Functional Skills – English

Open up opportunities. This course is the equivalent to completing your English GCSE’s – perfect for anyone looking to top up their skills and open up hundreds of career paths.

Course Length
Completed within 4 - 10 weeks, on average.

Fully accredited by

Course Description

Make sure your speaking, listening, reading and writing skills are up-to-scratch for your further education or the workforce.

This course will also develop your English skills – with a focus on the spelling, punctuation, vocabulary, and grammar fundamentals that you’ll need in everyday life, the workplace and in education. We’ll work on improving your reading comprehension, and ability to communicate effectively – ensuring you’ll be a responsive and competent colleague.

For those of you looking to gain an English GCSE equivalent, this course is the perfect way to open doors to countless careers and opportunities.

Did you know: Universities and colleges will accept this qualification for further education courses, like teaching and nursing, as well as apprenticeships.

Course Length: On average, this course is completed within 4 – 10 weeks. But the more time you dedicate, the sooner you can complete it. The pace of the learning is up to you.

Free Course for: Anyone who is unemployed and aged 19 or over who has been living in the European Union for the last 3 years

Certified Awarding Body: NCFE

What people are saying about the course:

Are you eligible to complete this qualification for free?

This qualification is 100% government funded if:

  • On the 31st of August 2019, you were aged 19 or over
  • You currently live in England. (However, anyone living in the following areas is not eligible for funding: Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Tees Valley, West Midlands, and the West of England.)
  • You have lived in the European Union for the last 3 years (unless you have have been given a special Visa/Residence permits that gives you the permanent right to remain)
  • Are Unemployed and can provide evidence (Subject to eligibility)
  • Can provide Identifications and relevant documentation as required
  • If on the 31st of August 2019, you were aged between 19-23, you need to have gained a full level 2 qualification (e.g. five or more GCSE/O-Levels at grades A* – C / 4 – 9, one A-Level, two/three AS-Levels, five or more CSE grade 1’s, GNVQ Intermediate, QCF Diploma Level 2).
How home-based learning works

After an initial digital assessment, you will receive access to the digital course, which is full of engaging and comprehensive content such as videos, quizzes, and more. You will be paired with a qualified assessor who will provide you with ongoing, friendly support. You'll then complete a written exam in order in one of our centres to receive your qualification.

Course Content

Reading

  • Text focus: Improving reading comprehension skills
  • Sentence focus: Understanding grammar and punctuation usage
  • Word focus: Vocabulary, word recognition and phonics

Speaking & Listening

  • How to speak to communicate
  • Engaging and contributing to discussions
  • Listening and responding

Writing

  • How to construct sentences
  • Understanding the alphabet
  • Correct spelling
Qualification
  • You'll earn an Entry Level (1, 2, or 3), Level 1 or Level 2 Functional Skills (English) Qualification from NCFE
Frequently Asked Questions
Our Home Learning courses take place from the comfort of your home! You can be enrolled on our courses whenever you are ready, and start when you’re ready.
Yes, the main advantage of doing our Home Learning course is that allows you to be flexible to choose the times that suits you to learn. Each course will have a recommended date to complete, with plenty of time to work through the units to gain the qualification.
The amount of time that you dedicate to the course is entirely flexible. Depending on the qualification, someone dedicating 15 hours of learning a week can complete their qualification within eight weeks.
All our courses are free for those who are employed and unemployed, subject to eligibility.
We are adding the ability to enroll yourself very soon, but in the meantime, please fill out the form on this page - and someone from the team will get in touch with you within a day.
Only the final assessment. The training centre is in Croydon.
Yes, anyone who is employed or unemployed can enroll on any of our courses, subject to eligibility.
No, you can start when you are ready and enroll when you are ready.
You can enroll on one course at a time, but you can do as many as you like to achieve your career goals. We are happy to give you information, advice and guidance on any courses you wish to complete.
Of course. All our courses are accredited courses and you will receive a nationally recognized certification on achievement.
All our Home Learning courses are assignment based, you will need to complete assignments for each of the units of the qualifications and submit them to your assessor.
Your assessor will be available to support you through email or our messaging system and provide feedback on all your assignments you submit.
Yes, you will be provided with regular progress updates.
Yes, there are further courses that will become available in due course, we will be keeping our website updated regularly, but if you would like to be notified please email us at homelearning@strivetraining.co.uk
We continually try to make learning simple and transparent. Learning through our online platform is incredibly easy and you can navigate around your qualification quickly and access all the learning materials as soon as you login. Your studying should be about what you learn, not how you learn it. Which is why we make the entire process as simple as possible to help you adjust to learning online.
Next Steps

Simply complete the short form on the right. You'll then be invited to select between a Fast-Track online registration, or a guided phone registration with one of our team members.

This registration process will confirm your eligibility to have your qualification 100% government funded. Join 30,000 other learners who have chosen to upskill with Strive Training - register now!

Interested in upskilling?

Now's the time
QUESTIONS? GET IN TOUCH
QUESTIONS? REGISTER