“Having the opportunity to learn through the Growth Company and achieving the outcomes I have has meant I am able now to progress in my future goals.”
Peter Jackson works in social services as a community assessment officer. His goal is to complete a social work degree to progress to be a social worker.
Peter did not achieve GCSEs in maths and English when he was in school and felt that this was holding him back from progressing in his career.
Peter said: “I had limited education as a child and have had to learn in my later years in order to progress with my goals. I had limited knowledge regarding maths and English and hadn’t achieved GCSEs in school. This has held me back in moving forward with my career and having the opportunity to learn through the Growth Company and achieving the outcomes I have has meant I am able now to progress in my future goals.”
He enrolled on the English and Maths Functional Skills programme to gain skills he was missing and has now completed the level 2 English and level 1 and 2 maths qualifications.
Functional Skills qualifications are intended to support learners who wish to improve their English and maths, building confidence and developing skills that are valuable in the workplace and further training.
Now with these qualifications, Peter is looking to enrol on a social worker apprenticeship programme to further his career, something he has been wanting to do for a long time.
Speaking about his experience on the Functional Skills programme, Peter said: “My tutor has been excellent in how she has helped me understand what was needed and explaining things in a clear manor I could not have asked for a better tutor, and I owe her a great debt of gratitude. Having tried to gain qualifications in maths and not being successful I did feel that this may have been too much, but my tutor was able to help me understand questions and develop my skills and confidence.
“I would highly recommend The Growth Company to friends and colleagues. The one-to-one support I received was outstanding and this helped me immensely. I had tried to achieve maths and English at college but failed as I found it hard due to others in the class working at different speeds. Learning with the Growth Company has allowed me to achieve maths and English.”
Astrid Bentham, Peter’s tutor, added: “When I first met Peter, he was very insecure about his skills and self-worth. He had enrolled in college to further him with his Maths and English Skills and left early as he found it very challenging, so we were his last port of call.
“Working with him it was not just about learning skills but also improving how he thought about himself regarding his abilities. He worked hard, did all the work that was required from him to the best of his abilities and as he began to understand the concepts, he started to thrive and passed all three qualifications, achieving excellent marks!”
