Student Stories: Sabine

Bine, a Children & Family Officer and Duty Worker for Salford City Council’s Duty and Investigation Team, has recently achieved level 2 qualifications in both Literacy and numeracy through the ‘Get On at Work’ programme organised by the council

Bine had been thinking about applying for a new position with her team, which would have involved study at Salford University. She had been reluctant to put herself forward as she needed both English and Maths at GCSE. Unfortunately she hadn’t passed her Maths and although she’d passed her English, she had no idea where the certificate was!

In November 2006 The ‘Test the Directorate’ challenge was launched in Children’s Services, an invitation to all staff to have a skills check and find out about opportunities to up skill and gain English and Maths qualifications. Bine saw this as a chance to overcome this stumbling block to her career development. She came along had a skills check and find out more. When she found out how straight forward it was, she signed up for both her English and maths in April, now in July she has both the certificates she needs to progress at work.

“I really enjoyed it, you can work at your own pace and everyone is friendly” Bine told me “At first I was worried that other people would be working at a higher level than me and I would feel uncomfortable, but I needn’t have worried, everyone is working on their own work, so you really don’t know what level anyone else is at and the tutors are fantastic, they are so easy to talk to and are able to give you 1:1 help, I would highly recommend it”

“I wouldn’t have been able to apply for my new job without the qualifications – I’ve got these courses to thank for that