Islington’s adult learners were presented with certificates this week after passing English, ICT, ESOL and vocational courses.

The Adult and Community Learning project features a range of courses free of charge, which some use as a stepping stone into employment and others, who study core subjects including maths and English, use to further their studies.

This week mayor Cllr Dave Poyser presented the group with their certificates at the town hall.

Nahdia Begum has recently started work in an Islington bakery and believes the hospitality and catering course she completed helped immensely.

She explained: “The manager asked me how I would talk to customers and I said you need to be happy with the customers. You can’t go to work in a bad mood, you have to leave that at home and be professional. I was able to remember that from my course. I would definitely recommend it.”

Cheryl Vaughan finished her introduction to adult social care course and hasn’t looked back. She said: “I’m doing great. I was at an agency for a couple of months and now I’m working as a PA and really enjoying it. I’m also looking to see if I can move into the NHS.”

Islington business chief Cllr Asima Shaikh said: “The flexibility and wide range of free courses are hugely beneficial to learners, many of whom have caring responsibilities or are returning to education later in life. They allow people to try a subject they previously couldn’t access or build confidence and gain skills in an entirely new field.

“With an ever evolving jobs market and increasing demand for workers with innovative skills the Adult and Community Learning courses provide learners with valuable knowledge that this generation of employers want.”