Services for adults

Our ESOL learners will have the opportunity to improve their use of English, develop independent study skills and achieve new qualifications. They can progress through the ESOL levels as their language skills improve, and they will meet new people in a similar situation to themselves. Also, they will increase their employability opportunities and can easily be referred for Employability support or to Parental Employment Support (PES), Adult Literacy and Numeracy, Skills for Work and other sector specific employability programmes.

Our ESOL Employability classes

Our classes are community-based, Qualifications Scotland (formerly SQA) accredited and are taught online and in Musselburgh. The range of our levels is from Beginners to Upper Intermediate (National 5) and we also have an Advanced Conversation group. We work on the four skills of Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, together with grammar and pronunciation. Our classes are delivered on a part-time, evening basis and new learners can usually join a class at any time during the academic year.

For ESOL enquiries please contact us here.

Paule's story

Paule moved to the UK from Cameroon five years ago. She, her husband and their two children now live in Haddington and the East Lothian Works team has played a hugely supportive role in helping Paule to carve out a career in the same sector (archives and heritage) as she had been working in back home.  

"I had little English. I realised I would need to improve my English and get an understanding of the job market and the applications process before I could even begin to look for suitable work. While completing my SQA National 5 Certificate in ESOL I was introduced to the Employability team of East Lothian Works. My relationship with them has been invaluable."  

"Anyone coming to the area with English as their second language should get in touch with East Lothian Works"

- Paule

From volunteer to management

Volunteering in archives at the John Gray Centre, Haddington, led to her first job in the UK with Midlothian Council. East Lothian Works also helped her to navigate the job application process and to develop her CV and existing skills to improve her visibility in the job market.  In fact, Paule has gone on to volunteer with the Archives and Records Association (ARA), the professional body for her sector in the UK, and now works in a management role with an Edinburgh-based company.

College exams

Paule wanted to further improve her language skills further so East Lothian Works helped her to secure a place at Edinburgh College to sit the Higher English as a Second Language (ESOL) exams, in a bid to strengthen her career development and potential.