Get skills to succeed with Kyle

LEVEL 2 qualifications in both Maths and English, known as Functional Skills, are required to complete our Fire Safety apprenticeships, allowing progress to End Point Assessment.

But don’t worry if you could use some help in this area because Xact has got it covered.

We will support apprentices who require functional skills qualifications using a specialist digital assessment and learning platform, awarding body mock resources and one-to-one tutor support. 

Which is where Xact’s resident Maths – and English – whizz Kyle Millward comes in.

Tutor Kyle, 33, who also supervises and develops our courses, understands their importance more than most. 

Here the widely experienced former junior schoolteacher, who has also worked in Fire safety compliance within the housing association sector, outlines his approach to teaching Maths and English: 

“Functional skills within Fire Safety are vital. Use of both Maths and English is commonplace during most daily tasks within the industry. Having a good understanding of both subjects will help you succeed on your journey through fire safety.

Core mathematical skills. including addition, subtraction, multiplication and division are used regularly to manage and regulate fire safety across many different building types. For example, measuring from plans and then using equations to calculate what is required in different buildings. 

You will be required to regularly calculate the area of different premises and then use different tables from guidance and legislation to work out what fire safety measures and quantities of equipment need to be put in place.

Having a good level of English is important throughout the apprenticeship programme and beyond. 

Functional skills in this area will enable you to complete workbooks to a high standard, presenting answers in a detailed and thorough manner using relevant referencing. 

A good level of English will help you record your findings; communicate with clients and form an understanding of guidance and legislation.

My philosophy, as an educational professional, is that learning needs to be given real world meaning and placed in practical scenarios. 

Numbers and letters on a page can be confusing but in context they are given real-life meaning and so understood better. Which, in turn, helps with decision-making. 

Functional skills will be developed as part of this course giving you confidence and enabling both teachers and learners to explain and digest them in a more practical way. 

This will help all learners moving forward to make sense of many different aspects of fire safety and give clarity to guidance, legislation and decision-making.