Week 3 of ESB’s ‘Oracy for All’ Campaign: Highlighting the essential role of Oracy skills for the Workplace and Beyond
Nov 7, 2024English 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.
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:
- Communicates clearly and connects with the audience: 80% of learners made progress (1LP), and 20% made further progress (2LP).
- Structures a presentation appropriately: 60% of learners showed progress (1LP), while 40% made further progress (2LP).
- Presents and explains a process:
70% of learners made progress (1LP), with an additional 20% achieving further progress (2LP).
- Elaborates on information:
80% of learners improved (1LP), and 20% made further progress (2LP). - Answers questions clearly and fully: 70% of learners made progress (1LP).
- Asks relevant, open questions: 90% of learners made progress (1LP).
- Demonstrates active listening:100% of learners showed progress (1LP).
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.
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.
Ben Vickery, Careers Lead at Crowdys Hill School shares how ESB qualifications have positively impacted his learners
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.
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.