A series of community consultations regarding the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) will be held in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia over the next three weeks.
Assistant Minister for Education and Training Senator Simon Birmingham said he was hosting the community consultations following an independent evaluation of AMEP.
“The consultations will help ensure AMEP meets the needs of new migrants by promoting and supporting their development of the English language skills necessary for successful settlement in Australia,” Senator Birmingham said.
“AMEP is a valuable program that:
- assists newly arrived migrants to settle and confidently participate socially an economically in Australia;
- offers tailored English classes to humanitarian clients in recognition of their greater learning needs; and
- assists clients to transition to work by offering up to up to 80 hours of work experience as part of the Settlement Language Pathways to Employment and Training sub-programme.
The community consultations will explore areas of possible enhancement to AMEP policy settings, drawing on the recommendations of the 2014 evaluation and our desire to maximise English language skills among new migrants.
“The consultations will build on the national conversation the Abbott Government has already started about the importance of successful settlement, led by my colleague Senator Fierravanti-Wells,” Senator Birmingham said.
Member for Banks, David Coleman, said that he was pleased to be hosting the NSW community consultation in Revesby.
“The Banks electorate is incredibly diverse, with many different cultural backgrounds represented, including Chinese, Greek, Macedonian, and Lebanese.
“There are many residents in Banks who can share their experiences or would benefit from improvements to the Adult Migrant English Program.”
For stakeholders who are unable to attend the consultations in person, a webinar will be held on 6 August 2015.
More information on the community consultations including locations, dates and registrations can be found here: www.education.gov.au/amep.
Media contacts:
Caitlin Keage 0427 729 987 – Office of Senator Simon Birmingham
Sinclaire Prowse 0422 989 235 – Office of David Coleman MP