What are Skills for Life

1
What are Skills for Life?
What support is available for Voluntary
Community Organisations in identifying and
meeting needs?
2
What is Skills for Life?

• Skills for Life is a Government strategy to
  increase the literacy, language and numeracy
  skills of the adult population.
• The strategy has adopted the Basic Skills Agency
  definition of these skills The ability to
  read, write and speak in English and use
  mathematics at a level necessary to function and
  progress at work and in society in general.
• Increasingly ICT skills are included under the
  remit of the strategy. The recent White Paper
  21st century skills realising our potential
  individuals, employers, nation makes a commitment
  to help adults gain ICT skills as a third skill
  for life alongside literacy language and
  numeracy.

3
What is the range of skills covered?
The Skills for Life curricula cover skills from
Entry Level to Level 2 there is also a pre-entry
framework for those adults needing to develop
skills at a lower level. The following slides
give examples of the range of skills covered in
the literacy, language, numeracy and ICT
frameworks
4
Literacy Core Curriculum Levels
5
ESOL Core Curriculum Levels
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Numeracy Core Curriculum Levels
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ICT Curriculum Levels
8
Why is the Skills for Life strategy needed?

• The Moser report A Fresh Start (1999) indicated
  that 1 in 5 adults lacked some of the essential
  skills needed for everyday life and work this
  report was fundamental in launching the Skills
  for Life strategy in 2001
• More detailed statistical research by the DfES in
  2003 suggested an even higher level of skills need

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Headline Skills for Life Statistics

• 5.2 million adults in England have literacy
  skills below for Life baseline of Level 1 (DfES
  2003)
• 6.8 million adults in England have numeracy
  skills below Skills for Life baseline of Entry
  Level 3 (DfES 2003)
• 16.5 million adults have ICT skills below Level 1
  (DfES 2003)
• Further national, regional and local statistics
  (down to ward level) can be found at
  www.dfes.gov.uk/readwriteplus/skillsforlifesurvey/
  

10
Skills for Life Strategy to 2020

• The future of the strategy is being largely
  informed by the Leitch report - World Class
  Skills (Dec 2006)
• The review recommends the UK commits to becoming
  a world leader in skills by 2020, placed in the
  top 8 of 30 OECD (Organisation for Economic
  Co-operation Development) countries, ensuring
  that every adult has a basic platform of skills
• Target by 2020- 90 of adults to be qualified to
  at least Level 2

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How can the voluntary and community sector help?

• The National Audit Office report into Skills for
  Life (Dec 04) noted that

Voluntary and community organisations are best
placed to encourage organisations becoming
effectively involved.

• The VC Skills project was designed to develop the
  capacity of tutors, as well as those working in a
  support or front line capacity in the voluntary
  and community sector, to support and signpost
  disadvantaged adults with Skills for Life needs.

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Resources developed by the VC Skills project for
voluntary and community sector organisations

• Resources are available to support the following
  programmes

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Obtaining materials

• If you are interested in obtaining these
  materials or would like further information
  contact
• General create_at_phagroup.org.uk
• Surrey kevin.delf_at_surreyllp.org.uk info_at_mb
  learning.co.uk
• Sussex j.bailey_at_friendscentre.org shelley_at_
  fesussex.org.uk
• Hants and IOW ninataylor_at_essu.org
• Thames Valley joy_at_thamesvalleypdn.co.uk

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Useful Websites

• www.dfes.gov.uk/readwriteplus
• www.niace.org.uk
• www.literacytrust.org.uk
• www.bbc.co.uk/raw/campaign
• www.learndirect.co.uk
• www.learndirect-advice.co.uk