The following is an outline of the 21st Century Communication Skills courses that Future Learning runs at both the Dublin city campus and the Athlone campus available to Erasmus+ participants. We believe that all learners choose to study English for a purpose and our courses are designed with a sense of that purpose; personal, social, professional, and academic. We also emphasise the importance of learner autonomy, and our courses invite the learner to take responsibility for their progress, and help them to develop their learning skills and the ability to develop themselves. Our adult course is divided into three stages according to the English language level. At each stage, the exit criteria are those specified in the relevant Integrated Skills Exam (ISE) set by Trinity College London.
Stage F: Communication in EnglishThe first stage of FL’s 21st Century Communication Skills in English is designed to help learners to make a life in Ireland through
English and to deal successfully with all the situations that will arise at home, socially, and while working in a part-time job. It aims to help develop communication skills to deal with the cultural as well as the linguistic challenges of expressing ideas in English.
By the end of the course, participants will have:
Developed the essential communication, collaboration, creative problem-solving, and critical thinking skills to enable them to do the following in English and through technology:Understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment)Communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine mattersDescribe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need.Express themselves about matters in areas of immediate need.
Stage 1: Life Skills Through EnglishThe initial stage of our course is designed to help people to make a life in Ireland through English and deal successfully with all the
situations that will arise at home, socially, and at work if taking a part-time job. It aims to help develop communication skills that
consider the cultural as well as the linguistic challenges to successful communication in English.
By the end of the course, participants will have improved their communication, collaboration, creative problem-solving, and critical
thinking skills to enable them to do the following in English and through technology in a personal context:Understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, and day to day lifeDeal with most situations likely to arise whilst living in an area where the language is spokenProduce simple connected text on topics that are familiar or of personal interestDescribe personal experiences and events, dreams, hopes & ambitions, and briefly give reasons and explanations for
opinions and plans.
Stage 2: English for Professional CommunicationThe second stage of FL’s 21st Century Communication Skills in English is designed for professionals who are interested in developing their spoken and written communication skills in an international and technology-enhanced environment. The aim is to equip participants to communicate effectively in English in order to be able to progress professionally.
By the end of the course, participants will have improved their communication, collaboration, creative problem-solving, and critical
thinking skills to enable them to do the following in English and through technology in personal and professional contexts:Understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of professional specialisationInteract with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular professional interaction with first-language speakers
quite possible without strain for either partyProduce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and
disadvantages of various options.
Stage 3: English for Career DevelopmentThis third stage of FL’s 21st Century Communication Skills in English is designed to help students access opportunities in
international companies who employ multinational teams to service global markets where the language of coordination and
management is English. It aims to help them present themselves and their ideas well and communicate effectively so they can
progress in their career by engaging with the culture of the company in an appropriate way.
By the end of the course, participants will have improved their communication, collaboration, creative problem-solving, and critical
thinking skills to enable them to do the following in English and through technology in personal, professional, and academic
contexts:
Understand a wide range of demanding, longer academic texts, and recognise implicit meaningExpress him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressionsProduce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex academic subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors, and cohesive devicesUse language flexibly and effectively for social, academic, and professional purposes.
Stage 4: Pathway to Further Studies
The fourth stage of FL’s 21st Century Communication Skills in English is designed to equip people to make a success of studying
in an English-speaking country. The aim is to equip participants to communicate effectively in English in order to be able to
progress academically at a higher level, which is about engaging appropriately with the educational culture to overcome the
linguistic challenges to successfully studying in an English-speaking institution.
By the end of the course, participants will have improved their communication, collaboration, creative problem-solving, and critical
thinking skills to enable them to do the following in English and through technology in any context that they need to operate in;Understand with ease virtually everything heard or readSummarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent
presentationExpress themselves spontaneously, very fluently, and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in more
complex situation
On Stage 4, students will be offered IELTS exam band 8.5-9 preparation.
IMPORTANTCourses start every Monday from 9th January up to and including Monday 11th December (including public holidays)Minimum of 3 participants requiredErasmus+ courses can run in the morning or the afternoon. This will be confirmed prior to arrival