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Know the score with Essential Skills

22 June 2010

World Cup fever has arrived and the Department for Employment and Learning is urging everyone to achieve their learning goals.  

Want to keep track of your favourite team?  With newspapers full of information and in-depth coverage on all you need to know about what’s happening on and off the pitch - who’s been injured, who’s been sent off - who’s been misbehaving – you won’t want to miss a word!

But maybe your reading skills aren’t quite up to scratch – that’s not surprising as many people in Northern Ireland need to brush up on their Essential Skills.  However, help is available through local colleges which offer adults the opportunity to improve their literacy, numeracy and ICT with free courses in their own areas.

By signing up to the Department’s free Essential Skills classes, learners will be able to tackle their literacy, numeracy and ICT needs and in doing so enhance the quality of both their social and working lives.

Urging learners to avail of the free classes, Employment and Learning Minister, Sir Reg Empey, said: “Our Essential Skills Strategy has helped nearly 63,000 learners to gain new skills and qualifications that help them get on at work, support their children with schoolwork and get more out of life. The current economic conditions make it even more crucial that people have the literacy, numeracy and ICT skills they need for work and for helping their families.”

The Minister continued: “I would urge anyone wishing to brush up their skills to avail of my Department’s free course provision. By joining classes in numeracy, literacy and ICT at their local college, learners will give themselves the opportunity to open up a new world of learning.”

If you would like to improve your Essential Skills, why not visit your local College or visit www.knowhowNi.info external link.  For further information on free classes in your area, contact The Department for Employment and Learning's Careers Advisers atyour local Careers Resource Centre, JobCentre or Jobs and Benefits office. Alternatively, log onto www.careersserviceni.com external link

or visit the employment section on www.nidirect.gov.uk external link

Notes to editors:

  1. Accompanying photographs are available for download from the Department for Employment and Learning website at www.delni.gov.uk/know-the-score external link
  2. All media queries should be directed to the Department for Employment and Learning Communications Branch on 028 9025 7872. Out of office hours please contact the duty press officer via pager number 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.