Welcome to the UK

What was the project?

Welcome to the UK (WttUK) was an exciting three-year project, led by Learning Unlimited, which supported the integration of third country national women to the UK.

The project was funded through the European Integration Fund (EIF) and delivered with input and/or match-funding support from Blackfriars Settlement, the British Council, the Institute of Education, Southwark Council and UKBET (the UK Bangladesh Education Trust).

More detailed information, including details of the two key strands of project activity – Welcome to the UK (in the UK) and Preparing for life in the UK (in Bangladesh) – can be found here.

Find out more about the project

Learners in both Bangladesh and the UK were involved in participatory video projects facilitated by InsightShare. This innovative process provided an opportunity for participants to develop film-making skills, and make their own films describing their feelings and experiences of settling in the UK to a wider audience. A summary of the participatory video process and how it has helped with integration can be downloaded here.

The Most Significant Change process was used in Year 3 to gather participants’ experiences to help evaluate the success of the project and their responses were turned into the film you can watch below.

Exploring the most significant change – Welcome to the UK project learner and volunteer voices from Ian Foster on Vimeo.

You can download the earlier Welcome to the UK film using either of the links below, they are large files (around 550MB) and may take some time to download, depending on the speed of your internet connection.

Welcome to the UK film
Welcome to the UK film (with Bengali subtitles

And you can watch these two additional short films here.

Preparing for Life in the UK from InsightShare on Vimeo.

Goodbye Bangladesh from InsightShare on Vimeo.

The Welcome to the UK project impact assessment research reports from the three years of the project are available to download here:

Welcome to the UK Year 1 Impact assessment research report
Welcome to the UK Year 2 Impact assessment research report
Welcome to the UK Year 3 Impact assessment research report

Download resources from the project

A range of materials toolkits were developed as part of the project and are available to download either in full version, or in authorable sections so that teachers can adapt them to better suit their teaching and learning contexts:

The toolkits can be accessed below.

Preparing for life in the UK – toolkit
A materials toolkit for providers working outside the EU with adult ESOL participants who are planning to settle in the UK. Available to download here in full.

Preparing for life in the UK – authorable toolkit
Sections of the toolkit have been made authorable so that tutors an adapt it better suit their teaching and learning contexts:

Welcome to the UK – toolkit.
A materials toolkit to support integration for providers working with adult ESOL new arrivals in the UK. Available to download here in full.

Welcome to the UK – authorable toolkit
Sections of the toolkit have been made authorable so that tutors an adapt it better suit their teaching and learning contexts:

Welcome to the UK – befriender training toolkit.
A toolkit designed to support providers in running a befriender training programme for volunteers providing informal support to women newly arrived in the UK. Available to download here.

Welcome to the UK – resources pack.
A resources pack to complement activities from the above three toolkits. Available to download here.

From our partners

ESOL Nexus is a website from the British Council for the ESOL community in the UK. It has resources for ESOL learners, teachers and policymakers. These materials have been specially designed and identified for learners who are working and making their home in the UK. esol.britishcouncil.org