Celebrating One Month of Functional Skills

Casting our minds back, February 2024 wasn’t like any usual month at TQUK. 

The clocks still trickled towards 8:30am, the kettles whistled away in the kitchen, and the rain continued to pour in gloomy Manchester.  

But in the TQUK office, something was brewing, a feeling of glee and anticipation that stood out from the cloudy sky. 

That morning, a new stepping stone in our journey as an Awarding Organisation (AO) took place as we sat at our desks, hovered over our laptops and phones, and counted down the seconds until TQUK’s new Functional Skills qualifications went live. 

Starting our Functional Skills with a bang 

It wasn’t a huge secret that we had something in the making. Sometimes, when something is so good, the cat can’t help jumping out of the bag. 

The day before the launch, some communications between our Executive Team were mysteriously leaked on social media... 

However, this did not deter us because the next day, we brought out TQUK’s Functional Skills video showcasing our service level agreements (SLAs) and highlighting the flexibility of our offering.  

Socks blew off (no matter how hard people tried to hold on), and heads began to turn.  

This was the beginning of something new, a breath of fresh air that would open learners up to a world of opportunity. 

A Functional Skills webinar like no other 

To launch the new offering with a bang, our Managing Director, Andrew Walker, made a guest appearance from the AQA office!  

With the jungle-like plants behind him, Andrew welcomed attendees with a smile: 

‘It absolutely gives me pride to be able to sit here and look at the offer the team have put together and I’m continually humbled by our customers and our potential customers about the trust you place in us.’

We also had TQUK experts Janet Crook, Lead Assessment Developer and Matthew Smith, Exams and Operations Manager, share their expertise by joining us during the live Q&A session to answer all pressing questions. 

If you missed out on the webinar and want to learn more about our offering, you can download a recording here.  

Spreading the word 

With an offer so great, we couldn't keep it to ourselves. We needed to get the word out fast so that centres, training providers and colleges could benefit from Functional Skills qualifications that put learners at the forefront. 

In our first blog, What are Functional Skills? we discuss why our offer stands out in the market and how Functional Skills help learners gain the essential problem-solving skills needed to face real-life situations in everyday life, work and education.  

Our next blog, Taking Functional Skills before End-Point Assessment, took centre stage by sharing the significant role Functional Skills play in helping apprentices carry out tasks effectively in the workplace and how they need to be completed before beginning their end-point assessment. 

Showcasing our Functional Skills at the Annual Apprenticeship Conference 

The Annual Apprentice Conference (AAC) was an exciting opportunity for us to connect with like-minded people, chat about enhancing the future of apprenticeships and conduct live demonstrations of our Functional Skills offer! 

This interactive session gave exhibition attendees a chance to experience first-hand our state-of-the-art exam system, the quick and simple process for registering learners and how our game-changing SLAs can benefit both customers and their learners! 

Looking into the Future 

After one month as a Functional Skills provider, we’re already making our mark in the educational sector. 

With the amazing reception we’ve already received, and how amazing everything has gone so far, we can’t wait to see what the future holds and look forward to continuing to work our magic by helping learners and apprentices thrive.  

If you’re interested in our Functional Skills services, please reach out to see how our offer aligns with your needs.