Celebrate with Irum

Irum

Numeracy with Employment

Irum enrolled on the Numeracy with Employment course offered by Skills-UK in September 2025. After spending a long period at home caring for her children, she had been experiencing low confidence, social isolation, and ongoing mental health challenges. She wanted to do something positive for herself and felt that returning to learning could help her regain confidence in both her practical sewing skills and her basic numeracy. The course, which was numeracy-focused and delivered through sewing-based activities, offered a safe and supportive environment where she could re-engage with education at a pace that felt comfortable.

Before joining the programme, Irum faced several barriers that made it difficult to take the first step back into learning. Her self-esteem had been affected by her personal circumstances, and she had limited recent experience in structured education. Combined with the pressures of childcare and feeling isolated from others, returning to a classroom setting felt intimidating. Despite this, she showed determination and quickly began to settle into the group.

Throughout her time on the course, Irum made noticeable progress. Her confidence grew steadily as she engaged more actively with the learning activities and supported her peers. She demonstrated commitment to improving her numeracy skills and applied her sewing abilities with increasing self-assurance. Positive interactions with tutors and classmates helped her rebuild her sense of belonging and purpose.

Irum has a clear and ambitious long-term goal of becoming a sewing tutor. She intends to continue developing her skills by enrolling on further sewing and numeracy courses, as well as working towards relevant teaching qualifications. She is also exploring opportunities to volunteer or assist in classes in order to build experience and strengthen her confidence in a teaching environment. These steps are helping her move closer to her aspiration of supporting others through education.

Through the numeracy-focused sewing activities, she discovered how essential maths is within sewing — from measuring fabric to calculating patterns — and realised that learning maths can be both fun and productive when applied to something she enjoys. Her experience demonstrates how a nurturing learning environment can empower individuals to overcome personal barriers, develop new skills, and begin working towards meaningful future goals.

*The photo above shows Irum proudly wearing the outfit she produced by the end of the course.

Irum's Feedback

“I feel happy everyday I attend my class. I gained confidence, especially when I help others in the class. Learning about the different numeracy skills needed for employment was good for me and I enjoyed the whole course”