Real-world growth: blending youth work and ELT for holistic, vocational language education

At this year's Future of English Language Teaching (FoELT) conference, Elaine Waites challenged teachers to rethink what we measure in language learning—and our role in measuring it. Her session addressed a persistent problem in English language teaching: how do we measure the soft skills that actually determine real-world success?

Drawing from 12 years designing competency-based assessment frameworks in UK LEA settings 15 years in vocational ELT, she demonstrated practical ways to track confidence, employability readiness, and communication courage alongside traditional language proficiency—making the invisible visible.

Elaine Waites is an experienced ELT educator and youth development specialist working in English for Specific Purposes in southern Italy, specializing in CEFR-mapped courses for employability outcomes. She has worked as a Connexions personal adviser, regional development manager for Northumberland Clubs for Young People, and life skills mentor in multidisciplinary teams. Her extensive background in designing and developing holistic lifeskills programmes in ESF-funded projects, delivering training to Youth Participation Workers under the UK's Transforming Youth Work agenda, and using the APIR assessment framework to make soft skills outcomes measurable now informs her innovative ELT practice connecting language learning with personal growth and professional readiness.

The measurement problem in ELT

Elaine began by identifying a fundamental gap: while we excel at measuring linguistic competence, we rarely assess learners' confidence to actually use English in real situations. Can they handle a job interview? Collaborate on a team project? Introduce themselves confidently at a networking event?

These soft skills—confidence, workplace communication, emotional resilience—are what employers need. Yet they remain invisible in traditional ELT assessment. By embedding assessment frameworks from UK educational practice, teachers can integrate the roles of facilitator, coach, mentor and personal adviser alongside teaching. We're not just teaching English—we're supporting learners to achieve life goals, preparing them for employment, and helping them take ownership of their learning journeys.

The insight wheel: measuring the unmeasurable

The centrepiece was the "insight wheel," adapted from the UK Connexions APIR (Assessment, Planning, Implementation, Review) model. This visual assessment tool tracks development across areas such as confidence in specific tasks, workplace communication readiness, teamwork abilities and problem-solving.

Unlike traditional scoring, it makes learning visible—learners literally see their growth as their confidence "shape" expands over time. Participants were invited to use the wheel themselves during the session, rating their confidence at the start, midpoint and end—experiencing firsthand how the tool promotes self-awareness and builds agency.

The innovation is significant: ELT finally has a practical tool for assessing can-do confidence alongside can-do competence. Teachers can track whether learners feel ready to use English in job interviews or presentations—not just whether they know the grammar.

Four contexts, one adaptable tool

Elaine shared four case studies demonstrating the wheel's adaptability:

Case Study 1: Digital School – English for Developers
 A vocational course preparing learners for international work placements. The wheel tracked employability skills alongside linguistic progress, measuring confidence in real tasks like "I can participate in a SCRUM meeting" or "I can write a bug report." Co-curriculum development with industry partners ensured content met actual workplace demands.

Case Study 2: English for Erasmus
 Technical secondary school students at risk of NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) preparing for study abroad. Learners co-designed the curriculum—not just receiving it, but actively creating it. The result? Zero dropout. When learners help create what they're learning, investment replaces compliance.

Case Study 3: Alimenta Essential English
 A community learning initiative for baristas with physical and cognitive disabilities. Using visual adaptations and intensive repetition, the project tracks micro-goals like "I can greet a customer" or "I can take a coffee order." The wheel makes progress visible for learners who might struggle with traditional assessment, building confidence through tangible evidence of growth.

Case Study 4: Wine Talks
 An ESP programme for hospitality professionals and sommeliers, mapping professional confidence and interpersonal growth. Learners tracked readiness for real professional tasks: conducting tastings, explaining terroir, recommending pairings. Many progressed to WSET certification and wine industry employment—demonstrating how measuring soft skills creates genuine pathways to professional success.

Participation frameworks and learner autonomy

Elaine introduced complementary frameworks including Hart's Ladder of Participation, which helps teachers assess whether learners are passive recipients or active co-creators of their learning. The shift from tokenistic participation to genuine shared decision-making transforms classroom dynamics and learner investment.

The goal isn't to impose structure but to cultivate autonomy. By involving learners in assessment and reflection, teachers integrate coaching, mentoring and advising roles alongside traditional teaching. We don't abandon teaching—we expand our practice to support the whole learner.

This approach is particularly effective in vocational and multilingual classrooms, where learners benefit from seeing tangible evidence of their development. It supports differentiation, as learners track growth in areas most relevant to their goals—not just standardized test scores. The role integration requires us to look beyond the coursebook and ask: What does this learner actually need English for, and how confident do they feel to use it?

Key takeaways

Measurement innovation: ELT needs tools to assess soft skills like confidence and employability readiness—not just linguistic competence.

Holistic assessment: The insight wheel makes invisible skills visible, tracking personal growth alongside language progress.

Role integration: Teachers integrate facilitator, coach, mentor and adviser roles alongside teaching—supporting life goals, not just grammar goals.

Adaptable framework: Case studies demonstrate the approach across vocational and community settings, from developers to baristas to wine professionals.

Participatory practice: Frameworks support genuine engagement for diverse learners by making them co-creators of their learning journey.

The future of language education

Elaine's session demonstrated that when language education embraces holistic assessment tools, it becomes a vehicle for both linguistic and personal development. By measuring progress through reflection, participation and real-world engagement, teachers help learners build the confidence and transferable skills needed for lifelong learning and meaningful work.

Elaine posed a fundamental question to the profession: perhaps the future of English language teaching lies in recognizing that we are a small but vital part of learners' lifelong development? A more holistic approach doesn't diminish our role—it enriches it by connecting language learning to the full context of learners' lives, goals and growth.

Elaine Waites presented this session at Trinity College London's Future of English Language Teaching (FOELT) 2025 conference. The session was accredited as Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for language teaching professionals.