Engaging Young
People
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Aims and Objectives
• Learner Retention
• Engaging Learners
• Sustaining learners’ involvements
• Facilitating learners’ development and
achievement
• Why Traineeships?
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Learner Retention
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The Learning Environment
(1 of 2)
• Young adults are far more confident
exploring learning, and their futures, in
spaces where they feel relaxed and in
control.
• Schools and colleges can appear threatening
or child-directed, but community centres can
be just as threatening if the learning is too
formal.
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The Learning Environment
(2 of 2)
• Similarly, young adults feel more confident
in their surroundings when they have a sense
of ownership of the environment, for
example helping with layout or creating a
chill out area.
• This signals a departure from the more
formal education system.
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Explore multi-agency working
• Young adults on the margins of society are
often involved with several agencies, each
working with them in different areas of their
lives.
• Forging strong links between agencies can
lead to earlier and more reliable
identification of need(s), and a stronger
support network for the young adult.
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Recognise young adults’
life situation
• Many young adults fall out of formal
education because its arrangements do not
take sufficient account of the demands and
responsibilities they face in their lives. For
example:
young parents
young carers
financial problems
homelessness
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Engaging learners
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Acceptance
• Forming trusting relationships with young
adults is essential in order to sustain their
longer-term engagement.
• This means accepting the learners’
communication style and language that they
see as central to their identity.
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• Init
• Spitting bars
• Feds
• Grime
• Bless
• Safe
• Sound
Bait
What you sayin bro/sis
Blessed
Solid
Sick
Activity 1
Young Person’s Jargon Buster
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Young Person’s Jargon Buster
- answers
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Init
Bait
Spitting bars
What you sayin bro/sis
Feds
Blessed
Grime
Solid
Bless
Sick
Safe
Sound
Yes or agree
Obvious
Rapping free style
What are you doing
Police
Goodbye
Music genre
Hard/difficult
Goodbye/see you
Cool/Clever
Hello/Hiya
Good
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Consider the use of initial
assessment
• Informal approaches can often be more
effective in painting a picture of the learner
as a basis for diagnosis by the practitioner,
and less threatening for learners than a ‘test’
or ‘assessment’.
Activity 2
• Practitioners use initial assessment in highly
individual ways.
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Design structured action plans
and learning programmes
• Initial and diagnostic assessments can be
used to create structured learning plans and
programmes, negotiated with the learner.
• They also help to encourage learners to keep
appointments, instilling good habits of
reliability, punctuality and consistency early
on.
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Make learning relevant
and ‘useful’
• It is important to demonstrate that the
session or programme is relevant to learners’
lives at that time.
• Learning which appears to young adults to
be irrelevant is often felt to be ‘boring’, and
results in swift loss of interest.
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Functional Skills and Life
Relevance
(based on the hospitality industry)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/topic
/food-drink-and-hotels
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Build on learners’ interests
• Most young adults tend to have different
interests, some of which they are passionate
about, for example sport or music.
• Basing learning activities and programmes
on these interests are effective in creating
interest and enthusiasm, whilst allowing the
group to share and respect each other;
thereby reinforcing equality and diversity.
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Offer ‘tangible’ and
quick rewards
• Young adults respond well to rewards and
prizes, but it is important to know which
kinds appeal to which learners. Some groups
may respond to certificates, others to
computer games.
• The key is to make rewards swift, attainable
and tangible.
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Create a Comfortable
Environment
• It is crucial to create a friendly and
supportive environment.
• High quality relationships are central.
• The following are all seen as important
indicators of care and nurture:
Making tea and coffee available.
Making snacks or eating them.
Being able to smoke in designated areas.
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Developing the Correct
Approach
• Young adults need to feel that they can relate to
tutors or leaders, and for most young adult
learners, this means ‘not being like teachers’.
• Tutors working with young adults need to be
approachable and friendly, aware of the types of
issues they may be facing and non-judgmental in
their advice and support.
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Using New Technology
• Young learners are comfortable using
technology, so keep up to date with new
developments. The JISC RSCs are a good
resource see http://moodle.rscem.ac.uk/course/index.php?categoryid=5
• Games Based learning exercise
http://www.daces.org.uk/course/view.php?id=625
• QR Code treasure hunt
http://www.classtools.net/QR/42-gkYQW
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Activity 3
Scenarios
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Scenario 1
Male, aged 18 years old
Homeless, legal high drug user
Sporadic attendance
Disruptive in class at times
Falling behind in work targets
Articulate and personable
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Scenario 2
Male aged 18 years old
Excellent attendance
Has attended numerous providers since school
Struggles to concentrate / retention of subject
Eager to find employment
Maths and English levels not improving
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Scenario 3
Female aged 16 years old
Family relationship problems
Quiet in class
Good attendance
Achieving targets and outcomes
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Sustaining learners’ Involvement
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Explore Groups
• Learners to explore what makes a successful
learning environment.
• Work out any sensitivities of group.
• Deal with any territorial issues.
• Address any concerns highlighted about any
prior associations.
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• Developing good quality relationships based
on respect is key to sustaining engagement
with young adult learners.
• Some can fall back into the ‘child’ or ‘pupil’
role by default, so it is important to break the
pattern of unhelpful and authoritarian
child/adult relationships in which they may
have been trapped.
• Mutual respect should be based on shared
responsibility and negotiation about
boundaries and ground rules.
Activity 4
Develop Good Quality
Relationships
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Allow Learners to Develop at
Own Pace
Young adult learners are likely to arrive at
learning programmes with a wide range of
abilities, aims and aspirations. Encouraging
ownership of the learning programme and
allowing learners to lead the learning can
again promote motivation and confidence in
the learners’ abilities.
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Young adults respond to practitioner interest
in their experiences, pastimes and skills,
particularly where they are encouraged to
‘teach’ practitioners. Situations where
practitioners and learners can learn together
are also effective at developing relationships,
building trust and breaking down barriers.
Activity 5
Encourage ‘Reverse’ Teaching
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q5zu8hBZlE
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Facilitate Team Meetings
• Encourage ‘team meetings’ with learners to
negotiate boundaries of mutually acceptable
behaviour and explore and record feelings
and issues.
• This also promotes confidence in working as
a group.
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Facilitating learners’
development and achievements
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Gear programme towards
intended outcome
• Programmes should be planned to achieve the
anticipated outcomes.
• For example, if progression into an apprenticeship is
the intended outcome, strong links should be built
with the local providers/businesses from the outset.
• Learners are more likely to respond positively to
expectations when they are specified from the start.
For example, introducing accreditation at the end of
an otherwise informal or relaxed learning
programme can result in learners refusing to engage
with it.
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Tailor Learning
• When contact with learners has been sustained,
and relationships built, it is easier to tailor
learning programmes and activities to individual
needs.
• Young adult learners respond best to 1:1
approaches, where their aims and interests are
prioritised and incorporated into their own
learning. Practitioners have most success where
they treat learners as individuals and move away
from whole group teaching styles and
approaches.
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• Learning style questionnaires can be very
effective in developing learning programmes
for young adults.
• It is important to recognise that the
preferred learning style for many young
adults is likely to be kinaesthetic.
Activity 6
Consider and assess
learning styles
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Approach English, maths and
employability skills positively
(1 of 2)
• If a tutor dislikes or is negative about English
language and maths, young adult learners
will be too.
• Treating English language and particularly
maths as something to be endured alongside
the more attractive elements of the learning
programme is a common but negative
approach.
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Approach English language and
maths positively ( 2 of 2)
• Practitioners can sometimes wrongly assume
that ‘confiding’ in learners that they too
hated maths at school or found English
boring will develop greater trust or respect.
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Embed, but don’t disguise
or deceive
• Young adult learners respond more
positively to English, language and maths
when they are embedded in a subject of
interest.
• This approach is most effective when the
English, language and maths elements can
be drawn out of sessions, highlighting
achievements made.
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Recognise Achievement
• Young adults’ achievements and progression
in learning can often be rewarded by
involving them in the planning and
evaluation of their projects and programmes.
• This develops a sense of ownership and
applies learning to activities. Where
appropriate, young adults may also respond
to certificates that recognise attendance,
team working, supporting others or
completing the programme.
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Traineeships
What is a Traineeship?
• A Traineeship is an education and training
programme with work experience that is
focused on giving young people the skills and
experience that employers are looking for.
• Traineeships are an initial stepping stone to
future success for young people, businesses
and the wider economy.
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What’s involved?
Traineeships can last up to six months and
include:
• Work preparation training.
• English and maths support - if required.
• A work experience placement of six weeks to
five months with an employer.
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Who are Traineeships for?
• 16 -24 year olds.
• Young adults that have been identified as
NEET (Not in education, employment or
training).
• Young adults who don’t have the experience,
confidence or relevant English and maths
qualifications needed for employment or
undertaking an apprenticeship.
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What are the benefits of
offering Traineeships?
• Traineeships have been developed in response to
research showing that young people frequently
lack the knowledge and experience employers
require in the workplace.
• A traineeship offers the chance to develop existing
skills, experience new skills, improve English and
maths skills and strengthen the chance of getting
an apprenticeship or employment.
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Your role as a Functional
Skills Tutor
• Ensure trainees develop English and maths skills.
• Develop your teaching style to accommodate young
learners.
• Embed English and maths into vocational areas.
• Provide a high quality learning experience.
• Develop work ready skills.
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Developed by Derbyshire Adult
Community Education Service as part
of the Traineeship Staff Support
Programme.
Commissioned and funded by
The Education and Training Foundation
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