More than 1.5 million UK residents have gained basic skills qualifications through the Government’s Skills for Life strategy, a key goal set in 2001, according to Skills minister Phil Hope. The government reports that 4.7 million adults have taken up 10.5 million Skills for Life learning opportunities with 1,619 000 learners achieving their first Skills for Life qualification in literacy, language or numeracy.
Skills for Life provides literacy, language and numeracy tuition for adults in England who have skills below Level 2 (broadly equivalent to a GCSE at grades A* - C.) The government set a target to improve the skills of 2.25 million adults by 2010, with an interim target of 1.5 million by 2007, measured by the number of learners achieving their first national Skills for Life qualification in literacy, language or numeracy.
Mark Haysom, Chief Executive of the Learning and Skills Council, cheered the milestone and those 1.6 million learners. “It is now vital that this momentum continues so we stay on track to achieve the 2010 target,” he said.