1.1 The target groups - who are they?
The target groups are defined in the Project brief as those groups that are at high risk to be excluded permanently from the labour market, in particular -

Young people who have minimum or no qualifications. These may include unemployed school leavers, especially low achievers, young people who failed to complete compulsory education, or those who failed to proceed to further education, become marginalised and face the risk of social exclusion. Lack of basic competence prevents them from adapting to the work situation, learn, solve problems, communicate with others.

Older workers (over 40) who have been unemployed for more than a year. These are people who face a similar risk of social exclusion, because long abstention from employment results often in de-skilling, regarding both technical and social skills.

Even though 'Key Skills' and 'unemployment' are common to both groups, there is a significant difference in the specific needs of each. In other words, the problem is transformed, depending on the context. For example, programmes which target the 17-23 year-olds are different from those aimed at the older man and woman with their experience of, perhaps, marriage and family life as parents; and also, the time distance from formal education. In many respects, the most critical data about the target groups relate to the unemployment rates.

The greatest incidence of unemployment falls upon the 25-34 year old age group. Together with the 20-24 year olds, these groups make up nearly 50% of the unemployed, with males accounting for a far higher proportion of the registered unemployed than females. Almost 50% of all claimants were long term unemployed, i.e. for longer than six months. Those over the age of 35 were slightly more likely to be long term unemployed than those under 35.

The data uggest that -

for the under 17s, unemployment is greater among the females than the males.

In the 17-19 age range, the position is reversed with significantly more males being out of work, especially for a period of 1-6 months.

In the 40-44 and 45-49 age bands, rather more females are unemployed tan males for up to six months, but the position is reversed for one year or more.

The critical period is clearly unemployment of between one and six months when future attitudes and reactions to unemployment germinate.

Data provided by the Welsh Office suggest that both the male and female unemployed, young and 40+, are dominated (63.5%) by those who left school without any general (GCE A level, GCSE ) or vocational qualifications (GNVQ). In addition, of those unemployed and described as 'experiencing a variety of learning difficulties', less than 5% had obtained the WJEC's Certificate of Educational Achievement or comparable qualifications which target under-achieving and low-attaining individuals as well as those with moderate or severe learning difficulties. CELTEC have analysed the 'occupations' of the unemployed and suggest that-

the most frequently sought occupations in the North Wales are are in the occupational group 'Other Occupations', which includes generally unskilled work such as labourers, porters, refuse collectors, postal workers and cleaners. High proportions of unemployed men, 26%, seek work in 'Other Occupations'. A large proportion, 18%, of the long-term unemployed are looking for work employment in the 'Other Occupation' category. The numbers unemployed and seeking work in the skilled occupations, such as 'Professional and Associate Professionals', is relatively small; undoubtedly, it is suggested, a reflection of the low incidence of unemployment among these groups. The number of jobs available is limited or non-existent in the 'Labourers' category. Nearly a third of all unemployed women look for work in Clerical occupations.

1.2 The skills needs in TEP areas
Evidence obtained during data collection in the North Wales TEP clearly suggests therefore, that the target groups lack appropriate education or training, have few, if any, qualifications, and are deficient in the basic or key skills. In more detail, the attainments of each of the two sub groups comprising the target group are broadly comparable, and feature the following:

they lack the 'basic skills', defined by the Basic Skills Agency as the ability to read, write and speak in English (or Welsh) and mathematics at a level necessary to function and progress at work and in society in general. Evidence from the Agency suggests that 18% of adults (40 years+) do not have sufficiently developed basic skills for modern life or employment. The situation is only slightly better (15%) in the 17-19 age band.

Attainment in reading (20% poor/very poor)is significantly better than in mathematics (51% poor/very poor). IT skills are comparable with those for mathematics, bur variations occur based upon local authority attitudes to IT. There is evidence of improved skills levels in reading and number where (a) basic skills and key skills programmes, or (b) specifically targeted general learning programmes have been developed.

A significant number across the age range of the target group left school at the earliest opportunity and did not continue to further education 'believing that their education was of little value'.

Recent research has shown that those adults within the target groups are amongst the poorest, have limited job prospects and often suffer from ill-health.

There is a high correlation between parents who lack basic skills and the children and young people with learning difficulties.

Research undertaken by the Basic Skills Agency discovered that among young men, those with low basic skills are more likely to be unemployed. Among young women, those with learning difficulties could not compete in the work place and opted out to have children at an early age.

The lack of basic or key skills among a significant section of the target group suggests that few of them received an 'appropriate' education programme whilst at school, It is clear that communication, number and It skills are weak; but also, the ability to problem-solve generally, and to work with others.

Discussions with students and the unemployed highlight a general feeling of discontent about too much time being spent on 'irrelevant subjects', and not enough time on things that matter, especially the key skills already referred to, learning about the world of work, and general education which focuses on becoming an adult.

These feelings spanned both sub-sets of the target group, but 'greater distance'from formal education and training made it much more of a problem among those aged 40+. The Project remit stated that skill needs may be defined from different points of view:

 

Skill needs defined by employers

 

Skill needs defined by the target group : self-perception

 

Skill needs defined by the certification system

 

Skill needs defined by the education and training provider

 

However, it is important that a point made earlier about the different characteristics, perceptions and needs of the younger and older unemployed is borne in mind, i.e.

16-25 Closer to formal education and training programmes Likely to have some knowledge and experience of IT and communication skills Lack of 'work experience'

40+ Out-of-touch with formal education/training Often have family responsibilities Out-of-touch with Key Skills, especially IT· Maturity Often have experience of many jobs - negative factor

Need to: Assess prior learning and individual skills patterns Target individual needs, e.g. access courses

 

1.2.1.The needs of employers
When considering the needs of employers two factors have to be taken into account at the outset:

Size of company
The larger the company or firm the greater the emphasis upon the need for employees to possess a range of the Key Skills. These are often treated as the starting points for the firm's own on-site, 'specific skills' training programmes. Smaller firms generally show less interest in basic qualifications - as long as the employee can do the work, or be trained in situ.

Employer's perceptions of their needs tend to fluctuate quite widely over a relatively short space of time, often in response to national publicity and, particularly, government initiatives
Even though employers regularly emphasise the importance of academic, general and vocational qualifications, when asked to itemise these in relation to the wide range of possible employee qualities a different picture often emerges. In most major surveys in recent years, employers have begun to stress the importance of their workforce (of all ages, but especially the young school leaver) possessing a range of what they term 'core', 'basic' or 'key skills'. These have been defined earlier in this Report as those skills that are a pre-requisite to successful personal development and employment. This raises issues of prior education and training - up to the point of employers' assessment and evaluation. In recent years there has been an increasing participation by employers and employer representatives in discussion of the purpose of education and training. Their involvement has been greatest in consideration of core or key skills. Recent research on the issue of Key Skills as viewed by employers reveals a wide range of employer attitudes, often conflicting with the views of government. In this context, within Wales, the 'Future Skills Wales' study of skills needs in North Wales categorises skills into generic skills, vocational skills and job specific skills. The researchers were interested in the 'generic skills' (or Key Skills) which they define as practical attributes - such as the ability to work in teams and to follow instructions - that are transferable across most jobs. Without them, it is suggested, it is difficult for a person to be effective at work. Other generic skills include initiative or leadership qualities. However, communication and understanding customer needs' were also ranked highly by North Wales' employers. It is clear that most employers in the North Wales TEP are aware that their skills needs will increase in the immediate future.

The majority of employers interviewed believe that their employees utilise their skills to the maximum and that they do have the opportunity to develop the skills that they need for present and future jobs. It is obvious that the demand for skills by employers is greatly influenced by the individual employer's strategy, the type of products (goods and services) being produced, and the sophistication of the processes (technology, management and organisational structures) used by the company. For example,

Management skills are rated more highly for corporate managers and managers/proprietors than other occupations. Formal qualifications rank more highly for the professional occupations. Advanced IT comes out strongly for the science/engineering professions. Basic IT skills are rated more highly for clerical and secretarial occupations. Job-specific and product knowledge skills are ranked very highly for other occupations, such as skilled trades and sales.

When employers were asked to consider a whole range of generic skills they began to think more in terms of the educationalist's 'core' or 'key' skills, although they may not have used these terms.

To these they would like to see added the more 'general' life skills of reliability and punctuality. In addition, it is suggested that all students should have experience of some kind of work related education and training.

Clearly, in these responses, most employers are addressing the qualities of the young job seeker, 16-23, and also indirectly, school and college programmes. However, there remains the challenge of those aged 40+ and how they acquire what, to them, is largely a group of 'new' skills or, to look at it another way, as possible 'hurdles' to employment.

This 'group' generally functions as a set of individuals, often in isolation. Accordingly, the Basic Skills Agency suggest that a range of new approaches must be adopted if we are to include this group of the population in any new training or retraining programmes. For example, they can be targeted by the introduction of a family literacy campaign, in which learning is structured in a family setting. The whole programme should be tied into one producing appropriate teaching and learning materials for adults, with the focus on a range of key skills - as required by employers. But what do employers think are their future skills needs? They indicated that they believe that their will increase significantly in the next decade.

Employers and a sample of residents were also asked a question the answers to which could have a major impact upon the success of any programme aimed at facilitating key skills development, as defined by employers, and focusing on the 40+ age group, i.e perceived barriers to learning and training.

The results suggest that, to be successful, any training programme will need to address not only the views of employers but also basic, every-day issues as perceived by residents or the unemployed, especially among those aged 40+.

'An Education and Training Action Plan for Wales' (March, 1999) states that The Future Skills Wales project shows us that the skills that employers most value are complex. They are the ones which are transferable across most jobs and can be updated by training throughout working life. They cover basic verbal and number skills. They embrace the key skills of communication (including literacy), problem solving, team working, use of ICT and numeracy. They are about lifting expectations and progressively improving attainment. They cover personal values essential to good motivation, judgement, self-discipline, leadership and initiative. They are the basic, key and generic skills.

 

1.2.2. Skills needs defined by the target group: self perception
Information was obtained about the perceptions of the target groups in two ways:

through discussions with students and trainers, aged 16-23, involved in a Key Skills pilot programme operated by the AQA/WJEC (awarding bodies).

For the 40+ age group, from information provided by the Future Skills Wales (North Wales) Project.

16-23 group: discussions were held with students participating in the AQA/ WJEC pilot programme on key skills, post-16. These discussions attempted to discover students' attitudes to 'key skills' generally and, more specifically, in relation to Communication, Application of Number and Information Technology. The responses are related to the closed nature of the questions that were posed, i.e. all were students/trainers attending schools and colleges participating in a pilot scheme regulated and funded by the UK government which is looking at and investigating the following aspects of key skills teaching and assessment.

What constitutes a 'key skill'.
The ability of teachers and trainers, schools and colleges to deliver 'key skills programmes'.
How best to present key skills for the 'user'.
Issues which will have to be addressed in attempting to develop and deliver a key skills qualification suitable for all students and trainers.
An assessment strategy in which all students, irrespective of qualification pathway, have to complete internal and independent assessments.
The relative values of key skills, as viewed by user, educationalists and industrialists.
The validity and reliability of a range of assessment strategies. Findings from the fieldwork carried out by the national teams, or relevant literature.

In summary, reasons given as to why most students considered key skills important included:

Key Skills are transferable and transferable skills are essential in today's world of work.

They underlie the ability to learn in further and higher education, and the ability to function successfully at work in a flexible, changing environment.

'It is what industry and further education are crying out for'. These discussions with students highlighted one worrying, negative comment. This was a general concern about the value of Key Skills and a Key Skills Qualification in relation to other qualifications such as GCE. It is summed up in the statement - 'Will employers think a key skills certificate is as valuable as a GCSE or A level?' At the moment, the government's answer is a clear 'YES'.

'Outside' mainstream education and training there is a significant sector of the population. These are students who are not usually entered for GCSE or GNVQ courses and examinations and who, until recently, had no programmes specifically designed for them. This group constitutes about 10% of the population. In Wales, they have the opportunity to follow a Certificate of Educational Achievement course; this has now been further developed to cater for the post-16 age group, in a 'FirstSkills Award'. Considerable research has been carried out as part of this development. It is specifically designed to give the young under-achiever, 16-19, within the target group, access and progression to national Key Skills and vocational courses. To this end, a basic/key skills structure has been identified at Entry Level, and below Level 1 of the Key Skills specifications. Although at an early stage of development, the initiative is a realistic attempt to introduce key or basic skills to young people who may not experience success through any other form of accreditation. In-depth discussions and interviews with this group reveal (a) a deep concern about the importance of possessing these skills, and (b) the fact that, in the past, they had not been given the opportunity to access them in formal education.

Accordingly, the principal aim of the FirstSkills award is to enable these learners, normally excluded by existing arrangements for assessment and accreditation, to participate in the National Framework of Qualifications. The fundamental philosophy and message of FirstSkills are inclusion and success. It is a competency-based Key Skills award aimed at students (young people and adults) with a wide range of learning needs for whom existing examinations are either unrealistic or inappropriate. It is designed to ensure access to Key Skills through contextualised learning, and to prepare learners for transition and progression, directly or indirectly into other families of qualifications. They are flexible and coherent programmes, rooted in practical, everyday social and vocational contexts, and seek to enable learners to acquire, practice and master key or basic skills. The overall aim is to support individuals in achieving an independent, fulfilling and working life, in partnership with providers and colleagues. FirstSkills aims to celebrate the positive achievement of individual learners. Its assessment procedures are appropriate and rigorous, and seek to encourage independent action and decision making. The qualification can 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 EBPs (Education Business Partnerships).

 

40+ Group: information provided by the North Wales TEP and CELTEC highlight discussions and interviews which have taken place with those unemployed and over the age of 40. The picture that emerges is one of -

a group with low self-esteem and an awareness that they lack skills and qualifications and, significantly, the basic skills of communication and IT in particular.

Individuals who considered they had failed and been failed by the school system; and most tended to think of this failure in terms of 'academic' qualifications. Accordingly, they viewed formal qualifications with suspicion.

A recent all-Wales survey (Future Skills Wales Survey) found that this group is especially unaware of NVQs. As a result, take up of these 'new' qualifications is limited, more so than in England. The statistics suggest that 18% of 16-19-year olds were aware of NVQs and the opportunities they offer for employment, but this dropped to 8% among those 45 and over.

Yet these were the very people who, in general discussions, recognised the need to obtain up-skilling or retraining, particularly in core, basic or key skills. It is clear therefore, that most students, trainers and the older unemployed recognise the importance of a range of general, basic and transferable skills, but have little opportunity to acquire them.

1.2.3. Skills needs defined by the certification system
In the case of Wales and England, the approach of the certification system to general skills needs is largely determined by the government, working through advice given by specially constituted advisory committees and implemented by its regulatory bodies. In the context of the perceived skills needs of the population, much recent work has focused on the role of core or key skills, largely through the recommendations of the Dearing Committee's 'Review of Qualifications for 16- to 19-year olds'.

The thrust of the Dearing Committee's recommendations is seen in its general view that 'All schools, colleges and training bodies providing education and training for 16- to 19-year olds, which is publicly funded, should provide opportunities for all young people to develop their key skills and to have them assessed and recognised.' In reality, government control of the funding of most education and training programmes will ensure that this recommendation will be generally applicable, irrespective of the age of the trainee. In other words, Key Skills are viewed as being of importance to all students, trainers, employees and the unemployed. This approach has resulted in the creation of the 'qualification framework' in which key skills play a major role.

Arising out of this new, general approach, the government has funded and been responsible for the operation of a major Key Skills 'pilot' programme over the last two years. Within Wales, the WJEC has worked with a major awarding body in England (AQA), together with QCA and ACCAC (the government's regulatory bodies for England and Wales respectively) in this pilot. The aim of this work has been to develop, from 2000, a system which can deliver Key Skills, post-16, irrespective of the type of education and/or training followed by a student or trainee. Significantly, students and trainers will have the opportunity to obtain a free-standing 'Key Skills Qualification' - in the opinion of most students and trainers this is critical in achieving 'qualification credibility'.

Increasingly, higher education and employers are demanding that new recruits, including those who are or have been unemployed, have not only a sound knowledge and understanding of their subject or trade, but also well-developed skills, especially in communication, teamwork and managing their own learning. 'It is now accepted by the government that strengthening basic education, especially key skills, greatly enhances success in subsequent training and increase the ability of individuals to withstand changing labour market conditions (Skills Force Research Paper 1, Enterprise Network). As a result, Key Skills teaching and learning 'units' have been developed by the regulatory bodies in association with the awarding bodies, following wide-scale consultations with trainers and employers, which meet these demands. In fact, they largely reflect them. They build on students' basic and key skills, helping them to develop effective learning and to improve their performance in a variety of settings. They require students to:

select and apply their skills in ways that are appropriate to particular tasks, problems and situations;

reflect on how they have adapted their skills to suit the demands of different contexts.

 

1.2.4. Skills needs defined by the Education and Training Providers
RIt was suggested above that within the UK the definition of skills needs generally is largely determined by government. This has been highlighted by the approach of the government, through its regulatory bodies, to the challenge of overcoming employer fears about the practical problems of introducing Key Skills into the workplace. Similar challenges face government when they address the education and training providers. These are, for the students, trainer and young unemployed, essentially schools and colleges; the older unemployed are largely the responsibility of employers and training providers, often closely related to the local FE colleges. It has been suggested in earlier parts of this Report that the perceptions of providers about the nature and value of Key Skills are largely determined by the direction of government thinking and policy and, through the influence of the regulatory bodies, the awarding bodies. However, there is little evidence that the FE institutions generally, or many of their staff see the development of Key Skills as a continuum extending through the national curriculum, into further education and beyond, into work. ˆ Rather, to consider provision in a terms of distinct 'sectors'.

Even though individual examples of good practice in Key Skills teaching and assessment abound, there is a clear need for a common approach to Key Skills across institutions (including schools), especially in relation to the following issues:

common, accepted ideas on what constitutes a Key Skill, their number and their status.
Interviews and data from the TEP suggest that there is a wide divergence of views about Key Skills between school and college providers. Generally, it is mainly schools that offer GNVQ and NVQ Units that appear to have formal approaches to Key Skills, and their definitions and practices are derived from those qualifications. The importance of being able to relate definitions and practices to an established set of qualifications is important in ensuring success for student/trainer and provider. The introduction of the free-standing Key Skills Qualification will have a major impact, especially the use of the formal 'Key Skills Specifications' as basic definitions and teaching programmes. In contrast, Further Education Colleges have more extensive experience the views of employers about key skills needs; in addition, the employment of staff from industrial and commercial backgrounds complements this strength. Unfortunately, this variation in approach often leaves the trainer or the unemployed potential trainer a 'hostage to fortune'. It is anticipated that, from 2000, a greater coherence in approach and regulation will lead to the dissemination of more uniform approaches to key skills.

Initial assessment and learning support.
Too few institutions assess students at the start of a course, whether a general vocational course or one specifically targeting Key Skills provision. Yet without this it is virtually impossible to provide valid support programmes. The data suggest that only a minority of part-time students are assessed. The most often used screening tests are those devised by the Basic Skills Agency for general literacy and numeracy. The new approach to Key Skills suggests there is an need for the development of more Key Skills specific diagnostic instruments. Currently, especially in a number of the larger FE Colleges in the North Wales TEP, 'tailor-made' diagnostic assessment schemes have been developed. The evidence suggests that this increases the relevance and accuracy of diagnoses and encourages teachers and lecturers to consider the relevance of Key Skills to the subjects and programmes they teach.

It is clear that regular monitoring allows information to be provided on the students taking advantage of the support offered and progress made.

The development of systems in which (a) teachers take some responsibility for systematically developing Key Skills as part of their teaching and (b) students/trainers see the relevance of these skills to the course they are studying and for future employment.
In the examples of a range of best practice, the teaching of Key Skills and support for Key Skills are provided for all students and in a variety of settings and contexts. Provision may include support in lessons, a centre resource centre which students can visit when they wish (or are able), and where they can study as individuals or in groups and additional key skills units which are linked to students' main programmes.

 

1.3 What type of training is needed to upgrade skills?

There are a number of threads running through the various approaches to Key Skills and the attempts to meet the skills needs of the young and older unemployed. This strategy report suggests that these needs are best met through training programmes that focus on the following:

CONTENT

greater competence at communication skills.

IT, at various levels of sophistication.

Improving Own Learning, including study skills.

The ability to work with others.

Application of Number.

Even though the government would like to see the use of a Key Skills qualification there is, by no means, general agreement on such an innovation. Employers, in particular, are loath to see the introduction of a possible complex and expensive tier of training, for which they would have to pay.

 

APPROACH OR TEACHING-LEARNING CONTEXTS

thorough preparation of students/trainees for learning.

the use of problem-solving strategies, preferably within a range of learning contexts.

ideally, the use of one-to-one learning strategies.

An increased use of ICT.

Any Key Skills programme, but especially one targeting the unemployed, will have to be accompanied by a carefully thought-out publicity and awareness-raising programme if it is to be understood and accepted by individual trainers, employers and the public. This will need to be underpinned by an effective support programme.

 

 

back | top | next