Why students like studying English and Maths

English and Maths courses are offered across the East Kent Colleges Group, with EKC Training programmes being offered at many of our East Kent training centres and Online.

These courses will give you the skills that you need for work, life and further study. We spoke to students across East Kent to see their experiences of studying English and Maths:

Eleni, Maths, Entry Level 3

“I have started learning Maths to improve my abilities overall. I have found the course to be fun, insightful and valuable in not only refreshing my understanding of previously forgotten concepts, but also in boosting my confidence when it comes to mathematics.

I feel well set up for Higher Education as this is where I would like to advance to.”

Melanie, Maths, Level 2

“I chose to do a Maths course as I am currently a Health Care Assistant at William Harvey Hospital and would like to progress further in my career.

The courses been very informative on all three levels that I have studied (Entry 3, Level 1 and Level 2). I hated maths within school and found the subject extremely hard to understand and retain the information, but doing it with EKC Training has helped me have a better understanding of the subject.

We have very good teachers and I have learnt so much from my tutor Antoinette. The way she takes her time to explain things and the fact that she is always willing to support us has really helped me. If I’m struggling with a topic I know that she is there to help and this has really helped boost my confidence in my course work. 

As a result of these courses, i have been taught a lot of important skills and I have now been offered to progress onto a higher working band within the Hospital.”

Archie, Maths, Level 1

“I prefer studying here because of the help that I am provided alongside it. When I did GCSE Maths I felt that there was a lot of pressure to know everything and to understand it fully.

With the courses here however I feel what we learn is actually stuff that will help me a lot more in the future and skills that I will use more in my day to day life.”

Ellena, Maths, Level 2

“The practical parts of the course really help and make learning Maths seem a lot easier than GCSE level. The Functional Skills courses here are a lot less complicated and worded differently, so for me it’s much better than GCSE. My teachers help a lot when I need it.”

Grace, Maths, Level 2

“Studying Maths here is much easier than GCSE level for me. I feel with this course I get more help compared to GCSE’s which at school seemed to be in a more pressured environment. Our teachers help a lot and they are very supportive and friendly.

I now really like learning my times tables thanks to the practical methods we have been taught, which is great as I have struggled with in the past. I would recommend this course to anyone looking to improve their maths.”

Aslihan, English, Entry Level 3

“I want to improve my English as I am an author in my home country of Turkey and have created science fiction and children’s books. All of them are in Turkish as is my main language and I want to be able to translate them into English.

On the course I have been able to improve my speaking as well. I haven’t had enough practice in the past with speaking the English language so being in this environment has really helped.

If you are not confident in your language, the teachers quickly notice and will help you in the areas that you need. The course has given me the opportunity to not only improve my skills but also to meet friends here in my class. “

Damien, English, Level 1

“My course is really good. It’s strange as when I was at school I hated doing stuff like this but now I’m older I’m really enjoying it and I want to learn. I’m aiming to get better at writing letters and improving my spelling.

I have learnt on the course how to write a proper formal email and see what informal language is as well as refining my skills that I have forgotten and lost over the years as I get older and step further away from my original education.

My future goals are to find a different job and career than what I am doing now. I am currently a performer and would like to move towards something more English based. As I’m dyslexic this has been a big struggle of mine and I’ve hid behind it for years but I’m now at a point where I want to push forward and not let it affect me.

The courses aren’t as scary as you think it would be. It’s quite a fun environment and it’s always good to learn. There’s room to learn and its good to feel better about yourself.”

Nupur, English, Entry Level 3

“I’m from Bangladesh and I came here three years ago. English is not my first language so I find it quite hard to communicate with people so I joined this English class recently to help me improve.

I have learnt lots of things such as speaking, listening, reading, writing as well as ICT skills. I am now on the Entry Level 3 course after finishing Entry Level 1 and Entry Level 2. The teachers help us understand the problems that we are facing and see how to face them head on.”

Thinking about improving your English and Maths skills? Our courses take place throughout the year.