Handbook on best practice methods for Basic skills trainings Best practice handbook | Page 13

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NEED ANALYSIS
What are the adult learners’ needs?
“Too many people of working age lack the basic skills in
literacy and numeracy to participate fully in both work and
society,” Dr Anthony Mann, OECD Senior Policy Analyst
The mapping of learners’ basic skills and the analysis of their needs regarding the
improvement of their basic skills is an essential process through which the adult learners may
be directed towards the appropriate learning programmes for them: having a suitable difficulty
level, having a relevant curriculum content and the appropriate methods for each individual.
The mapping of basic skills may be conducted through different formal and informal methods
which include personal interviews, written, online and / or oral tests performed by the adult
learners. The mapping process produces a baseline for each individual learner in regards to
attainment in literacy, numeracy etc.
The mapping is normally carried out by the basic skills trainer/ course organizer.
The initial screening should not only establish the learners’ present position in terms of
the skills and experience they possess, but also provide a formative element and identify, as
far as possible, the learners’ ambitions for desirable qualifications, progression to further
learning, and future employment prospects. This information should then inform the design of
a relevant learning plan for each individual through which clear and attainable goals can be
set. This is referred to as a learning gateway process of assessment, which identifies
appropriate learning goals (Scottish Executive 2002). Cooper (1995), emphasizes that the
screening process should include a system of identifying student goals and ensures that
needs are met to achieve these goals.
Digital tools are now used successfully around the globe to help to identify and develop
learners’ employability skills. An example of such a tool is provided by
https://www.bksb.co.uk/ or https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/quizhome.