and 17 who drop out of school within their first year of arrival and streamlined distance learning delivered by a single national provider. Savings in the program will be achieved through improved pricing, administration and contractual arrangements for the delivery of services.
Performance
English language achievement and measurement
The AMEP provides for people from a range of backgrounds, experiences and skill sets. The course structure supports individuals ranging from those with no history of formal classroom tuition or who are illiterate in their first language, to those with tertiary education who require proficiency in English to use their qualifications in Australia.
The AMEP uses Certificates in Spoken and Written English (CSWE), a competency-based national curriculum and assessment framework, to measure English proficiency. CSWE in the AMEP consists of three certificate levels. Students complete learning activities towards a module. Those who achieve the required number of modules for a particular level receive a certificate and those who complete modules within levels receive a statement of attainment. CSWE was re-accredited in 2008, resulting in significant changes to curriculum, learning outcomes and core modules at each CSWE level.
In 2008–09, 21.9 per cent of clients who exited the AMEP attained certification at CSWE Level 3 while 21.7 per cent reached CSWE Level 2. A further 41.4 per cent attained CSWE Level 1 and the remaining 15 per cent were awarded statements of attainment.
Client focus
While the AMEP is equally accessible to all eligible migrants, higher female-to-male enrolment continued in 2008–09. Of the 52 720 eligible migrants undertaking AMEP English language tuition during 2008–09, 68 per cent were female.
Clients represented 193 countries of birth and 259 languages spoken, with Arabic, Mandarin and Vietnamese the most common.
AMEP clients comprised 26.4 per cent humanitarian entrants, 56.6 per cent family entrants and 17 per cent dependants of skilled entrants. A total of 19 per cent of all clients indicated they had seven years or less of formal education.
Clients were aged largely from 16 to 44 years of age, with 77.4 per cent in this category, and 22.6 per cent above 44 years of age.
Clients embraced a variety of learning options in 2008–09, with 77.1 per cent undertaking classroom tuition, 10.2 per cent studying with a home tutor, 7.3 per cent enrolling in distance learning and 5.4 per cent engaging in rural and regional tuition.
Table 73: Adult Migrant English Program—performance information| Key performance indicators | 2008–09 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality: English language tuition is available, accessible and of good quality in all contract areas | |||
| Planned | Service standards are met | ||
| Result | Service standards were met and good quality tuition was available and accessible | ||
| Quantity: Anticipated demand for tuition by eligible migrants | |||
| 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 2008–09 | |
| Forecast | 39 810 | 39 810 | 44 970 |
| Result | 50 218 | 50 432 | 52 720 |
Reach
Reach measures the extent to which eligible migrants enrol in the AMEP. The registration rate for adult migrants who arrived in 2008–09 and self-determined that they needed English tuition was 62 per cent, compared to 65 per cent in the previous year.
Retention
Retention measures the average number of hours a client remains in the program. Retention in 2008–09 for all exiting clients was 375 hours, a slight decrease from 382 hours in 2007–08.
Contract extensions
The 18 contracts for English language tuition were extended for a further 12 months, expiring on 30 June 2010.
Table 74: Adult Migrant English Program—further information| Measures | Results | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 2008-09 | |
| Client demand for formal tuition1 | 45 022 | 45 283 | 47 336 |
| Client demand for informal tuition2 | 5 419 | 5 791 | 5 633 |
| Total clients—formal tuition, informal tuition and Special Preparatory Program3 | 50 218 | 50 432 | 52 720 |
| Number of clients in the Special Preparatory Program | 8 064 | 6 943 | 7 015 |
| Number of clients in the Employment Pathways Program | n/a | n/a | 863 |
| Number of clients in the Traineeships in English and Work Readiness Program | n/a | n/a | 216 |
| Average number of hours a client remains in the program | 389 | 382 | 375 |
- Formal tuition refers to classroom tuition and distance learning in the AMEP.
- Informal tuition refers to clients studying with a home tutor.
- Clients may move between the various types of tuition. This figure is the number of clients, counted only once, who participated in the program during the year.
