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It all came under the banner of 'Basic Skills' and then later, 'Skills for Life'.
Literacy, numeracy, jobsearch skills, living well skills (how to follow cooking instructions, how to prepare vegetables, how to manage money).
The skills that weren't mentioned on the course description included how to wash clothes, how to button up a shirt properly, how to tie a tie, how to access housing support, how to get in touch with the emergency shelters in cases of domestic abuse, how to 'manage our anger' for people with behavioural issues, and how to use notes and coins without getting ripped off.
Terrifying how many adults are out there with barely functional literacy and numeracy.
Not all our students were unwilling. Many took the opportunity to try and resolve something which had been blighting their lives since childhood. And we had a range of abilities from total illiteracy, as in unable to point out own name on a register, to gcse level (High school completion) who'd somehow been directed our way, all together. Some with a few issues around basic literacy, some with dyslexia, and some with more complex learning disabilities.
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