Embedding Skills for Life

What are Skills For Life?

The national Skills for Life initiative aims to improve the literacy, language and numeracy skills of 2.25 million adults by 2010. Improving Skills for Life is seen as a springboard for many adult learners to progress to other learning and employment opportunities. The further education workforce is a key contributor to meeting these targets.

Whilst Hampshire Learning is funded to deliver dedicated Skills for Life courses through Family Literacy, Language and Numeracy (FLLN) programmes, all tutors delivering adult and family learning programmes can contribute to the national targets by embedding Skills for Life in their subject teaching.

Embedded learning has proved to be a very effective way of improving a learner’s outcomes:
“Fundamentally, learning literacy and numeracy in the context of a vocational (or recreational subject)] has been seen to unlock intrinsic motivation and positively engage learners who may previously have had little confidence in their ability to learn. Embedding has lead to successful learning, where basic skills have improved and, with the application of these skills within a practical context, so did achievement and success rates in vocational qualifications.”
Extract from Skills for Life Update Issue 22

How do I embed Skills for Life?

Teachers of ICT and Creative Writing , for example, can deliver learning that addresses literacy needs whilst meeting the learning goals of the course. Other subject areas may offer a less obvious means of delivering Skills for Life but there are ways - for example: an art teacher could improve language skills by extending the learners’ vocabulary and use of subject specific terminology with a glossary that is added to week by week. Handouts and resource material can be developed (perhaps even differentiated) so that they are accessible to all learners whilst offering support for Skills for Life learning.

Even if you teach a subject that does not lend itself easily to embedding Skills for Life, you as an Adult and Family Learning tutor may still be a learner’s re-entry point into fruitful continuing education. Broad initial assessment is still important and this will help you support your learners through a process of progression into other courses including those that specialise in Skills for Life.

Do I have to embed ALL the Skills For Life?

A simple rule for identifying Skills for Life that might be applicable in your subject area is to ask yourself what Skills for Life do my learners need to do each activity or meet specific learning goals.

Thus numeracy may be appropriate where learners are required to cost or measure as part of their learning goals; a Creative Writing tutor would focus on literacy and language. It is important to remember that embedded skills for life are effective because they are contextual.

The newly-published Quality Support Pack includes updated pro formas for schemes of work and session plans which now require you to consider provision for Skills for Life.