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Functional skills

3 Courses Available

functional skills course

Our accredited Functional Skills courses are a great alternative to GCSEs, allowing you to gain recognised qualifications in English and maths.

Find out more and check out our functional skills courses below.

Know which course you're interested in?

What are Functional Skills?

Functional Skills are fundamental English and Maths qualifications that people need for their working and personal lives. As an alternative to GCSEs, they allow people to gain access to further and higher education.

Maths and English are the most popular Functional Skills courses, as these level 2 courses are needed for most jobs and university courses if you don’t already hold GCSEs in these subjects. Through these qualifications, you can achieve the equivalent of up to a GCSE level 4, or a C in the old grading system. This means they can be used as an alternative pathway to gaining your English and Maths qualifications, while also having the flexibility to sit the assessment all year round.

Functional skills distance learning

With distance learning, you can study the same subjects and qualifications you would in a traditional school or college, from the comfort of your own home instead! It takes the location out of studying. You’ll save time and money on travelling, and if you have other life commitments, such as a full-time or part-time job, or if you have a family to look after, it may help to be able to study at a time that suits you.

There are no physical classes to attend or timetables to stick to. With 24-hour access to your course either online or through a study pack, you can study whenever you have free time (if that’s in the middle of the night it’s possible).

Tutor support

When you study a Functional Skills course with us, you’ll get unlimited, personal tutor support. Your tutor will be on hand to guide you through your course and help with any questions you may have, ensuring you are fully prepared for any examinations if needed. You’ll never be alone. This is just one of the many benefits you’ll get from enrolling with Open Study College.

Frequently asked questions

Functional Skills are fundamental English and Maths qualifications, providing you with the skills that you need for your working and personal life. They allow you to gain access into higher education as well. Maths and English are the most popular Functional Skills courses, as these level 2 courses are needed for most jobs and university courses if you don’t already hold the equivalent GCSE qualifications.

Functional Skills can be used an alternative qualification to GCSEs. With our Functional Skills Level 2 courses, you can achieve the equivalent of up to a GCSE grade 4 (C).

As an alternative to GCSEs, Functional Skills Level 2 courses are now excepted by a majority of universities. However, if you wish to pursue this route, we recommend that you check with potential universities before enrolling to ensure that they accept Functional Skills qualifications.

Looking to speak to an adviser?

We are delighted that you are considering joining us to study and take pleasure in welcoming you to our family.

Open Study College is one of the UK’s leading distance-learning colleges. We provide professionally-recognised functional skills courses that enable you to study at your own pace, in your own environment either online or via printed materials sent to your home.

We understand that choosing a course is a big decision. That’s why we have a team of friendly, knowledgeable education specialists who can help you choose the right functional skills qualification for you.

Over the past 15 years, we’ve enrolled over 120,000 people on courses that have improved their education and their career prospects!

Our education specialists can answer any questions you may have, talk you through our finance options and get you enrolled over the telephone.

As a family-founded college, we think of our learners as extended members of our family. We’re all here to help you achieve your goals in life, whatever they may be.

If you’d like to speak to an education specialist about our online functional skills courses, simply complete the form here and you’ll get a call back at the requested time.

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