Jan Mackay is a mature student who had not been in education since leaving school at the age of 16. Although gathering a lot of knowledge and experience from her working life, she was very anxious and lacked confidence when starting her SVQ3. The early sessions of the course was very much working together to establish the best learning methods.
In the early stages of her Social Services and Healthcare course with Borders College Department of Enterprise and Business Innovation (DEBI), she was able to build a relationship with her assessor and was able to be open and honest, which is one of her strengths.
Jan was able to discuss her fears and her reservations on the course. She discussed needing to develop her IT skills, as well as online learning as a whole. She explained that she had not recorded a piece of work in an essay formation since leaving school and certainly had not typed at this level of detail on a computer. This was a barrier, highlighted in the early stages to her learning.
She also talked about putting herself under pressure, she enjoyed her role as a Support Worker and knew that to remain in the position she needed to complete her SVQ for her SSSC registration requirements.
Jan was able to work with her assessor to build on her skills and abilities in this field. An individual learning plan supported her needs and enabled her to complete her award using different methods and styles of learning to support her.
She really engaged well in the SVQ process and was able to discuss experiences and identify evidence through her practice to evidence her work for her award using a range of methods.
Jan commented:
“At the beginning of starting my award I felt that the SVQ was a huge mountain to climb and I felt my age. I had a huge fear and felt that I did not have enough self-belief to get through it.
“After meeting my assessor, I felt that the support would enable me to have self-belief and confidence. I set realistic goals, which I met, and this helped with my confidence and motivation.”
Jan used her SVQ time productively and was able to have time to reflect and build on her confidence and self-esteem throughout her award and developed in many ways, including her ICT skills.
DEBI Assessor Gillian Ormiston commented:
“The person who started the award and the one that ended the award were two different people. Jan now has a level of confidence and self-esteem and abilities, which she felt were beyond her. She has certainly went from strength to strength.”
Jan added:
“You are never too old to learn. I am very proud of what I have achieved and I now meet the requirements set by SSSC for my role as Support Worker.”
Jan has now completed her SVQ within the timescale set, which exceeded her expectations.
You can find more information on Social Services and Healthcare courses at Borders College using the following link: https://www.borderscollege.ac.uk/course-search