(a) The conceptual context

Philosophy and rationale
(a) The principal aim of FirstSkills is to enable those learners, normally excluded by existing arrangements from any form of accreditation, to participate within the National Framework for Qualifications. The basic message is one of inclusion and success.

(b) FirstSkills is a competency-based award aimed at young people, students and adults with a wide range of learning needs for whom current examinations and qualifications are either unrealistic or inappropriate, or who are at risk of being excluded from the wider educational and training opportunities. The award is designed to ensure progression from basic skills into Key Skills through contextualised learning, and to prepare learners for transition and progression, directly and indirectly, into other families of qualifications or training.

(c) FirstSkills provides a coherent and flexible programme that is rooted in practical, social and vocational contexts. The award is designed to support individuals in achieving fulfilling, working life, in a partnership with providers.

(d) FirstSkills aims to celebrate the positive achievement of individual learners. For example, its assessment procedures are appropriate, rigorous and seek to encourage independent action and decision-making. The qualification may be used to underpin work that individuals may already be doing to gain experience of work-based training through local providers, supported by TECs and Education and Business partnerships (EBPs), together with employers.

Objectives
The FirstSkills initiative is designed to:

(a) be inclusive and accessible.
(b) Provide for young people, students, learners and trainers of all ages.
(c) Prepare learners for transition towards an independent life.
(d) Prepare programmes that support the development of the whole person.
(e) Provide a flexible course to meet individual needs.
(f) Ensure appropriate assessment arrangements that are reliable and robust.

Target Group
The FirstSkills Award is targeted at quite a wide range of individuals from 14 through to adulthood. This will include young people with learning difficulties, the disaffected, under-achievers, 'dropouts' from mainstream education and training, and those alienated in some way or other. In other words, a range of young people for whom the education system has not adequately catered.

Players involved
(a) The students, all of whom are either in school or attending an FE College.
(b) The 'lead player' is the Examination Board of the Welsh Joint Education Committee, the organisation that developed the teaching-learning programme and is responsible for the assessment and award of the FirstSkills qualification.
(c) The schools and colleges, together with local employers.

Results
Feedback on the introduction of the programme during 1999, together with the results of over 15 years experience with the parallel Certificate of Education which targeted the 14-16 year olds, suggest that the initiative is highly successful in:

motivating: attendance - reducing drop-out and increasing take-up;

training: levels of attainment increased dramatically in both absolute terms, i.e. achieving the Certificate at improved levels of attainment, and in relative terms by allowing and improving access to other qualifications, such as GCSE and GNVQ Foundation Levels; and

empowering students in their endeavours to enter the world of work.

 

(b) Recruitment/Selection Criteria

No formal prior qualifications are required for enrolment on the FirstSkills programme. In fact, most of the students lack any kind of qualification.

 

(c) Training Programme/Curricula

The course is offered as a two-option alternative based on a unit structure of mandatory/core, life skills units, and vocational focus areas. This is planned to cover skills in a contextualised format. The two options are the FirstSkills Certificate and the FirstSkills Diploma, both of which are awarded at three possible levels. The Certificate requires successful completion of 6 credits, the Diploma requires 10 credits. In both cases, the Core Units form 50% of the overall assessment.

The Core consists of an Employability Unit (equivalent to 1 credit) which is mandatory for both Certificate and Diploma Options and which emphases the vocational nature of the courses. The remaining units are designed to support the Employability Unit whilst sampling all Key Skills areas. Of these Units, the Certificate students select from a restricted choice, 2 Units (equivalent to 2 credits), whilst the Diploma students complete all 4 Units (equivalent to 4 credits). The restricted choice for Certificate students is intended to ensure the widest possible coverage of all Key Skills areas.

Mandatory and Core Units: the Core is made up of mandatory units which will ensure the students gain experience in the relevant Key Skills of Communication, Application of Number, Information Technology, Problem Solving, improving Own Learning and Performance, and Working With Others, and have appropriate experiences to prepare them for the world of work. The Units are - Employability, Managing Money, Organising Time, Handling Information, Using Media.

Life Skills Units: these are designed to develop a practical application of skills within a range of contexts. The content is appropriate to the target group and is based on real life/relevant situations. The Unit titles are: Going Out and About, Practical Help in the Community, Finding a Home, Organising an Activity, Running a Vehicle, Planning a Holiday, Using the Leisure Centre, People We Need, Decorating a Home, Planning an Enterprise, Residential Experience.

Vocational Focus Areas: these are intended to develop a practical application of skills within a vocational context. The Units are work-based and form part of a work-experience/part-time work involvement. The Units present the opportunity to acquire some basic experience within chosen occupational areas and offer potential routes for progression to a range of occupational qualifications such as GNVQ and NVQ. A prescribed 'work preparation module' precedes each Unit.

The Units are:

Office Worker, Care Assistant, Garage Worker, Painter/Decorator, Kitchen Worker, Shop Assistant, Leisure Assistant, Factory Worker, Farm Worker, Building Site Worker.

Unit structure: each Unit is self-contained and free-standing. They are intended to provide a relevant teaching framework and opportunities for the students to evidence identifiable skills from the assessment objectives and performance requirements. Although there are many opportunities to sample and demonstrate Key Skills, for assessment purposes, teachers and learners are directed to focus on particular skills, competencies and evidence within each Unit.

The course is designed to target specific performances by identifying detailed learning outcomes, although each task in all Units signposts the National Key Skills at Level 1 to encourage/identify the possibilities of direct progression.

 

(d) Instructional design

The programme is based upon the creation of opportunities for the students to generate and collect evidence. Students and teachers are directed to key outcomes but there is also an opportunity to generate evidence for outcomes other than those suggested by the awarding body. The Core Units specify the evidence required, as these Units are mandatory.

Evidence is appropriate to the task, skill area and must be sensitive to the ability and needs of the learner in order to allow him/her to demonstrate positive achievement. It may be taken from a variety of sources, such as:

Activities which naturally follow learning in the workplace/classroom. Activities which are set up specifically for assessment. End products created as a normal consequence of the work/learning activity. Simulations, competence tests, projects, etc. Verbal or written responses to questions. Reports of prior achievement (possibly as part of a portfolio of evidence). Witness statements.

 

(e) Evaluation and feedback

The students' work is subject to external moderation by the Awarding Body. It is clear from pilot work that the programme does allow students to show positive achievement. Awards are given at Entry Levels 1, 2 and 3. These results, together with the student log book, allow the student, the teacher and the future trainer/employer to see the standard achieved.

As with the earlier Certificate of Education, feedback is provided for the teacher as well as the student; these are supplemented by a range of INSET activities.

 

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