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Four Counties Training Ltd
3rd Floor Shaftesbury House
49-51 Uxbridge Road
London
W5 5SA

Marilyn Sang

Tel: +44 20 8840 5512

Fax: +44 20 8840 1162

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Key Skills/Functional Skills

Key Skills are the skills you need in order to operate confidently and successfully in school, college, university, work, training and life in general.

FCT offers five Key Skills awards across Level 1 to Level 3 (City & Guilds 3638):

1.       Application of Number – the essential skills that empower learners to identify and apply numerical, graphical and related mathematical skills in situations that are relevant to them, their work, training and everyday life. Assessed through a centre-assessed portfolio and externally marked assessment.

2.       Communication – the skills that enable learners to function effectively within work, education and everyday life. Assessed through a centre-assessed portfolio and externally marked assessment.

3.       Information Communication Technology (ICT) – equipping learners to use and adapt information and communication technology skills confidently and effectively in a range of settings and contexts. Assessed through a centre-assessed portfolio and externally marked assessment.

4.       Improve Own Learning and Performance – the skills needed for effective performance and progress in education, training and employment; including learner’s ability to plan, set targets, monitor their own progress, reflect on their own learning and performance, learn from experience and become independent learners. Assessed through a centre-assessed portfolio.

5.       Working With Others – the essential skills needed to work effectively within a team in order to achieve shared goals, including identifying and allocating roles and tasks, reviewing progress and supporting each other. Assessed through a centre-assessed portfolio.

In September 2010 Key Skills were replaced by Functional Skills, with the exception of apprentices who can register for either. The last Key Skills registration date for apprentices is 30 September 2012. Functional Skills have been created with the aim of emphasising the application of practical skills in English, Maths and ICT, to allow learners to work independently and effectively in life.

FCT offers three Functional Skills awards at Level 1 and Level 2 (City & Guilds 3748):

1.      English – assessed though externally marked assessments for Reading and Writing and a centre-assessed Speaking, Listening and Communication assessment.

2.      ICT  – assessed through fixed-date externally marked assessments.

3.      Mathematics – assessed through fixed-date externally marked assessments.

We provide workshops for portfolio building and external assessments, either at your place of work or at our fully equipped training centre. We offer global online assessment facilities so external assessments can be arranged at your convenience.

We also develop and deliver contextualised evidence packages that integrate Key Skills with industry practices.