Author: Liam Morton

English Speaking Board (International) Ltd. (ESB) is thrilled to announce Week 3 of its ongoing ‘Oracy for All’ campaign, a five-week initiative designed to help empower more learners with significant learning needs to achieve through inclusive and ambitious Oracy qualifications.

This week’s focus, “Oracy for Interviews and the Workplace,” shines a spotlight on the essential role of communication skills in preparing learners for workplace success, boosting their confidence, and fostering future independence.

According to the Oracy Education Commission’s recent ‘We Need to Talk’ report, spoken communication consistently tops employers’ list of desired skills, yet it remains one of the most significant gaps among school leavers and graduates.

Says ESB’s CEO, Tina Renshaw:

ESB is committed to closing the communication skills gap for all learners, especially those with significant learning needs. Through this initiative, we aim to empower students with essential Oracy skills that not only boost confidence but also foster self-esteem, self-identity, and independence – skills that are crucial for successful job interviews and workplace interactions.

Our Building Confidence in Communication qualifications are Ofqual-regulated and are specifically written for learners who don’t hold a qualification at Level 1 or above. The ‘Communication for Interviews and the Workplace’ suite within this portfolio enables students to develop oracy skills essential for interview success, CV presentation, and effective communication in professional settings. By fostering discussion on workplace topics, these qualifications build and strengthen skills vital for communication and relationship-building at work.

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ESB’s ‘Building Confidence in Communication’ Qualifications: Real Impact at Abbey Hill Academy and College

Over the last three years, ESB has gathered and analysed data from Abbey Hill Academy and College, a special school in Stoke on Trent. The results reveal valuable insights into how our ‘Building Confidence in Communication’ qualifications help learners achieve meaningful progress in essential communication skills, which are key for the workplace and beyond:

Levels of Progress (LP) are based on teacher judgments and communicate a learner’s progression in skill and knowledge acquisition over time. For our Building Confidence in Communication qualifications, these judgments rely on the following ESB grade descriptors: Developing, Emerging, Established and Consolidated.

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Crowdys Hill School Success Story

A powerful video featured in this week’s campaign shares testimonials from partner schools, including Villiers Park Educational Trust’s School – Crowdys Hill School – a special educational needs school in Swindon.

We’ve been working with the English Speaking Board for a number of years and students in our sixth form are put forward for the Entry Level 3 Award in Inspiring Confidence in Employability, we aligned our existing careers coursework to the topics of the ESB objectives and students also put together a presentation about work experience or a hobby.

The assessors are brilliant; they understand the setting completely and are really encouraging with students when they give their presentations and simulate the phone calls. They also go through student CVs and speak to each one individually about their aspirations. As well as being a valuable nationally recognised qualification, we’ve seen a noticeable increase amongst students in the confidence in public speaking but more importantly social interaction.

Ben Vickery, Careers Lead at Crowdys Hill School shares how ESB qualifications have positively impacted his learners

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Make Oracy for All a reality

ESB’s ‘Oracy for All’ campaign underscores ESB’s mission to make life-changing communication skills accessible to every learner. To learn more about ESB’s qualifications, click here to join our webinar on Tuesday, 26th November, at 4.00 pm for an in-depth look at how these qualifications can make a real difference to the lives of individuals. 

If you cannot attend the webinar, you can reach out to ESB’s Business Strategy Team at business@esbuk.org for additional resources and information. ESB is proud to be making a difference – empowering every learner to help achieve their full potential in the workplace and beyond.

In response to the Oracy Education Commission’s recent report, “We Need to Talk,” English Speaking Board (International) Ltd. (ESB) has a strong focus on the role of oracy education in enhancing employability and essential workplace skills.

The Commission’s report, titled “We Need to Talk”, underscored the critical role oracy plays in preparing young people for future challenges, particularly in the workplace.

“Spoken communication and interpersonal skills are highly valued and in demand by employers. They consistently top the list of skills demands yet they emerge as one of the biggest skills gaps in the school leaver and graduate workforce.”
(pg. 34 – ‘We Need to Talk’ Oracy Education Commission’s Final Report)

ESB’s Impact Data identifies that learners who complete its qualifications demonstrate significant improvements in their speaking and listening skills.

Teachers were asked to rate how much they believe ESB qualifications have helped develop these skills, particularly in response to challenges posed by the pandemic. On a scale of 0-10, the average rating was an impressive 8.6.

Furthermore, teachers observed a 29% increase in learners who were highly competent in “speaking confidently, audibly, and fluently” after completing their ESB qualification.

Says ESB’s Chief Executive, Tina Renshaw:

ESB’s employability-focused oracy qualifications, which are externally assessed and carried out in peer groups, play a crucial role in developing young people’s speaking and listening skills by creating real-life communication-rich situations. In particular, preparing for and experiencing an ESB qualification fosters learner agency and empowers young people to find their place in the world.

Our ESB Level 1 Award in Speech for Employability (Grade 2) and Level 2 Certificate in Speech for Employability (Grade 4) provide learners with the opportunity to develop key skills that directly translate to workplace success.

Key Features of ESB’s Oracy Employability Focused Qualifications

Practical, Real-Life Assessments
ESB’s Speech for Employability qualifications are designed to immerse students in real-world scenarios, including presentations, mock interviews, formal telephone calls, pitches and listening and responding to views. These activities enhance learners’ communication skills, preparing them for job interviews and workplace challenges. Preparing for these qualifications fosters teamwork, problem-solving, leadership, group speaking and collaboration in a supportive environment.

Building Confidence
The Oracy Education Commission report emphasised the importance of building young people’s confidence in speaking situations. ESB’s qualifications are designed to do exactly that, and our research from our National Impact Report 21-22 has shown that there is a significant improvement in students’ self-assurance post-assessment. Carried out in small groups, ESB assessments helped many students who initially felt anxious about speaking in front of others to emerge with newfound confidence – a key employability trait identified in the report.

Employability Focused Oracy Teacher Resources
ESB offers a wide range of online teacher resources for our Oracy qualifications, which teachers can access free-of-charge, at any time. We have resources specifically designed for our employability-focused oracy qualifications.

• Key Stage 2-3: ESB Level 1 Award in Speech for Employability (Grade 2)
  On this page, you will find qualification specifications, together with our employability-focused resources, if you scroll down on the right-hand side of the page.
• Key Stage 3-4: ESB Level 2 Award in Speech for Employability (Grade 4)
• Please check your downloads folder once you have clicked on the resources.

Tangible Improvements in Employability Skills
ESB’s research from its National Impact Report 21-22 demonstrates the powerful impact of these employability based qualifications. Following the assessments, 34% of students were rated ‘Highly Competent’ in professional one-on-one interactions, a vital skill for job success. Additionally, over 70% of learners reported improvements in their ability to deliver talks on job-related topics, addressing the Commission’s concerns about students’ readiness for professional life

Learner-Centred Approach and Agency
The Oracy Education Commission advocates for empowering students with ownership over their learning, a principle that is at the heart of ESB’s assessments. By allowing learners to choose their presentation topics and engage in discussions about jobs, careers, successful business leaders that interest and influence them, ESB assessments nurture learner agency. This approach not only motivates students but ensures the learning experience is relevant to their future aspirations, aligning with the report’s call for integrating oracy meaningfully across the curriculum.

Data from ESB’s National Impact Report

Teacher and Learner Testimonials

Teachers have praised the impact of ESB’s assessments on their students. One teacher commented:

Students who are usually quiet or reluctant to speak gained so much confidence. They all expressed confidence in completing interviews or professional conversations in the future.

Learners have echoed this sentiment, with one stating, “The best part was the interviews as it gives me a view of what we would have to do in the real world.

Find out more

In light of the Oracy Education Commission’s findings, ESB is committed to expanding opportunities for young people to develop essential oracy, employability and lifelong skills.

Adds Tina, “By embedding real-world scenarios into its qualifications, ESB not only equips students with the oracy skills needed for the workplace but also instils the confidence and agency required to thrive in their future jobs and careers.”

You can read more about the impact of ESB’s external, employability-focused oracy assessments on Key Stage 3 learners in the following article published by ESB in the Chartered College of Teaching’s peer-reviewed journal by clicking here.  Additionally, you can read ESB’s National Impact Report here.