Essential Skills for Life Award

Bethan Humphreys had a difficult time at school, she was bullied and left without many qualifications. Working as a school kitchen and classroom assistant, she decided to return to learn, taking classes in maths and English. She worked on Entry 3 qualifications before gaining her Essential Skills for Work and Life Certificate. She is now working on an NVQ to become a Classroom Assistant. “When I was in high school, I was in the lower set and didn’t feel I could ever be good at maths, but with the support of my tutor I have been able to build my confidence. I’m now aiming to do maths GCSE.”

Life has been challenging, her daughter has had major surgery and she has struggled with bouts of depression and anxiety. In 2020 her home was flooded forcing the family into alternative accommodation. “We woke up to discover two feet of water in the house. My husband managed to save my coursework and my tutor, Sharon, dried and ironed it! We moved to a hotel for a few nights and then moved into a house for another six months.” Despite the upheaval, Bethan kept studying: “My husband helped with the homeschooling when Covid hit as he was out of work for a while after lockdown was announced. He’s always been really supportive. I managed to fit the studying in around the children. I’d get my books out after they’d gone to bed but we’d also all sit down at the kitchen table – my daughter with her homework, me and my son with our college work.”

Sharon Shaw, Skills for Life Lecturer at Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, nominated Bethan, she says: “Bethan is one of the students who continually pushes herself to work through her homework and contacts me for extra work. If she gets stuck, then she makes the time to meet to get some further tuition so she can complete the exercises. It is always such a pleasure to be with Bethan as her dedication to her course is both awe inspiring and humbling.“

But after all the stresses of surgery, flooding and then the pandemic, Bethan had a severe anxiety attack: “Everything caught up with me and I was off work for three months. I did keep doing a bit of studying as it helped take my mind off things.” Returning to learn has given Bethan the confidence to continue to build her skills, study alongside her family and expand her role at the school. She’s now back at work and taking on more responsibilities at school to fulfil her ambition of becoming a Teaching Assistant.