Fact Sheet 94 - English Classes for Permanent Adult Migrants in Australia
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Background
The Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) is a national settlement program that has been providing English classes to eligible adult migrants, who do not have functional English, since 1948.
Functional English assists migrants to settle successfully into Australia, providing the basic skills necessary to deal with everyday social situations and some work situations.
Eligible migrants have a legislative entitlement to study English for up to 510 hours or until they reach functional English, whichever comes first. Additional tuition is available to humanitarian migrants with limited education or difficult pre–migration experiences such as torture or trauma.
Migrants are required to register for English language tuition with an AMEP provider within three months of arrival in Australia and should start tuition within one year.
English classes teach new arrivals language skills that can be used in day–to–day situations such as shopping and paying bills. They also learn about Australian society, customs and culture and meet other people who have had similar experiences to their own.
Tuition is provided flexibly and in a way that is sensitive to the needs of different groups. Migrants are encouraged to learn at their own pace, in a manner appropriate to their needs. Learning options include classroom tuition, home study through a distance learning program (which includes books, audio-visual material and phone contact with a teacher) or with a trained volunteer home tutor. Free childcare for under-school aged children is available during class time, so parents can attend tuition.
Program delivery
AMEP classes are delivered by contracted service providers who specialise in teaching English as a second language.
Teaching from more than 250 locations around Australia, service providers assess new arrivals for eligibility for the program, arrange free childcare for students with under–school age children while the parent attends class and provide ongoing educational counselling to help clients plan for future study.
A list of Service Provider locations is available on the AMEP website.
See: Where can I learn English (115KB PDF file)
Performance
Program performance is reported in the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) Annual Report. In 2006–07 the AMEP provided 8 million hours of English language tuition to 50 218 clients. AMEP expenditure was $155.8 million.
During this period AMEP clients came from 189 different countries of birth, 77.6 per cent had eight or more years of education, 67 per cent were female and 79.4 per cent were aged between 20 and 44. Mandarin, Arabic and Vietnamese were the main languages spoken.
See: Annual Report 2006-07
The National Client Satisfaction Survey of AMEP clients who had participated in the program between 1 January 2005 and 30 June 2006, was published in 2007. The results of the survey indicated 79 per cent of respondents had been offered English classes suitable to their needs and English level and 84 per cent were happy with their AMEP English classes overall.
See: National Client Satisfaction Survey Report 2007 (614KB PDF file)
More information
Further information is on the AMEP website.
See: AMEP
You can also contact the 24-hour national telephone service inquiry line for the cost of a local call from anywhere in Australia.
Telephone: 131 881
For media enquiries contact the department's National Communications Media line (24 hours).
Telephone: 02 6264 2244
More information on other Australian Government English language programs can be found on the Centrelink and Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) websites.
- The Language, Literacy and Numeracy Program provides up to 800 hours of language, literacy and numeracy training over two years to those having difficulties finding employment due to low literacy or English language competency.
See: Language, Literacy and Numeracy Program - The Workplace English Language and Literacy Program provides funding to employers for training their workers in English language, literacy and numeracy skills.
See: Workplace English Language and Literacy Program - The English as a Second Language – New Arrivals Program provides eligible newly–arrived students with intensive English language tuition.
See: English as a Second Language – New Arrivals Program
Further information is available on the department's web site.
See: www.immi.gov.au
The department also operates a national telephone service inquiry line.
Telephone: 131 881
Hours of operation: Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm (recorded information available outside these hours) for the cost of a local call anywhere in Australia.
Fact Sheet 94. Produced by the National Communications Branch, Department of Immigration and Citizenship, Canberra.
Revised 16 May 2008.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2008.