1. essential skills professional development and resource centre Essential Skills Awareness Job Centre Plus Advisers

2. essential skills professional development and resource centre Learning outcomes To understand what is meant by ‘essential skills’ and what level of ability this means To be aware of the scale of need, nationally To be aware of the impact of poor essential skills on the individual To consider your role in supporting essential skills development, including screening and referral To consider ways in which you can positively ‘sell’ basic skills development to clients

3. essential skills professional development and resource centre What are ‘essential skills’? ‘The ability to read, write and speak in English and to use mathematics at a level necessary to function and progress at work and in society in general. In other words, essential skills are: reading, writing, speaking and listening and number.’ IT became a ‘basic skill’ in 2003

4. essential skills professional development and resource centre Skills for Life Strategy Strategy launched in 2001 to address the issues discovered in the national survey 7 billion spent by Government so far ‘Gremlins’ campaign has been one of the key strategies in getting adults to consider any skills gaps they might have.

5. essential skills professional development and resource centre The levels Level 3 Level 2 Level 1 Level 2 Level 1 Entry 3 Entry 2 Entry 1 NC Level 4/5 NC Level 3 NC Level 2 NC Level 1 Level 4 Level 5 Key skills/NVQ Essential skillsNational Curr GCSE (A-C)

6. essential skills professional development and resource centre Very low skills – entry1/2 BOB DYLAN Appearing at the BIRMINGHAM NEC on 29 TH November 2003 at 7.30 pm Tickets: £35.00 £40.00. £50 How much change from £2.00? 90p75p

7. essential skills professional development and resource centre Low skills – entry 3/level 1 SALE ONE THIRD OFF SUITS 10% OFF JACKETS For children over 12 and adults take two 5 ml doses three times a day.

8. essential skills professional development and resource centre Level 2 numeracy skills The sandpit is round with a radius of 1.5m and a depth of 0.2m. What is the volume of sand needed to fill the sandpit? a)0.18m 3 b)1.35m 3 c)1.80m 3 d)6.75m 3 Question from the Level 2 National Test

9. essential skills professional development and resource centre Functional literacy and numeracy What literacy and or numeracy skills did you use from getting up this morning to arriving at work?

10. essential skills professional development and resource centre The role of Job Centre Plus Screening of all clients Foundation Employability (Entry 1-2) and Employability Skills Programme (Entry 3- Level 2) Basic Skills training through New Deal (18- 24) Referral to relevant training providers

11. essential skills professional development and resource centre What can you do? You play a crucial role as a ‘frontline worker’ in engaging adults who may have difficulties with literacy, language and numeracy. You could make all the difference, in terms of encouraging them to talk about their skills and thinking about what might be the right path for them. Advisers are in different job roles with different clients – so the approach may vary.

12. essential skills professional development and resource centre Adviser roles How do the clients differ in terms of their background, abilities and priorities, in your particular adviser area? What might be their barriers to learning? And their strengths or motivations? New Deal New Claimants Lone Parents Restart Incapacity Benefit and Disability

13. essential skills professional development and resource centre Screening informally: spotting the signs Avoidance strategies Asking a friend Getting aggressive or frustrated when asked about skills Arriving late or missing appointments Being unsure about time Difficulty filling in forms

14. essential skills professional development and resource centre Bringing up the subject Treat essential skills just like any other training need, in a matter of fact way Don’t use the words ‘basic skills’ Talk about ‘improving skills’ rather than ‘problems’ “Adult programmes are different from school…” “It’s your right to learn and not your fault you need to develop your skills…” “These other JCPlus customers have had success…”

15. essential skills professional development and resource centre Turn negative comments around “Basic Skills sounds really babyish!” “Assessment? Sounds like a test to me…I’m not doing that! “My English is too bad – they couldn’t help me!” What else might a client say?

16. essential skills professional development and resource centre Useful websites Read Write Plus – Skills for Life www.dfes.gov.uk/readwriteplus Skills for Life Improvement Programme www.sflip.org.uk National Research Development Centre www.nrdc.org.uk National Skills for Life Survey 2003 www.nao.org.uk/publications/nao_reports/04- 05/040520.pdf

17. essential skills professional development and resource centre Essential Skills Professional Development and Resource Centre www.warwick.ac.uk/go/esc S.Hattersley@warwick.ac.uk