Many adult migrants each year benefit from Kangan Batman TAFE’s English Language classes
4 February 2002
Coming to Australia as a migrant can be a daunting experience but if you don’t know how to speak English, it can be a nightmare.
Many migrants come to Australia from countries such as Iraq, Somalia, Croatia, Lebanon, Bosnia, Germany (to name a few). Things as basic as going shopping and talking to shopkeepers or sales assistants can become a very stressful and scary experience when English is not your first language.
Many such migrants are eligible for the Department of Immigration funded Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) where they can study for up to 510 hours in English Language classes.
Kangan Batman TAFE provides these AMEP English Language classes at its Broadmeadows and Moreland campuses to more than 200 students each year. These courses help migrants feel more confident in looking for a job or furthering their education.
One such student is Vernesa Celic of Glenroy. Vernesa is originally from Bosnia. She fled her homeland with her family in 1992 because of civil war in Bosnia and went to Germany, arriving there as a refugee. After living in Germany for eight years, she came to Australia with her husband and two children in July 2000 on a humanitarian visa and she and her family are now living here permanently.
In August of the same year she enrolled at Kangan Batman TAFE to do her Certificate 1in Spoken and Written English. The Certificate 1 is for students with no knowledge (speaking or writing) of English.
“The first day I started I remember one of the teachers trying to teach us how to say ‘th’ by putting out our tongues. The hardest thing about learning a new language is to start speaking. The pronunciation is the most difficult part,” she says.
Vernesa has now found a full-time job in IGA Glenroy working as a shop assistant. She attributes her success in finding a job to the English that she has gained through the Kangan Batman AMEP program.
“When I came to Australia I didn’t know any English. I had to use the help of interpreters when I went out. After studying for six months, I didn’t need anyone’s help. I understood what people were saying and could also speak with them without any hesitation.”
“I joined Kangan Batman TAFE to learn English, because I knew that finding a job without knowing English would be even more difficult. I learned English so quickly because I was determined to succeed."
"After class I used to continue reading books and talking with people in English, even if it felt difficult. That is what the course prepares you for, to survive in the real world. We did a lot of practical exercises for speaking and writing and my confidence increased a lot,” she says.
There are many other stories equally as remarkable as Vernesa's and Kangan Batman celebrates them all at the annual AMEP Presentation Day held in December. The students in 2001 were all congratulated by the Associate Director Mr Ron Wilson, who presented them all with certificates. Many students will continue at Kangan Batman TAFE in Advanced English classes after they finish the 510 hours, or enter other mainstream courses like computers and childcare. Some then go on to university.
Nola Philip, the AMEP co-ordinator at Kangan Batman TAFE says that she and the other teachers find working with the AMEP students is especially rewarding.
"The students are all so keen to learn. The classes are a wonderful mix of people - different cultures, religions, ages and backgrounds - all working well together. They reflect the multicultural future of Australia", Nola says.
