NIACE: What Functional Skills mean for adult learners

The change from Skills for Life and Key Skills to Functional Skills is the most significant change to how adults improve English and maths in over ten years. To assess the impact this is going to have on the sector and the implications of such a transition, NIACE has published a number of perspectives from experts and practitioners about what Functional Skills will mean for adult learners.
 
This edition of Adults Learning Extra, entitled Making English and maths relevant: What Functional Skills mean for adult learners details how many people view the introduction of Functional Skills as a positive move, in particular how they will give learners a focus on real-life, everyday problem solving. However, there are also some concerns over whether this will be the best way for all adults to improve their English and maths skills; the extra time it may take learners to complete courses; the speed of the transition from Skills for Life, the 'conceptual leap' that learners will be required to make and how appropriate Functional Skills are for adults with learning difficulties and those at the lowest levels.
  
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