AN MP heard “powerful testimonies” about the importance of English language classes during a college visit.

Edmonton MP Kate Osamor also criticised funding cuts at Barnet and Southgate College’s campus in Edmonton Green last Friday (October 2).

The Government is set to withdraw funding for ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) plus mandated courses, which involve colleges working with job centres to help students find work.

Barnet and Southgate College is one of the 47 colleges, and about 16,000 learners, that will be hit by the cuts, according to the Association of Colleges.

More than 50 ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) students and staff met Ms Osamor.

They explained how essential the classes are for finding work, building confidence and supporting their families.

The Labour MP said: “On my visit today, I heard powerful testimonies from women who will be affected by the ESOL cuts.

“The cuts are part of the £450 million in savings that the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has been asked to find by the treasury.

“An estimated £45m had been allocated to the programme of mandated learning, which is targeted at jobseekers' allowance claimants identified as having poor spoken English skills that prevent them from finding work.”

Ms Osamor, who was elected in May this year, added: “Once again the Tory Government have let us down, the Prime Minister announced a review of how to boost integration in deprived and isolated communities to tackle extremism, including how to ensure people learn English.

“However, cutting the funding is going against this, I will be raising this issue in Parliament.”

In a letter to Ms Osamor about the cuts, skills minister Nick Boles MP said: “The decision to remove the additional 2015-2016 ESOL Plus Mandation funding for jobseekers was not one taken lightly and is part of the wider overall in-year savings that my department has had to make.

“This funding was additional to the Adult Skills Budget and our data showed that the numbers being referred to provision was significantly lower than originally envisaged, primarily as many jobseekers have successfully gained employment.”

Mr Boles, Conservative MP for Grantham and Stamford, added: “Colleges and training providers have the freedom and flexibility to determine how they use their Adult Skills Budget to meet the needs of their communities and it is therefore their responsibility to plan, with local partners, which ESOL courses they can deliver locally, within their resources.”