Ptlls_Q5_Embedding_Functional_Skills_(Sia_Door_Supervisor)

Q5: Explain ways to embed Functional Skills into your specialist area Functional skills are described as “providing students with the essential knowledge, skills and understanding that will enable them to operate confidently, effectively and independently in life and at work”. These are basic skills in literacy, numeracy and information technology which will enable an individual to get through life and progress through their chosen career. In the role of a door supervisor the functional skills needed include: Numeracy Every nightclub has a maximum capacity for safety reasons; therefore the door supervisors must keep count of how many people have entered the premises. This is done by means of a ‘clicker’ counter, sometimes with another clicker to count the numbers of people who have left the premises. Therefore the door supervisor has to be able to calculate the difference. Venues selling alcohol have a minimum age entry requirement and ID is checked constantly. The door supervisor must be able to calculate if the person is of an age suitable to enter the venue, whether it is 18, 21 or 25 years of age. If the club is busy this has to be done in a matter of seconds. In class I would create an ‘Is this person old enough'’ exercise where I would provide different dates of birth and ask the learners to make a calculation within a set time limit (say 10 seconds). Literacy A door supervisor must have a minimum level of literacy in order to be able to complete the course, and take the exam that is a compulsory requirement prior to even applying for a Door Supervisor’s licence. The application form for the Security Industry Authority (SIA) is quite long and can be daunting for those who do not have English as a first language. Although the job does not include any written elements as standard, a door supervisor is recommended to keep a pocket notebook to make notes in the case of an incident involving the police. Should the matter go to court & the door supervisor called to give evidence it is essential an accurate record of the event can be produced. The head doorman has to keep a log of any incidents as they happen. In class I would demonstrate how to make effective notes for a court appearance. I would then create a fictional incident and ask the learners to make notes. As each person would make notes of different things we would then compare each others’ notes and discuss those differences. ICT At present there is little requirement for a door supervisor to use ICT in their role of work, however with the advances of technology some clubs have introduced the use of ID scanners for every person entering the premises. It will only be a matter of time until further technology is introduced into the role. I would show the students how to download a license application form from the SIA website by using a projector connected to a computer & then ask them to download their own. I could also embed literacy into this by asking them to fill it in during class time. If additional support was needed I would be able to identify this during the application process for my class. I could either run a class purely for those who do not have English as a first language, so I would be able to allocate more time for explaining things and correcting spelling if required. If the application process identified a greater need I would refer the learner to the Skills for Life classes.