Charity boss calls for greater awareness of Guernsey's adult literacy problem

• Kate Prout Reports

The boss of Guernsey's only adult literacy charity is calling for more awareness of people who may leave school without the necessary reading skills.

Trevor Wakefield from the Guernsey Adult Literacy Project (GALP) says support for adults who are not functionally literate lags behind what is available in the UK.

He says: "It's very important. If we're trying to attract high net-worth individuals and businesses to the island, we want a working population that is as well educated as it could possibly be."

Alex Hussey has been a student at GALP for five years after leaving school with poor reading and writing skills.

It led him to struggle with jobs that required a certain level of literacy.

Alex says since attending the lessons his life has changed, particularly in social circumstances: "I go out with my friends and they all can read well.

"I'll look at the menu and if there's something I know I can read, then I'll just choose that. I won't try anything different because I can't read it. I don't want to say it to the waitress or waiter. But now I say, can I have such and such."

Trevor adds: “One hundred years ago you could get away with it if you didn’t read or write. But now everything depends on being able to read.

"If you want to access anything you’ve got to do it through the internet. You’ve got to be able to read things."

The group works closely with Guernsey's Further Education College to help around 100 adults develop their reading and writing ability each year, as well as covering basic numeracy.

The States of Guernsey says on its website that the island is "well-served by adult learning opportunities" and it is "committed to providing all islanders with learning opportunities throughout their lives".