4B: What is 'success' in guidance and support?

 

Burbuqe has a clear plan mapped out before her, and her tutor helps her by making sure that the English she learns supports her ambitions.

‘I am Burbuqe Betti, I came to this country from a very difficult situation in Kosovo.

‘I would like to work with children and I would like to be a teacher. I like my teacher here very much. She speaks very slowly for us because we are all from different countries. She is a good teacher; oh my God I don’t know how to say this except she gives us good lessons!

‘I have been coming to lessons for three years for English. Now when I finish this next course I have been on for eight months, I will get a certificate. It is the Certificate for Professional Crèche Workers Course Level 2. I can do this because my English is now good. I have got English Speaking Board – Foundation Level 3.’

 

‘My name is Bakary Camara.

‘I come to this class because I need to recognise letters so that I can write. I am most proud of my spelling. I am not quite doing sentences.

‘Teaching is 200% good here. What we need is more books with big letters, so we can read better.

‘I am not doing this for a job, definitely not! I am not doing a qualification but I would like to do an exam. I just want to do this for my own personal life. Before I could not read most of these letters, now I can read like cat, see, tea, book, fox, man, boy, pan, boxes.’

What made Bakary come here? He says, ‘You see I have two daughters, seven and five years. I bring them up and my wife works. The one who is seven goes further than me in reading and writing, so I learn from her, but I can do maths better than her, but not reading. With 200% teaching here I soon will!’

The Learning Options project offered a range of tasters to Skills for Life learners, including swimming and computers. It aims to encourage progression on to further education and adult learning courses in the college and community.