The UNITE Project

The UNITE Project is funded by the European Integration Fund and it seeks to support the integration of 600 women – all spouses and third-country nationals, newly-arrived in West Yorkshire mainly from Pakistan and Bangladesh – into British society.

This integration is achieved through courses run at five centres in West Yorkshire where the women are trained towards the attainment of an accredited English qualification and are given information, advice and guidance relevant to their new situation and to the unfamiliar setting in which they find themselves here in the United Kingdom.

However, the programme is practical as well as informative. A major aspect of it involves the women’s orientation into the local community through:

• visits to local service providers including health and housing services and banks;
• the use of public transport, police, leisure and cultural facilities, and legal services;
• trips to shops, supermarkets, and other retail outlets; and
• familiarisation with different faith settings.

These things alone would make the project worthwhile but a further significant benefit flows from it. By using our training facilities and becoming involved in our social activities programme, the women meet members of British-born ethnic minorities as well as new migrants from the EU. This inevitably promotes among all concerned a better understanding of each other’s culture, and aids the easing of the tensions in local communities frequently reported upon in the media.

Evaluation

The evaluation of this project will involve the use of case studies and will record and assess the lessons learned. Furthermore, we will create a DVD for use with policy-makers and statutory organisations, aimed at explaining the problems of integration and improving their understanding of which initiatives work and of how services may be improved.

Key expected outputs

We expect that:

• 600 third-country women will achieve an accredited and recognised English qualification within 3 years.



• 400 third-country women will be prepared for the Citizenship Test within 3 years.



• 300 third-country women will progress into further learning, work or self employment.



• 15 cultural/heritage visits by third-country women will take place.



• 6 relevant case studies arising from the project and a DVD will be produced by year 3.

Key Success Factors

The factors we use in measuring the success of this project are:

• An increase in the number of third-country women achieving ESOL qualifications.
• An increase in the number of third-country women feeling more integrated and having a better understanding of Britain, its institutions, its values and how to access mainstream services.
• An increase in the number of third-country women progressing beyond our programme into other forms of learning and work.
• Stronger and more sustainable communities with people having a better understanding and acceptance of each other.
• Statutory bodies gaining a better understanding of what is needed for third-country women and putting adequate provision in place to match that need.

For more information contact Dr Mohammed Ali or Adeeba Malik at Quest House, 243 Manningham Lane, Bradford BD8 7ER. Telephone: 01274 483267.