What is a Learner Support Advisor (LSA)?
Each learner at The Skills Network is assigned a designated LSA, who will be the first port of call for any questions or queries that you may have throughout the duration of your course, and will be on hand to guide you through the entire process.
You will be contacted by a member of the Learner Support Team regularly during your studies. Some examples of when we will call you are:
1. Welcome call
An LSA will contact you to confirm your personal details in order to make sure that we get them right on your certificate at the end of your course. If they are unable to get through to you, you might receive an email that includes your details for you to confirm. Although you can confirm these by replying to the email, the best idea is to give your LSA a call. They will have lots of important information for you to help your course run smoothly, as well as great advice and tips for studying a distance learning course. It is also a perfect opportunity to ask any questions that you might have at this point, no matter how small!
2. Upcoming/overdue submissions
We know how important it is to keep in touch with our learners, so a member of the Learner Support Team will try to make contact with you around once a fortnight. Everyone learns differently and at their own pace, so we aim to be flexible when setting deadlines for your course work. When you receive an email or phone call to remind you that you have an upcoming submission date, let your LSA know if you are struggling – that is what they are there for!
We try to use a number of methods of contact to best suit all our learners, so you may hear from us by phone call, email or text.
3. Subject-related updates
In addition to contact regarding upcoming or overdue submissions, your LSA will be in touch throughout your course to check in and ensure no additional support is needed. You will also receive updates of sector-related information that you may find interesting.
4. Tutor feedback
You will receive feedback on each of your submissions from one of our qualified tutors. They aim to give robust and developmental feedback to further your knowledge within the subject area.
If a tutor is not sure whether you have fully understood a question, they might ask you to try answering it again. Do not panic, your tutor will make sure that you understand how to approach the question again. If you are still unsure, a member of the Learner Support Team can set up a telephone tutorial so that your tutor can provide some further guidance and you can give your new answers over the phone.
Your Learner Support Team will also be able to give you access to a number of support tips, such as:
- Tutor tips from the Course Lead, with advice and guidance on common pitfalls made by previous leaners
- Study tips for studying via distance learning.
Your LSA is not just a friendly voice on the phone meet some of the team that are helping you to achieve your qualification below!
Leanne Hudson-Tallis
Leanne is one of the longest-standing members of the team, having worked with The Skills Network for over six years. Leanne enjoys being an LSA and says that her days fly by!
“I enjoy looking after learners, as no learner is the same. Every day is a new challenge, as all learners have different needs”
Katie Earless
Katie is a Senior LSA, which means that as well as helping learners, she works closely with employers to help them support employees on courses with us. She says:
“The main reason I love the job is the sense of achievement I get knowing I have contributed to helping a learner gain their chosen qualification, which has potentially helped them progress in their career or life.”
Leah Seifert
Leah has recently joined the team and says that her favourite thing about her job is:
“being able to say I have helped someone further themselves in their career by being there for support if and when they need it.”/i>
Although you are allocated your own LSA, anyone in the team is happy to help! You can contact the Learner Support Team by calling 01757 600915 or emailing student.support@theskillsnetwork.com.
