SKILLS FOR LIFE

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: january 2012 :: RMTnews 26 A fter attending an RMT Learning ‘Silver Surfer’ event, helping older members to use the internet and develop their computer skills, retired member Gordon Jones has been working on finishing his memoir on life on the railways and his work as a lifelong member of the Salvation Army. In his spare time, Gordon helps with the work at the Hope Centre in Liverpool, which provides support and a vital lifeline to people in the local community who are vulnerable, homeless or have an addiction to drugs, as well as raising funds to help them continue this essential work. As an RMT member for all of his working life on the railways, Gordon is living proof that union activity and union learning does not have to cease when you retire, His success shows that RMT Learning can help people from all walks of life to start and continue on their lifelong learning journey Over half of all adults in this country have no formal qualifications and this can impact on their everyday life and limit their employment choices. This does not mean a lack of ‘intelligence’ and certainly should not been seen as anything to be ashamed about. For a lot of us school was not an enjoyable time and maybe not the best days of our lives. This can impact on our willingness to take up learning as an adult. There is also the embarrassment factor as very few people are happy to admit even to themselves that they would benefit from help and support to improve their literacy and numeracy, let alone to their family, friends and colleagues, and fear they may be laughed at if they do. Many clever people have numeracy or literacy issues, but are very good at hiding it, which is a skill in itself. Life can be so much easier if you can write a really effective letter of complaint, spot an error on a household bill or help with your child’s homework, and increase your potential to take up further learning and training, as well as being able to avoid embarrassing mistakes at work. We are all missing out: lower standards of literacy and numeracy in adults can cut people off from society, reduce their potential, diminish their confidence and affect their children’s educational prospects. Studies have shown that adult learning can have a huge impact not only on individual learners but on society as a whole; improved literacy and numeracy skills can boost confidence and encourage individuals to get more involved within their communities, their families, the workplace, and the trade union movement. Skills for Life (SfL) SfL training is designed to help you build on and improve your existing skills in reading, writing, maths, as well as information and communications technology; these are skills that we all use in everyday life. There are five levels of qualifications for literacy and numeracy, building up to the equivalent of a GCSE A*- C. SfL qualifications are based on national standards, so once qualified everyone can see what you're capable of. Literacy courses cover speaking, listening, reading and writing; numeracy courses cover numbers, fractions and data, multiplication and subtraction, measurement, shapes and time. Before starting, a confidential one-to-one assessment is carried out with a qualified tutor, so that you begin learning at an appropriate level and only cover the areas you need help on. You can take an SfL qualification if you: • are over 16 years of age • have left compulsory full-time education • do not have an up-to-date level 2 English or maths qualification (such as a GCSE) WILL EVERYONE KNOW IF YOU TAKE UP SFL TRAINING? Only the people you choose to tell will know that you have discussed or taken up training; this is confidential and will not be disclosed to anyone else, including your employer and colleagues. FIND OUT MORE You can get more information on SfL and other adult learning from your local RMT Union Learning Rep or by contacting Lindsay Rutland at RMT Learning on 020 7529 8820, or e-mail l.rutland@rmt.org.uk SKILLS FOR LIFE Adult Learning is about developing your ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute numbers and the written word GORDON’S LEARNING SUCCESS