4A: How to achieve success in guidance and support

Support services

Many literacy, numeracy and ESOL learners will require childcare and/or financial assistance, for example, for transport. The absence of these will effectively bar them from tuition. All will need advice and information initially about a suitable course of study, and guidance on progression through the literacy, numeracy and ESOL national curricula. Those who are interested in entering the labour market or pursuing a more advanced course of study will be interested in educational guidance and careers advice. Some will require a level of learning support. Some will need professional counselling to be able to sustain a commitment to learning. Many learners whose first language is not English will need language support to be able to benefit fully from the educational opportunities that are available.

It will not be feasible for some organisations, including local authorities, to provide a full range of support services in-house. In this case, it is important to establish referral arrangements with other agencies or individuals who can provide specialist services. For instance, the local authority’s educational psychology service may be able to offer help with counselling and the diagnosis of specific learning difficulties. Where provision is managed by an FE college, it may be possible to call upon services based at the main college site.

For all support services provided:

• learners should be aware of what support services are available, and how to access them
• services should be available at times and in places that suit adult learners
• tutors should have a good grasp of this information, so that they can make referrals and seek assistance as appropriate
• all staff involved in advising, guiding and supporting adults who have skills needs in written and/or spoken English or in the use of numbers, should be sensitive to the difficulties this presents
• bilingual and Braille and Sign support should be available wherever it is needed.

Initial advice and guidance

Deal promptly with enquiries from potential learners. Arrange for them to be interviewed, in confidence, by a trained and experienced literacy, numeracy or language practitioner who is knowledgeable about the range of provision available. The interviewer should be aware of the massive amount of courage it has taken for the learner to take this first step, and should be sensitive to the difficulties learners have faced over a prolonged period.

The aim should be for the learner and the interviewer to have agreed upon a suitable programme of study for the learner by the end of the meeting. They will have taken account of where the learner lives, the availability of tuition in that area, his or her approximate level of competence and his or her availability.

Starting off

New learners need the opportunity to find their feet. Introduce them to their fellow students, the centre and its social facilities. Describe the learning resources and support services available. Explain your equal opportunities policy and your code of conduct. Outline how you propose to develop a programme of work with the learner and what will be expected of them in lessons and outside them.

Once learners’ additional support needs have been identified, arrange for them to have the appropriate form of support within each lesson. This may mean providing a support worker, specially prepared materials, special software packages, aids for people with sensory impairments or an adapted study space.

Educational and career guidance

Some learners will be interested in moving into voluntary or paid employment or on to further study once they are satisfied with their progress in literacy, numeracy or language. Tutors are likely to be able to provide some advice and information, but it is important that learners have access to a full range of information and professional guidance about the possibilities open to them. Where these cannot be provided in-house, links with external agencies become all-important. In some areas, the local careers partnership will have developed area-wide guidance services which any adult can use.

Guidance can also be given by providing learning opportunities in areas learners have not experienced before to help develop their appetite for future training or career routes.

Personal support

For most learners, the first port of call when they are in difficulty is likely to be the tutor. It is helpful if there are opportunities for tutors to provide some form of structured support for learners. Where learners have more profound personal difficulties that are beyond the scope or experience of the tutor to resolve, refer the learner for specialist help either within your own organisation or elsewhere.

Adult learners have many commitments and responsibilities. Occasional absence or late arrival at lessons is inevitable and acceptable. But persistent poor attendance and punctuality can be a sign that the situation is becoming unmanageable. Monitor attendance carefully, and provide support, or referral to support agencies, where appropriate. Where learners are not adhering to the pattern of attendance they have agreed, the situation needs to be reviewed. The poor attendance of one learner can have a detrimental effect on the quality of the learning experience for others.

Consider ways of promoting your service that do not rely on the written word. Ensure that promotional literature and key documents about learners’ rights and responsibilities and about support services are easy to read. Have them available in other languages for learners for whom English is an additional language. Some local authorities have translation and interpreting services to help residents access the different functions of local government. If yours is a local authority service, make full use of this resource. Community groups may also be able to use this facility.