Case Study
Milad Hassan, year nine pupil at Rosedale College in Hayes and James Guy, volunteer, Global Product Director from GSK Pharmaceuticals worked together on the Words for Work pilot.
Words for Work is the National Literacy Trust’s speaking and listening pilot project. It aims to unlock young people’s communication skills for future employability. The pilot involves bringing together year nine pupils (13/14 year olds) and local business volunteers to investigate communication in the workplace. Businesses are vocal about the need to improve the level of communication skills of people entering the workforce. Words for Work will impact on young people’s skills and improve their confidence to communicate well.
Volunteers and pupils work closely in teams to learn more about speaking and listening, through a series of creative workshops. The business volunteers act as role models and facilitators, as well as being a fountain of knowledge through their daily experiences at work. The pupils are treated as equals and encouraged to take a lead in discussions and decision making within the teams.
Milad says:
I think everyone’s learning from each other. It (Words for Work) gives us a real highlight of what it’s like to be older and it shows us how to talk to people and listen to each other. Our team works because we all listen to each other, we don’t argue, it all flows really well.
It doesn’t feel like school – you’re interacting with people you wouldn’t normally. Everyone (pupils) that comes here thinks about what we’re doing so people change, thinking about how to talk to the people in our groups. We talk about different subjects, how to communicate with people that might be different from you. I’ve gained more confidence, I know now to be more formal and sensible (with adults) and you don’t need to get worried or feel uncomfortable with them so yeah, my communication skills have improved.
I definitely think it’s a positive thing, it really helps you to gain confidence, like later in life to help prepare you for things that might come. I used to think communication was just something that happens – being taught it improves your confidence level as a person. Going for a job interview now I would know how to talk, I would know how my facial expressions should be and social things; I’d be who I am but talk to some people differently. I would definitely recommend it.”
James says,
“I got involved in this because I wanted to get a better understanding of the local community and the challenges these students have. They are as smart as any child but because of what they face in terms of EASL (English as a Second Language), peer pressure, social aspects etc. they may not feel they have the same opportunity as others. It’s great to see them realise the importance of getting a good job and through doing this (WFW) they can see that communication could impact on their future.
I’m seeing all of them getting more confident – I like that this focuses on increasing their confidence. I’ve noticed Milad is now conscious of listening, he’s modifying his tone, looking for signals, he’s thinking through the steps of effective communication.
What he is learning now, I would say he will apply this in a positive way. He’s already noticing both good and bad communication and will try and apply the good to his future communication.
This should be part of the curriculum. It’s misguided to give someone a qualification in English without doing something like this.I would highly recommend the programme and if they (volunteers) get involved they’ll want to commit further because they’ll enjoy it.”
