Adult Education Service Learner Impact Survey 2022-23: Summary Report

Kseniya came from Ukraine to Coventry in Summer 2022 on a family sponsorship programme. Kseniya has had to overcome many personal challenges since arriving in the UK. She joined an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) class in Autumn 2022 to practise her speaking skills, improve her confidence and gain a qualification. She has already achieved Level 1 Speaking and Listening & Reading exams and will soon complete a Level 1 Writing exam.

Kseniya has also completed a volunteer skills course and secured a volunteering placement in the role of a Welcomer with Coventry Cathedral. She has already made such an impact that the Volunteer Coordinator has offered her a placement in an administration role at the Cathedral where she will be working with the Chief Executive Officer.

In addition, she has started volunteering for the Adult Education Service. She will work with ESOL Migration learners and give one-to-one support. Both volunteer placements will help her towards achieving her future plan of working as a teaching assistant or administrator in an educational setting. As Kseniya puts it:

‘When I came here from Ukraine, I had no clue what I was going to do here. The only thing I clearly realised was that no one can succeed without knowing the language of the country they lived in. This understanding brought me to an ESOL assessment and my learning journey with Adult Education Service. At the very beginning I thought only about improving my English. Firstly, I wanted to feel confident using it in everyday life, and secondly, I realised that I needed it to be more in demand in the labour market…

Learning has changed different aspects of my life…[…]…It has had a very positive impact on my mental health, as it is extremely difficult to realise that everything you achieved and loved is in the past. My self-confidence has grown. Meeting and communicating with new people helped a lot. You begin to see that you are not the only one trying to get used to a new place and new life.

I believe that volunteering is a good start for me as a foreigner and help in meeting career goals...[Learning] is something that can give you a renewed sense of purpose, new friendships and a new outlook on life’.