Oral Answers to Questions

Vicky Ford Excerpts

Thursday 20th December 2018 Commons Chamber

The Minister for Women and Equalities was asked—

[Vicky Ford (Chelmsford) (Con)]

1. What steps the Government are taking to support women with limited English language skills to improve their employability.

[The Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills (Anne Milton)]

The Government Equalities Office is considering how best to deliver new funded programmes for people who face barriers to getting into work for the first time. We are also working with the Learning and Work Institute to develop best practice guidance on building effective local networks and partnerships.

[Vicky Ford]

During the Afghanistan war, many local people put their lives at risk by using their language skills to help our military, and some of those families were evacuated to Chelmsford. The English for Women project helped some of those women, and it now supports women of more than 30 nationalities to become involved in their communities, and to improve their employability. Will my right hon. Friend thank all those volunteers at the English for Women project in Chelmsford, and suggest ways to help them to network with likeminded organisations across the country?

[Anne Milton]

I certainly join my hon. Friend in thanking all volunteers at English for Women, which is a remarkable project. Such Government-funded programmes have supported more than 73,000 isolated adults—most of whom are women—to improve their English language skills, and, as my hon. Friend says, such support is about building confidence, people’s ability to get into good jobs, and integration in local communities.