Functional skills is a new type of qualification being developed as part of the Government's reforms of 14-19 and adult education in England. The three functional skills - English, Mathematics and ICT - will recognise and develop the essential literacy, numeracy and ICT skills necessary to 'function' in work, learning and life.

The Adult Suitability Strand is a discrete piece of work which is considering the pros and cons of replacing the current Adult Numeracy/Literacy and ESOL Skills for Life qualifications with Functional Skills.  City & Guilds- along with 5 other awarding organisations- is carrying out comparison work with centres which will help to inform decisions being around adult Skills for Life.  This is an opportunity to assess the impact of functional skills on adults and help influence policy.

As part of this study we will require information about:

• How much additional preparation time specifically for the FS assessments.
• The level of the learners Skills for Life attainment compared with level of Functional Skills attainment.

How can I join this part of the pilot?
To register your interest contact us at functionalskills@cityandguilds.com

Will functional skills be available everywhere?
At the moment, functional skills awards are only being developed for implementation in England.  The devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are each pursuing separate but similar strategies for improving literacy, numeracy and ICT.

How can I obtain the functional skills standards?
Standards can be downloaded from the QCA website.

Is there more information about City & Guilds' functional skills pilot?
Find out more about the Functional Skills pilot by visiting the qualification pages.