Free English lessons for students fleeing Ukraine

SLOUGH: Free English lessons are being offered to Ukrainian people who have been forced to flee the Russian invasion.

The Oxford Business College, which has a campus in Slough, is running a three-month virtual course exclusively for those impacted by the war in Ukraine.

The OBC Slough campus will be one of the main centres running the course.

The course will provide students with English speaking ability and basic English language skills for business to help gain employment.

The college said this was the the first such initiative by any higher educational institution in the UK to support people fleeing the war-affected region.

More than 150 students originally from Ukraine have signed up to the free classes and there are plans for another batch of people to be enrolled in June.

The college initially announced the course in April and got an overwhelming response, with more than 2,500 people from different locations applying.

The senior academic team of OBC has designed the special curriculum, while experienced lecturers from the college will teach these classes.

A spokesperson for the Oxford Business College said:

“Watching the destruction in Ukraine and plight of its residents and their painful migration; we wanted to help them resettle.

“So, we have decided to do what we are best at – educating. “Communication might be a significant obstacle to restarting a life from scratch, as the majority of the migrated people do not know foreign languages, especially English.

“So we decided to start this course.”

Oxford Business College is the oldest independent higher education college in Oxford, with campuses in London and Nottingham.

Its Slough campus is in The Grove, near the High Street.