Functional Skills for NEET

by Melis Siyakus. Melis took part in Open Doors Education & Training (ODET) Functional Skills for NEET program 2021/22. She recently passed her Functional Skills Level 2 exams in English and Maths with flying colours!

ODET is a sister organisation of the Traveller Movement and offers one-to-one flexible online education options for ethnic minority young people in England. To learn more about our current programs take a look at our website www.odet.org.uk or contact info@odet.org.uk

Congratulations Melis from everyone at ODET and Traveller Movement!

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My name is Melis. I’m 16 years old and live in Wigan. I left school after a few months in Year 7 and have done a small amount of home schooling ever since. I have always enjoyed learning but haven’t always had access to resources to help me do this.

When I started the ODET Project, I hadn’t been doing much schoolwork due to the Covid-19 situation but had started at a girl’s group for young Travellers and had been doing some school work there.

I was nervous to start the ODET programme, as I didn’t really know what to expect and hadn’t done any formal learning for a long time but my tutor, Christian, put me at ease quickly and I soon got used to logging on for my session each day.

I found that with one-to-one learning, I could go at my own pace and this meant I learned a lot faster than in school and felt much more comfortable with asking questions than I would in a group. As someone who struggles within groups of people, I felt this really helped me concentrate on my learning and I could get much more done. I feel like I have caught up on all the work in English and Maths that I have missed from not being in school. My tutor was friendly and helpful and always made sure I understood his lessons.

As well as catching up on missed learning, I feel that the project has helped me gain confidence to build on my learning and go further. I am now studying for GCSE Maths and English and have received a conditional offer to study A Levels in Psychology, Sociology and Film Studies at a local sixth form college. I don’t think this would have been possible to achieve this year without having been involved on the project.

I would definitely recommend this project to any young person who is struggling to find their way in their education or to decide what to do next. As well as learning and gaining exam qualifications it really can open doors for you!

Mum’s comments:

I think the project was very good for Melis. It encouraged her and has helped her gain the confidence she lost through a negative secondary school experience and enabled her to go forward to college - as well as giving her the learning she needs to take the next step. Her tutor, Christian, was lovely – he was always on time and never let Melis down. He explained things in ways that helped her understand the work. I truly believe that if she hadn’t studied on this project then she wouldn’t have been able to go on to college so soon.

To learn more about our current programs take a look at our website www.odet.org.uk or contact info@odet.org.uk and follow us on Twitter @open_odet !