Functional Skills helps Tammy forge a new career

Functional Skills student, Tammy Highley has pursued new educational opportunities after redundancy and health challenges, to forge a new career.

After being made redundant from her customer service role in August 2021, Tammy Highley was looking for a new role when she faced a significant setback when she suffered a pulmonary aneurysm. Her recovery was long, compounded by additional health issues that required her to manage stress carefully.

Not wanting to languish at home and knowing she would need to move into another career pathway, she decided to retrain.

“I thought, ‘What can I do?’ Because I wanted to do something other than just being stuck at home.”

Tammy, who grew up in South Africa where she achieved her GCSE before moving to the UK in 1997, decided to sign up for Level 1 Functional Skills English and Level 2 Functional Skills Maths courses at Barnsley College to help her get back into study.

“I decided to do Maths and English because I felt I had to start again and get my brain working properly after being out of work for a while.”

Functional Skills qualifications help improve reading, writing and numeracy skills to boost your CV or move on to further study.

Functional Skills Teacher, Michael Forrest said: “I believe that Functional Skills supports adults because it gives the opportunity for adults to re-engage with learning, develop confidence through working with others and debating various topics and issues. It also helps to improve reading, writing and speaking skills.

“Tammy has been a fantastic student to work with. She has been a great role model for other students. She has supported other students who have struggled with confidence. She completed every task that I set her with enthusiasm, so I couldn’t have asked for more.”

Upon completing her courses, Tammy plans to pursue a childcare course funded by Barnsley Council’s Adult Learning program, with the ultimate goal of becoming a Teaching Assistant at a primary school.

When asked about her time at the College, Tammy said: “All the staff have been really welcoming. They’re always happy to chat to you and I’ve just had a great experience.”

If you are interested in developing your skills and boosting your CV, then find out more about our adult and part-time courses.