It is a priority to ensure that young people have good skills in English, Maths and basic ICT, as these are often essential for employment. If a young person has not achieved a GCSE in English and Maths at the end of Year 11, there are courses available in further education colleges to help them gain a pre-GCSE or GCSE qualification. Achieving a qualification in English and Maths may be a requirement to move onto other courses.

Courses in English and Maths, up to GCSE level, and basic ICT skills are usually free.