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Essential Skills a must for everyone - Empey

30 August 2007

Employment and Learning Minister, Sir Reg Empey, is calling on people who wish to improve their literacy and numeracy to sign up to free adult learning classes to address their problems.

The Minister was speaking today ahead of a new wave of the essential skills “Gremlins” advertising campaign. He said: “So many adults in our society have genuine problems with reading, writing and maths. The lack of essential skills affects many areas of people’s lives and help is now available. I would encourage all adults who face literacy or numeracy problems to sign up for FREE essential skills courses in their local area, to enhance their quality of life and job prospects.”

Since the launch of the Department for Employment and Learning’s Essential Skills Strategy in 2003 there have been almost 60,000 adult enrolments on literacy and numeracy courses. Essential Skills provision is flexible and available in a wide range of settings within employer premises, further education colleges, training organisations and a range of voluntary and community groups.

The Minister continued: “Improving essential skills is a fundamental challenge and one of the key priorities for my Department. To minimise literacy and numeracy problems for the future generations, the Department is currently working with the Department of Education to ensure that these skills are developed at an early age.”

Sir Reg pointed towards the business community to help address the problems faced by employees with essential skills problems. He said: "If businesses are to succeed in today’s increasingly competitive global marketplace, then employers must do more to develop their workforce. Providing the right opportunities for training helps to attract and retain confident, motivated and loyal staff, with knock on benefits such as greater efficiency, better quality, improved productivity and higher profits.”

For further information about FREE Essential Skills courses near you, please contact the freephone number 0800 660 800 or text “Press” to 60900.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

  1. About 24% of the Northern Ireland population have low levels of literacy which is broadly comparable to the UK figure of 22% (Source: International Adult Literacy Survey 1996).
  2. A range of qualifications are now in place for Essential Skills from Entry Level through to Level 2, enabling adults to progress their skills in both literacy and numeracy.
  3. Essential Skills needs are known to be high among the following groups: unemployed people; benefit claimants; prisoners and people on probation; and low-skilled people in employment.
  4. Media queries to the Department for Employment and Learning Press Office on 028 9025 7872.
  5. Out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.