Do you find that some of your employees struggle to work out basic calculations like adding VAT or sale prices? Do you find that this is a waste of your business’ time and resources?
Do your employees find it difficult to write properly spelt and punctuated emails or letters to your customers? Does this give your customers a good impression of your business?
There have been many reports and news stories about employers who are concerned about their workers lack of functional skills particularly in Language and communication and in numeracy. It appears that GCSEs are not giving many people the skills needed to communicate well or do their jobs because they lack the ability to perform functional calculations or write accurately.
Richard Lambert, the Director-General or the CBI summed it up when he said: ‘…people need to be able to read and write fluently and to carry out basic mental arithmetic. Far too many school-leavers struggle with these essential life skills.’
If your business in particular, and indeed the whole of the UK economy, is going to be able to compete effectively then employees must have a good level of functional skills which they can apply to the work place. If your employees are well skilled, confident in their literacy and numeracy knowledge and able to apply what they know to the work place then your business will be able to compete with the best.
It’s a win-win situation! Supporting your employees to improve their functional skills in Maths and English will help your business, increase your productivity and efficiency and improve your profile with your customers. Your employees will also gain by improving their functional skills, gaining in confidence and self-esteem as well as having the transferable skills to be able to do their job better.
To find out more about how we can help you improve the skills of your staff and enable your company to grow
Functional Skills are nationally recognised Maths and English qualifications, which will help you develop skills that you can use in your work and your home life. You will learn practical skills which you can actually apply in real life situations unlike some of the skills in GCSE which, let’s be honest, you would probably never use outside of the classroom.
Functional Skills are ideal for learners who do not have a current English or Maths qualification and would like to progress in work or access further education. We offer qualifications from Entry Level 1 right up to Level 2. Functional Skills at Level 2 is equivalent to a GCSE at Grade A-C and can often be used to enable learners to access higher education courses.
Gaining these qualifications will also boost your confidence, enhance your CV and give you those transferable skills which you will actually use in the workplace to help you do your job better – and maybe even gain a promotion. They will help with your communication skills and personal budgets and may even help you get a better deal when you’re shopping!
Our courses are online, so you do not have to go to a college or learning centre during the day or in the evening. You can do it from the comfort of your own home at a time and pace which suits you. All our resources are available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week so you can fit it in around your work and busy home life and then travel to one of our centres to sit your final exam when you’re ready.
We have helped thousands of learners gain this qualification and we have had learners from 16 to 72, so it’s never too early or late to learn!
At Runway Training we often have the opportunity to offer fully funded courses through our partnerships with different charities and funding streams.
The eligibility criteria for each of the different funds and grants varies depending on the source of the funding so it is always a good idea to ask if there is funding or a grant available as you may qualify.
We are always looking for opportunities to find funding or grants for our learners to make the course cheaper or free for them. However, we are also able to offer courses to those learners who can fund themselves. We often find that their employers are able to fund (or part-fund) their learning as well. It’s worth asking!
