Work Skills course a great success

Herts Welcomes Refugees worked in partnership with Hart Learning and Development, to support 7 asylum seekers, four of whom had been given Leave to Remain, to achieve a qualification in Work Skills during August 2024.

The course ran from the 6th to the 19th of August 2024 with a cohort of 7 students who were all keen to improve their English and increase their chances of gaining employment by upskilling. The learners’ ages ranged from 24 to late 30s and came from a range of backgrounds and countries they had to leave, such as Honduras, Somalia, Southern Sudan and Venezuela due to difficult and complex circumstances.

The course covered the following topics

• Budgeting and finance skills
• Effective communication
• Health and Safety in the home
• Confidence building
• Citizenship
• Rights and responsibilities as a tenant
• Keeping safe
• Contribute to healthy living
• Understand how to deal with problems

On successful completion of the course, the students were awarded 3 qualifications at Level 1. These were in Mental Health Awareness, Customer Service Skills and in Employability.  In addition the students were given the opportunity to progress onto a variety of different online courses, to access 1-year FREE access to Microsoft 365 and to a 1-year student discount.
Maz, the course tutor, reported that attendance was fantastic each day and overall everyone was eager to learn and get involved in the different activities. The students enjoyed discussing British values, PREVENT, and how to apply and get ready for work.

At the start of the course, both the tutor and the students found ways to understand and communicate with each other and to complete the work required to achieve their qualifications. By the end of the course the students’ English had improved, their confidence had grown, and they had made new friendships, providing mutual support throughout the 10 days.

Maz observed “to watch them grow in confidence and have a better understanding of what it takes to live and work in the UK was fulfilling and they also taught me about their countries and their lives, the hardships and what they had to overcome to get to the UK. I wish them a happy future in the UK, they were honestly one of the best groups I have had the pleasure of teaching.”

The comments below were made by three of the students about the course and what they got out of it.

• “What I liked most about the course was the mock interview, as it’s the most difficult part of getting a job”.
• “This was a helpful course; I have built my confidence and gained more knowledge. I want to thank our tutor.”
• “It was nice and very empowering for me, I got more confidence and learned a lot about how to protect myself and how to motivate myself. I am happy I got this opportunity.”