Functional skills are practical skills in English, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Mathematics, that allow individuals to work confidently, effectively and independently in life.

To ensure that functional skills are readily available to the full range of learners, they are being offered as free-standing qualifications at Entry Level, Level 1 and Level 2 during the three-year functional skills pilot that began in September 2007.

Functional skills will also be constituent qualifications of new Foundation, Higher and Advanced Diplomas.

The assessment approach will be primarily task-based scenario questions with a limited duration, delivered in a controlled environment. The assessments will support problem solving, skills-based approaches.

The QCA has developed, with a range of partners, a set of standards for the functional skills pilot qualifications. The standards determine the knowledge and skills proficiency required at each level.

The 'Routes to Success' report, which highlights the vital contribution of literacy, numeracy and communication skills in the passenger transport sector, was launched in November in conjunction with the Go For Excellence awards.

Vicki Ball, Director of Workforce Development, GoSkills said 'the report makes compelling reading as it demonstrates the importance of these skills to the passenger transport sector - and more importantly the impact of skills gaps and deficiencies in delivering effective transport operations and high quality customer service. Leading employers are already recognising and addressing skills gaps and the report demonstrates what can be achieved by taking action.'

The ability to read instructions, to pass on information through written reports or via conversations, to understand what numbers mean and to use computers with confidence to complete simple tasks are skills which form a basis for many workplace tasks. However, research commissioned by GoSkills reveals that nearly a quarter of companies in the passenger transport sector recognise that they employ staff who have gaps in their basic skills that may affect their performance in the workplace. The most striking skills gaps relate to the sector's drivers. Despite 91% of employers recognising that basic skills are important for drivers, over 70% of the workforce lack one or more of the basic skills with particular gaps in IT (79%) and communication (73%).

This magazine is aimed at everyone who is providing basic skills learning opportunities and those interested in improving the literacy, language and numeracy skills of adults. The magazine will help keep you up-to-date with what''s new in the field of Skills for Life.

The latest LSU e-briefing is a summary of the current teacher training context and our planned activity for this academic year, supported by London LSC.

A key aim is to collect data on the match between training needs and provision to inform both training and funding organisations for the professionalisation of London''s FE teachers.

The LSU still has skills for life at the centre of its activity but you will have noticed that with the new teacher training regulations we are now working to the broader remit of SfL and generic teacher training across the wider FE sector.

LSU can support people and organisations with professional development planning, with teacher training course promotion and recruitment. They will continue to host teacher trainer network events and to produce regular e-briefings on current issues.

The Office of Fair Trading and LLU+ at London South Bank University have developed a free web-based toolkit that uses everyday consumer situations, such as choosing a mobile phone, as contexts for learning numeracy and literacy.

It is designed for learners at:

• Access 2 and 3
• Intermediate 1 and 2
• Entry 3 and Levels 1 and 2

In 2005-6, NRDC conducted a research project which aimed to identify and support effective and inclusive practices in family literacy, language and numeracy (FLLN) in the 21st century. The project aimed to develop diverse and innovative evidence-based models and strategies. Practitioners were consulted on effective practice, on the development of new materials, and as practitioner-researchers.

The findings from this NRDC project are now available to download from the CfBT Education Trust's Evidence for Education online portal. They consist of:

• Family Literacy, Language and Numeracy: a practitioner's handbook by David Mallows



• Effective and Inclusive Practices in Family Literacy, Language and Numeracy - A Reviewby Greg Brooks, Kate Pahl, Alison Pollard and Felicity Rees

As set out in Train to Gain: A Plan for Growth, the following are now eligible for delivery in London:

• ESOL for Work qualifications (Entry Level 3 and Level 1)
• Skills for Life (literacy, Numeracy and ESOL) is now available at entry level 1 and Entry level 2

The attached paper (Annex 1) sets out the eligibility criteria and the process for reporting and payment purposes. The above extension will be eligible from 13 March 2008 for the remainder of 07/08.

Train to Gain can be delivered by consortia, and providers with train to gain contracts can add other providers to their consortia without re-tendering. So ESOL network providers might want to approach organisations with existing train to gain contracts to discuss delivery through this route.

Click here for information on which providers' have the Train to Gain contracts.

This update to e-briefing 8 issued last year, takes account of recent policy, funding changes and new resources.

This briefing aims to:

• give an overview of current thinking and practice on embedded Literacy, Language and Numeracy



• signpost practitioners from all contexts to what''s out there and available to help you

All the LSU e-briefings can be found on the talent website www.talent.ac.uk/ebriefings

The LSC has published a fact sheet to help tutors record Skills for Life provision on students' Individualised Learner Records.

The 14-page fact sheet defines Skills for Life provision, highlights the importance of ensuring this information is accurately recorded and explains how eligible Skills for Life learning aims are recorded on the ILR. It also identifies further ILR fields that are essential for Skills for Life monitoring and outlines the information that the LSC's Learning Aim Database holds for Skills for Life provision.

The presentations and papers are available from these three National Skills for Life Conferences 2007 held on the following dates:

• York - Monday 12th NovemberBirmingham - Monday 19th November
• London - Monday 26th November

You can view the following

• Plenary presentations and speeches
• Morning workshops
• Afternoon workshops

In this storybank you will find the complete collection of writing sent in for year one of 'Voices on the Page' from students in adult literacy and language classes all over England in 2007, the first year of the project. Please feel free to download and share with other students - remembering, of course, that the copyright rests with the authors. And please encourage your students to enter their work for the second year of the project – all entries will be added to the storybank.

The purpose of this fact sheet is to support providers offering Skills for Life literacy and language (ESOL – English of Speakers of Other Languages) provision to place learners on to the most appropriate learning aims and to ensure that ESOL learners are not placed on literacy qualifications based purely on their financial situation.

TALENT is the regional reference point for training adult literacy, ESOL or numeracy teachers. Their main aim is the teaching and learning of adults and young people with language, literacy and numeracy needs.

This website is the fast moving news and information network for Skills for Life Professionals. It also includes job vacancies, resources, training and development.

The purpose of this fact sheet is to define embedded literacy, language (ESOL) and numeracy, highlight the research which outlines the positive benefits of delivering embedded literacy, language or numeracy learning in vocational programmes and clarify how the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) funds this type of delivery and how to record it on the Individualised Learner Record (ILR).

This fact sheet has been published following discussions with the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) around the implications of the Leitch report and the ambition that 95% of adults will have the basic skills of functional numeracy and literacy by 2020.

One aspect of the Leitch report highlighted that in order to increase the required rate of improvement in the literacy and numeracy skills of adults, provision will need to be delivered “both through specific basic skills qualifications and ''embedding'' functional literacy and numeracy within other qualifications”. Publication of this fact sheet is intended to inform and raise awareness of the importance of this area of work.

Gatehouse Books® has launched a new website to showcase our collection of beginner readers used in basic skills and ESOL education, to help Post-14s and Adults become more confident with their reading. They also provide tutor resources which are mapped to the core curriculum.

Gatehouse Books® are widely used in literacy and ESOL in FE, community education, prisons, YOI's, secondary schools and also in SEN.

Low levels of literacy and numeracy skills are particularly prevalent within, though not exclusive to, low-income, low and semi-skilled occupations. In a local government context these include people working in vital roles in catering, caring, domestic assistance, teaching assistance, school crossing patrol work, street cleaning and waste management.

Local authorities need employees with sufficiently good spoken and written communication skills and maths skills to be able to improve their own performance, achieve vocational qualifications, contribute their ideas for service improvements and to be involved in decision making.

Phase 2 of this project which runs from 1st April 2006 until 31st March 2008 aims to support 11 London local authorities to develop strategic, inclusive and sustainable approaches to Skills for Life (SfL) development. In so doing it responds to the government''s Skills Strategy and the Leitch Review of Skills, and Goal 2 of The London Skills for Life Strategy and Action Plan, which place great emphasis on employer-focused skills development.

The project provides:

• a grant of £30,000 to ensure coordination of SfL activities across the whole organization
• a series of support seminars presenting effective practice in embedded SfL provision
• opportunities for sharing experiences and developing effective practice with other project teams
• capacity building for SfL providers in embedded workplace SfL development
• mentoring and advice for project partners

There are changes taking place in the whole organisation quality improvement support which QIA offers to providers. The Support for Success (s4s) programme comes to an end on 31st July 2007 and a new programme entitled Support for Excellence will begin 1st August 2007.

This new contract is being commissioned by QIA to develop and manage a programme which will help colleges and providers work together to improve their self-assessment processes, to develop their capacity for self-improvement, and to implement the LSC's Framework for Excellence as it is fully rolled out.

Skills for Work Ltd are leading consultants in workplace literacy, language, and numeracy development. Their in-depth knowledge of the field and supportive approach in this specialist area enables them to deliver innovative capacity building and development projects which achieve ground-breaking results.

They seek to provide the highest quality project management and development work for agencies tasked with increasing literacy, language and numeracy attainment, including UK Government, Regional Development Agencies, Train to Gain, Sector Skills Councils, Learning and Skills Councils, and regional and local Skills for Life units.

These two templates are for assessment of Skills for Life provision of courses or programmes.

Template 1: work-focused provision for people wanting to move into work and people in work

Template 2: Skills for Life for social inclusion and citizenship.