FTA To Offer Highfield Approved Qualifications

We are pleased to announce that the Fashion Technology Academy (FTA), sister company to FashionCapital, has been approved as a functional skills centre by Highfield, a global leader in regulated, work-based learning qualifications, and can now offer English and Maths qualifications to its apprentices and learners.

Highfield is one of the UK’s leading awarding organisations for vocational qualifications, work-based learning and apprenticeship qualifications. To gain approval to for these additional qualifications ensures that FTA apprentices and learners are fully equipped for the competitive workplace. For apprentices the English and Maths qualifications levels 1 and 2 will be delivered as part of their development either before or during their programme. The core skills qualifications will also be offered as standalone courses for unemployed individuals that require these skills in order to enter the employment market.

Recent reports reveal that the number of individuals leaving secondary school with poor English and Maths skills is on the increase. In an era when abbreviated texting and hours spent on social media are the norm the ability to concentrate on reading and to analyse and evaluate are being lost. At the recent Teachers Union meeting it was revealed that children as young as 4 were trying to swipe book pages as they have become so used to mobile phones and tablets.

Functional skills qualifications were introduced by the government to enable individuals to develop literacy and numeracy skills that can help them gain the most from work, education and everyday life.

There are multiple benefits to deliver these qualifications through Highfield, which include:

• on-demand paper-based and on screen assessment
• fast results turnaround
• assessments designed to be applicable to real-life scenarios
• centres are free to choose their own relevant contexts for their speaking, listening and communication assessments
• extensive support and guidance documentation for Highfield centres
• complimentary access to online initial and diagnostic assessment and learning resources comprehensive centre support pack to support contextualisation of the speaking, listening and communication assessment

CEO of Fashion Enter Jenny Holloway comments: “With all the recent press regarding poor reading abilities and the use of technology creating concentration problems it’s superb timing that Fashion Enter has been approved as a functional skills centre by Highfield. Numeracy and literacy skills are of vital importance in any job but for garment construction and design skills they are vital. Numeracy and pattern cutting goes hand-in-hand but if you then can’t effectively communicate the resulting pattern and designs to the sample machinists you are done for!  We will teach practical English and Maths skills that are vital for business today. Another plus for the team of the Fashion Technology Academy…well done!” The FTA will now offer the Highfield Functional Skills Qualification in English and Mathematics at both levels 1 & 2.