Learner stories

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Delroy's story — Delroy, 37

* This story is by Delroy Taylor from Free2Learn.

Left school and wanted to progress to a career in sport

Learners like Ryan need to get practical experience to keep them engaged, but also to develop fundamental skills like English and maths to improve their chances of getting a job. A Traineeship from Pearson gives you the ideal framework to design a programme that offers both.

My careers advisor told me about the traineeship programme and it seemed like a good option for me. It gave me the opportunity to combine studying things like teamwork, communication and, most importantly for me, a meaningful work placement.

During my work placement at York City, I promoted football in schools by coaching children and passing on my love of the game. I feel confident now in the way I coach the sport and my punctuality has also improved. I want to be a football coach and the club have kept me on now the course has finished.

Ryan's story — Ryan, 17

* This story is by Ryan Watkinson from York College.

Left college and wanted to work with children

Learners like Jamie Lee have the abilities but it's essential that they experience a real work environment, so they appreciate the demands of employment. Skilled for Life's unitised structure allows you to address personal skills gaps without the burden of a full qualification, helping to unlock learners' natural talents.

Find out about Traineeships from Pearson

At Dairy Farm Training, I used SelfSmart to look at the skills I do have and those I don’t. I took a programme that uses Skilled for Life, which helped me see where I am going and how to build the skills to get where I wanted to be. The programme gave me the chance to see what the real world of work was like.

I spent time in a hairdressers and nursery. Using the techniques that SelfSmart taught me, I am now much more confident and able to talk to people much more easily. I now know that I want to be a nursery teacher and hope to progress onto a childcare course to help me get there.

Jamie Lee's story — Jamie Lee, 18

* This story is by Jamie Lee Cunningham from Dairy Farm Training.

Left school and did an art course but felt unprepared for employment

Poppy completed a traineeship, which gave her the opportunity to improve her employability skills through a work placement. She was able to secure a full time role that she enjoys and is suited to her interests and skills.

I saw a careers advisor at York College and they advised me to give a traineeship a go. It combined a work placement at Hemsley Arts Centre where I worked on my employability skills. It also helped with my ICT skills, the presentation of my work and my confidence within a group.

I am now working at the arts centre full time in hospitality and performance, meeting and greeting customers and going into schools doing workshops and plays. I want to go into acting.

Poppy Lou's story — Poppy Lou, 18

*This story is by Poppy Lou Feather from York College.

Left college with an interest in fitness and wants to be a personal trainer

Learners like Declan need to experience what work is really like so that they can progress and make the most of their abilities. Skilled for Life’s unitised structure lets you address personal skills gaps outside a full qualification, so learners can appreciate the demands of employment as well as show their talents.

Skilled for Life enabled me to improve my maths, English and listening skills. I’ve done some work in a bar/restaurant as part of my work experience but I’d like to train as a personal trainer. I can see how that industry has lots of opportunities for me to progress in the gym industry but I would like to work for myself. Without Skilled for Life I don’t think I would have seen this as possible.

Declan's story — Declan, 17

*The story is by Declan O’Neill from Dairy Farm Training.

Left school with poor grades and wants to be a hairdresser

It's essential for learners like Shauna to start with the basics, and to gain a proper understanding of their interpersonal skills. Bite-size qualifications within the Skilled for Life programme can help with the former, while SelfSmart can help them to understand and master the behaviours needed in the workplace.

Check out our SelfSmart diagnostic tool

At Dairy Farm I used SelfSmart and the Skilled for Life programme to develop skills in English and maths. I also saw that being creative and chatty is a good thing if it's directed in the right way. Through my work experience in hairdressing I want to use Functional Skills and gain more qualifications through Skilled for Life before starting an apprenticeship in hairdressing.

Shauna's story — Shauna, 16

*This story is by Shauna Gorman from Dairy Farm Training.

Left college with no qualifications that would help with a job

Learners like Phillip who have a difficult start need to equip themselves with in-demand, transferable skills. They need flexible programmes, like Skilled for Life, that can be tailored to their individual skill profiles and include work experience to help them understand the demands of unfamiliar environments.

Find out more about WorkSkills

The small bite-size chunks of learning that Skilled for Life gives me, means I don’t fall that far behind and it's focused. I am still not sure what I am really good at, but I know that the work experience part of the programme has taught me a lot. I’m now focused to get my English, maths and IT Functional Skills alongside further units in sport and personal development.

Phillip's story — Phillip, 17

* This story is by Phillip Lynch from Dairy Farm Training.

Well qualified and skilled in current role but wanted to develop skills to further career

Learners like Simone might already be established in a job but want to build on their skills to help move their career to the next level. WorkSkills qualifications are a great way to do this, and they're flexible enough to fit in and around work.