What research says about studying with the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP)
This year marked the 75th year of Australia’s Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP). It also saw the release of the largest study in the AMEP’s history to better understand participation in the program, and the AMEP’s broader impact on employment and welfare outcomes. Associate Professor Francis Mitrou and Dr Ha Nguyen from Telethon Kids Institute (@telethonkids) and Life Course Centre (@lifecourseAust) outline some of the key findings.
The Adult Migrant English Program recently marked its 75th year. What difference has it made to the social and economic outcomes for recent migrants to Australia?
The Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) is the longest-running program of its kind in Australia. It is a free service that aims to help eligible migrants and humanitarian entrants with low English levels to improve their English language skills, in order to facilitate better social and economic participation. The AMEP was established in 1948 to assist refugees from post-World War II Europe to settle in Australia. Our migrant population has become more diverse since then, as has the delivery and content of the AMEP, but the overarching goals remain the same.
This year, the Department of Home Affairs and the Telethon Kids Institute completed a major longitudinal research study, the AMEP Impact Evaluation Project, supported by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course (Life Course Centre). This was the most comprehensive study of the AMEP undertaken in the program’s 75-year history. Information held within the Australian Bureau of Statistics was analysed for the study.
Who participates in the AMEP?
Approximately 403,000 persons were enrolled in the AMEP over the study period from 1 July 2003 to 30 June 2019. Some 97% of AMEP participants were aged between 18 and 65 years of age, which we can consider as being working-age participants. About 65% of all participants were female.
For female participants, 63% were on a Family visa, 21% on a Humanitarian visa and 16% on a Skilled Migration visa. For males, 42% were on a Family visa, 44% on a Humanitarian visa and 14% on a Skilled Migration visa. These visa differences may reflect traditional roles in the various migrant home countries surrounding child rearing and bread winning responsibilities and work rights, but further research is needed to understand this more.
A high rate of potentially eligible migrants (79%) participated in the AMEP. For females, the lowest participation rates were among migrants from Croatia, Hong Kong, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Vietnam and Lebanon. For males, the lowest participation rates were among migrants from Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan. The highest AMEP take-up rates were for migrants from Burundi, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Russian Federation and Sudan, and this pattern was largely similar by gender.
Overall, the top 10 countries of birth for AMEP participants (from high to low) were: China, Iraq, Vietnam, Afghanistan, India, Myanmar, Thailand, Iran, South Korea and Sudan. The most common source of initial information about the AMEP came from friends or relatives, which suggests word-of-mouth is a powerful source of raising awareness of the AMEP in Australia’s migrant communities.
What are the benefits of the AMEP?
Around 90% of AMEP participants had exited the program within three years of enrolling and their level of English proficiency was higher upon program exit than at entry. While we could not account for other influences, such as exposure to English in other settings, the fact that participants exit with demonstrably better English proficiency than at entry shows that the AMEP is meeting its primary purpose.
The AMEP Impact Evaluation Project also sought to better understand the broader societal impacts of the AMEP on migrant outcomes, beyond improvements in English proficiency. This included the benefits that AMEP participation may have on employment and welfare outcomes for migrants.
Through linked data analysis, our study showed that migrants with higher levels of English:
had better labour market outcomes
had higher income levels
had lower rates of public housing tenancy
were less likely to receive income support
AMEP participation was associated with improved labour force participation rates and income, for both males and females, compared with their status at program entry. The rates of labour force participation increased substantially from the first to the second year of AMEP participation, from 51% to 69% for males and from 46% to 63% for females. Total annual wages for AMEP participants began to increase from one year after AMEP exit, and steadily increased out to six years post-AMEP.
AMEP participation was also associated with reduced reliance on income support over time, while working-age migrants with better English proficiency were also less likely to rely on public housing.
Our research provides valuable first insights into the associations between AMEP participation and labour market and welfare outcomes for migrants. It provides the foundations to further enhance the quality and effectiveness of the AMEP, to support increased learner engagement and improved migrant outcomes, and to progress future evaluations of the program.
You can find out more about the AMEP Impact Evaluation Project and read the project’s full research papers at the websites of the Department of Home Affairs and the Life Course Centre.
These research papers were analysed, compiled and written by researchers from Telethon Kids Institute and The University of Western Australia as part of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course (Project ID CE200100025), with input from the Department of Home Affairs (Australian Government).
Posted by the Life Course Centre @LifeCourseAust