Employment skills & Public services

A reading comprehension and vocabulary activity suitable for both ESOL and Literacy / Functional Skills. The activities are based on a BBC News article about John Cronin’s online business, John’s Crazy Socks. John, who has Down’s Syndrome, is a co-founder of the business, along with his father, Mark.

Level
Entry Level 2
Entry Level 3
Level 1
English
Adult Literacy: Engage in Discussion
Use reading strategies
Rw/L1.2
Identify main points and detail
Plan, compose and draft
Follow and understand
Functional Skills English
ESOL
ESOL: Reading word focus - vocabulary, word recognition, phonics (Rw)
ESOL: Writing - text focus (composition)
ESOL: Reading text focus - comprehension (Rt)
Context
Employment skills & Public services
Business & Money management

This teaching and assessment resource combines reading comprehension and a letter writing task based on an advert for a volunteer role as a Customer Service Assistant for a charity shop.

In Task 1, students read the job advert and answer questions to check their understanding. In Task 2, they make notes about their personal skills and qualities, then draft and write a letter to apply for the volunteer role. An additional, extension task is provided for students who either work at a faster pace or at a higher level, and involves writing a personal statement for a college course.

Level
Level 1
Entry Level 3
Entry Level 2
English
Functional English - writing
Functional English reading
ESOL
ESOL: Writing - text focus (composition)
ESOL: Reading text focus - comprehension (Rt)
Context
Voluntary, Charity and Community
Employment skills & Public services

A differentiated resource to recap many number & measure skills and to help learners with the skills needed when looking for or applying for a job.

There are 6 questions in both the L1 and L2 version – working out weekly pay, annual salary, tax payable, comparing pay to JSA (Job Seeker’s Allowance), reading/completing a bus timetable and correcting a job acceptance letter (L1 Functional English proof reading).

Level
Level 1
Level 2
English
FE WRITING Spelling
Maths
FM Straightforward problem(s) with more than 1 step
FM E3.10 Calculate with money using decimal notation & express money correctly in writing in pounds and pence
FM E3.13 Read time from analogue & 24 hour digital clocks in hours & minutes
FM L1.14 Calculate percentages of quantities, inc. simple percentage increase / decrease by 5% & multiples of
FM L1.20 Convert between units of length, weight, capacity, money and time, in the same system
AN N2/L1.5 Calculate with decimals up to 2dp
AN MSS1/L2.2 Calculate, measure and record time
AN MSS1/L1.3 Calculate with and convert between units of time
AN MSS1/L1.1 Add, subtract, multiply & divide sums of money and record
AN MSS1/L1.2 Read & measure time and use timetables
AN N2/L2.8 Find percentage parts of quantities and measurements
AN N2/L1.9 Find simple percentage parts of quantities and measurements
Context
Employment skills & Public services

5 questions, increasing in difficulty, to get learners to work out how many solar panels can fit on different size roofs. Involves metric conversions between mm, cm and m. Learners have to work with the panels being placed in 2 different orientations to work out the maximum number of panels that can fit.

Level
Level 2
Maths
MSS2/L2.3
MSS2/L2.2
Functional Maths - measures, shape & space
Context
Painting Decorating & DIY
Employment skills & Public services
Construction Carpentry Plumbing

This is a selection of literacy tasks, based on the Poppy Appeal 2016 and John McCrae’s poem ‘In Flanders Fields’, covering aspects of speaking and listening, reading and writing.

Editor’s note: covers all aspects of L1-2 Functional English – also suitable for GCSE.

Level
Level 1
Level 2
English
Functional English - writing
Functional English - speaking, listening & communicating
Functional English reading
Functional Skills English
Context
Voluntary, Charity and Community
History, culture, museums, libraries
Employment skills & Public services

A huge and extremely comprehensive pack of resources. Written for ESOL learners but many parts are also suitable for Functional English and/or Job Skills groups. Includes:

Level
Level 1
Entry Level 3
Entry Level 2
English
Functional Skills English
ESOL
General ESOL
Context
Leisure, Hobbies, Travel & Tourism
Employment skills & Public services

A couple of resources for planning a CV.

Firstly, I would check learners understand the term ‘Employability’ and, using the letters in the the word, ask learners to come up with ideas for the personal skills and qualities needed to get a job. For example – E – enthusiastic, energetic, M – motivated, multi-talented …etc. I would then move on to the PPT.

Level
Level 2
Level 1
English
Functional English - writing
Wt/L2.2
Wt/L2.1
Adult Lit Wt/L1.2 Judge how much to write and the level of detail to include
Adult Lit Wt/L1.1 Plan and draft writing
Context
Employment skills & Public services

A role play which teaches learners how to start looking for work using an agency. It also contains phrases to help learners to ask for clarification.

Level
Entry Level 3
Entry Level 2
ESOL
ESOL Listen and respond (Lr)
ESOL Speak to communicate (Sc)
Context
Employment skills & Public services

Three sets of dominoes to use in warm-up and for letter and word recognition activities. The first set, for pre-Entry ESOL and Literacy learners with very low levels of letter and word recognition, matches lower case to capital letter versions, the second set is a set of “doubles”, which can be used alongside the first. The third set, for pre-Entry / Entry 1 ESOL learners, matches a category to an example. Each set has 17 dominoes, so 4 each for a group of 4 learners, plus one to start.

Level
M7
M8
Entry Level 1
Entry Level 2
Entry Level 3
English
Rw/E3.2
Rw/E2.1
AL Rw/E1.1 Have limited, meaningful sight vocabulary of words, signs, symbols
Functional English reading
Form filling
Pre-entry
pre-Entry Rw/M8.3 Recognise & read a growing no. of words signs symbols
ESOL
ESOL Rw/E3.2a Read & understand words / phrases commonly used on forms
ESOL Rw/E2.1a Recognise words on forms related to personal information
ESOL Rw/E1.1a Recognise a limited number of words, signs and symbols
Context
Employment skills & Public services

Revision of all 4 number functions (+,-,x,÷). Originally aimed at JobCentrePlus Upskill clients but suitable for all. Contexts include office, fast food restaurant, and care home The first page is adapted from Liverpool Community College Flexipacks. All other work is original.

Editor’s note
Includes Functional Maths mapping (E3-L2)

Level
Entry Level 3
Level 1
Level 2
Maths
N1/L1.5
AN MSS1/L1.1 Add, subtract, multiply & divide sums of money and record
AN N1/L1.3
MSS1/E3.2
N1/E3.6
AN MSS1/E3.1 Add & subtract money using decimal notation
N2/E3.5
N1/E3.5
AN N2/E3.3
N1/E3.4
Functional Maths - numbers and the number system
Functional Maths - measures, shape & space
AN N1/E3.2
Context
Employment skills & Public services