If you are already teaching basic skills, you will find some useful links with the latest on the qualification changes here > > > >.

If you are interested in becoming a basic skills volunteer or tutor, you will find some helpful information below.
Information depends on where in the UK you want to work. Are you in:
England - Wales - Scotland - Northern Ireland?

If you know the name or course code of the teacher training course you want to do, why not search for your nearest course provider in BBC Learning's Coursefinder?
__________________________________________________________

NEW teachers in England:
From 1st September 2002 there are new compulsory qualifications for people who would like to be involved in teaching essential literacy, numeracy and ESOL to adults in England (whether they are teaching in FE colleges, workplaces, in the community or in private companies).
There are 3 levels of qualification / involvement:

New teachers of adult literacy, ESOL and numeracy need the level 4 subject specialist certificate and a full teaching qualification (such as a PGCE / Cert' Ed').
Literacy, ESOL and numeracy are treated as separate specialist areas - there is a 'Certificate for Adult Literacy Subject Specialists', a 'Certificate for ESOL Subject Specialists' and a 'Certificate for Adult Numeracy Subject Specialists'. If you want to teach all of these, you will need all 3 certificates.
In some cases the subject specialisation is incorporated into the teaching qualification. In other instances it can be taken as a 'stand alone' qualification.

Teachers of other subjects who work in supporting adult learners in their literacy / numeracy / ESOL will need the new subject specialist certificate at level 3.
Again, there is a specific Level 3 certificate for each discipline - literacy, ESOL and numeracy.

Volunteers and mentors will need a level 2 certificate, but this is still being developed and piloted.

Useful links:

• The Department for Education and Skills has a great users' guide to the new teaching qualification framework, which gives you an outline of the routes into literacy, numeracy and ESOL teaching and has an easy to use 'Frequently asked questions' section. It's a PDF document, so you'll need the free Adobe software to read it:
  http://www.dfes.gov.uk/readwriteplus/bank/ACFFD57.pdf
  
  Updates on the latest information and other documents such as the raising standards guides can be found on the same website here:
  http://www.dfes.gov.uk/readwriteplus/qualityandtraining
  On this site you can also find a list of Higher Education establishments which now offer courses for becoming fully qualified basic skills teachers.

• Lifelong Learning UK have an extremely useful FAQs page.
  To find the FAQs go here: http://www.lifelonglearninguk.org/currentactivity/adult_lit_num_esol.html then hit on 'FAQs'.
  To find out what sort of things you will need to prove you know for each qualification, click on the 'Subject specifications for literacy and numeracy' on the 'Adult Literacy, Numeracy and ESOL' homepage: http://www.lifelonglearninguk.org/qualifications/adult_lit_num_esol.html
  

  Lifelong Learning UK can be contacted on: 0870 757 7890.

• TALENT is a website that started life as a teacher support site for a small East London project. It now covers all of London and has been funded by the DfES to become a major national resource for information about professional development and training for adult literacy, numeracy and ESOL teachers.

  The site has a searchable database of training courses, information on pathfinder projects, a news section and a jobs database.

• The Basic Skills Agency can advise you on where to go next, or how to find a course. Part of their website is dedicated to helping answer your questions about training.
  You can email the Basic Skills Agency at enquiries@basic-skills.co.uk or phone them on 0207 405 4017.

• Link Up is a scheme that aims to get more people volunteering as basic skills support staff. If you are interested in volunteering some of your time to help people learn to read or improve their maths, then this is the easiest route in. The scheme will set you on the road to your Level 2 certificate and your first volunteer placement.
  Find out more on the 'Link Up' website.

  Top

New teachers in Northern Ireland
Contact the Basic Skills Unit in Northern Ireland on 028 9024 4274. Or you can email them at bsu@egsa.org.uk.
Or you can contact the Educational Guidance Service for Adults on 028 9024 4274, or email them at info@egsa.org.uk.

New teachers in Scotland
In Scotland, a training framework is being developed to provide an overview of tutor training and a clear career structure. It is planned that this framework will cover introductory, national standard and advanced levels of tutor training.
At present, the introductory level - ' Professional Development Award: Introduction to Adult Literacies Learning' - has been developed for volunteer tutors / tutor assistants. The Scottish Qualifications Authority validates this award. This award is made up of three units:

• Adult Literacies Learning in Scotland
• Working with Adult Literacies Learners
• Learning and Teaching in Adult Literacies (this unit carries a double weighting and includes a practice element).

New teachers in Wales
Contact the Basic Skills Agency Wales office at walesenquiries@basic-skills.co.uk. Or you can phone them on 0845 6021654.