South Ayrshire Council News

Councillor Margaret Toner is pictured with members of the English beginners course classes

An exciting project at the John Pollock Centre in Ayr, is being run to help people to learn English as their second language.

South Ayrshire Council’s Adult Learning Literacies team received funding to provide a short intensive beginners language course for people whose first language is not English.

Each eight session course is delivered over three weeks, helping students to learn basic English terms and to find their way around the local area. Two members of staff from the Council’s Adult Learning Team wrote and developed the course workbook, and worked in partnership with Multimedia Applications Limited to produce an interactive CD to support the coursework.

Councillor Margaret Toner, Depute Leader of the Council and Portfolio Carrier for Community Services went to the John Pollock Centre in Ayr to meet the students and to see the interactive CD. Councillor Toner said: “This is a very valuable course that will help people who wish to live and work in South Ayrshire, but do not speak English, to quickly build their English language skills.

“The course is being taught by Anne Gentilomo, who was once herself a student at the Council’s Learning Shop in Ayr, and is one of their great success stories. Anne has come full circle and is now teaching others after taking part in her own journey of learning discovery. I wish all the students success with this course and any further courses that they go on to further improve their language skills.”

In 2007 six intensive language courses have been delivered in South Ayrshire. The next course will be delivered in Girvan in early 2008 and plans are underway to run others during 2008.

Anyone who knows of someone who would benefit from this course can get further information by contacting staff at The Learning Shop on telephone number
01292 263304.